Throughout the Second
World War both the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe attempted to
produce an effective jet fighter. The Messerschmitt 262A made its
first test flight on 18th July, 1942. It reached a speed of 540
mph (869 km) making it faster than any other aeroplane in the air
during the Second World War. The aircraft was armed with four 30
mm cannons.
Hermann Goering believed
that the aircraft had the potential to change the course of the
war. However, production was delayed when Adolf Hitler insisted
that they should be used as a bomber rather than a fighter aircraft.
Underwing bomb-racks were fitted and the first of these planes were
not delivered to the Luftwaffe until April 1944. Of the 1,430 produced
only 220 were operational before the end of the war. Of these, 120
were shot down by Allied fighters.
