Jahrestag

May 25th 1943 - The worlds first jet fighter goes into production '

 

May 25th 1943: In Germany Inspector of the Luftwaffe Erhard Milch, orders the serial production of the worlds first jet fighter the Messerschmitt 262. For the Nazis it was a decision of symbolic significance as the German Luftwaffe after the Battle of Britain lost much of its weight militarily. The hope was that the war could still be won by means of a "silver bullet". The plane seen here during a test was indeed a sensation. Powered by two Junkers turbines it reached a top speed of 800 kilometers per hour and was far superior to its opponents. Its use however was not decisive for the outcome of the wart. Although some fighter pilots were able to win individual air combats with the Messerschmitt the Allied air superiority was already too great for the production of a jet aircraft to have a considerable effect. When the Messerschmitt 262 was employed to the front in the fall of 1944 and the first squadrons were able to be set up the Allies were already at the German border.

Länge: 00:01:17 | O-Ton: nein | Farbe: s/w | Jahr: 1943 | Clip-ID: JHT000195E

 

 

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