Me 262, Volume Four, J. Richard Smith, Eddie J. Creek

This is the fourth and final volume in J. Richard Smith and Eddie J Creek's chronological study of the Messerschmitt Me 262 and it concludes the work by focusing on the last, desperate days of the jet's daylight combat operations during April and May 1945. Using rare eye-witness accounts, the authors portray both sides of the air war between the Me 262 and Allied piston engine fighters and bombers. The authors have drawn extensively from the personal accounts of both German and Allied pilots as well as thousands of archive documents. Also included in the volume is an in-depth look at various high-speed and swept wing variants and projects and also a detailed study of American, French, British, Czech, and Japanese post-war testing and evaluation and production. This final aspect of the Me 262 story is complemented by many rare photographs taken in both Germany and overseas as well as accompanying full-color artwork.

This book examines the impact the Me 262 made upon the course of the European air war following its operational debut with Erprobungskommando 262 in the summer of 1944. This extraordinary new aircraft was a vital element to a possible revival of Nazi Germany's flagging war effort for as Hitler told his generals before the Normandy Invasion: "Every month that passes makes it more probable that we will get at least one Gruppe of jet aircraft. The most important thing is that the enemy get some bombs on top of them as they try to invade... If we can pin them on the beaches for just six to eight hours, you can see what that will mean to us..." Indeed as one senior Allied air commander warned in June, 1944: "German jets could wash away our air superiority tomorrow and give the Luftwaffe an immense advantage..."Using the frank and concise personal reports of Messerschmitt's front-line inspectors, as well as combat reports and other eye-witness accounts, the authors reveal the later tactical successes and failures of the aircraft as it was deployed in both the fighter role with Kommando Nowotny and in the bomber role with Kommando Schenk and KG 51 over the western front in the autumn of 1944. Also included is an in-depth look at the array of ingenious and formidable weapons systems designed for the aircraft as well as detailed descriptions of the projected rocket-powered interceptor, BMW-engined and heavily armed and armoured variants.