Allied Jet Killers of World War 2 Read online

  BLITZ BOMBER – Ar 234

  In 1940, the RLM authorised German aircraft companies to study the concept of a twin-engined jet reconnaissance aircraft with a range of 1325 miles. It would be powered by Junkers or BMW engines that were destined to be used in all three of the Luftwaffe’s operational jet aircraft. In early 1941, Arado director Professor Walther Blume and company engineer Hans Rebeski put forth various designs, one of which was designated E 370 and later 8-324. The design was a high-wing monoplane powered by jet engines hung beneath the wings. It had an estimated range of 1250 miles, a top speed of 500 mph at 19,700 ft and a maximum ceiling of 33,000 ft. Originally designed around the BMW P 3302 engine, Arado modified the aircraft so it would accept either the Junkers Jumo 004 or Daimler-Benz ZTL 5 000 turbojet engines, although it was ultimately equipped with the former.

  The aircraft was presented to the RLM in February 1942, and that April two prototypes were ordered and officially designated Ar 234. These first two, V1 and V2, were built rather quickly, but like every other German jet aircraft of this period, flight tests were delayed by a lack of engines. In this case the two Jumo 004B-0s were not delivered to Arado until February 1943 because Messerschmitt had priority on jet engine deliveries. The Ar 234 V1 was dismantled on 18 April 1943 and taken by road to Rheine, where the Jumos were installed in their nacelles. After a series of taxi tests, Flugkapitän Heinz Selle, Arado’s chief pilot, took the V1 aloft for the first time on 30 July 1943. On its second flight that same day it reached a top speed of 406 mph. Selle was subsequently killed in the crash of the first production Ar 234A on 1 October 1943 after the left engine caught fire. This accident had no effect on the programme, and at around the same time the RLM ordered Arado to produce a bomber version of the jet, which led to the Ar 234B Blitz (Lightning), although pilots nicknamed the aircraft ‘Hecht’ (Pike). This variant was the first to be equipped with tricycle landing gear.

  Throughout early 1944, production of the Blitz was hampered by Allied bombing, but when the Allies launched Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944 it presented an opportunity for the Ar 234 to prove its worth. German high command did not know the exact strategic situation in Normandy. They needed reconnaissance flights to be undertaken over the beachhead, and the Ar 234 was the only aircraft that was capable of performing these hazardous missions and still making it back to base. The V5 and V7, both of which were equipped with RB 50/30 cameras, were duly passed on to a specially formed unit – the Versuchsverband Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (VV OKL) – at Oranienberg, where they were flown by Oberleutnant Horst Götz and Leutnant Erich Sommer. On 25 July 1944, Götz and Sommer were ordered to forward deploy to Juvincourt, near Reims in France, but only Sommer successfully completed the flight as Götz was forced to turn back with mechanical issues.

  Although Sommer and the Ar 234 were ready to fly the world’s first jet reconnaissance mission, he had to wait for more than a week for the takeoff dolly and other assorted launch equipment to reach Juvincourt. Finally, on 2 August 1944, everything was in place and Sommer took off and photographed Normandy and western France from almost 30,000 ft while flying at 440 mph. Sommer and the V5 were soon joined by Götz and the V7, and for the next three weeks the pair completed 13 missions between them over France and Great Britain. They flew these missions unopposed because the Allies were totally unaware of their presence.

  The Ar 234 V1 prototype sits on its jettisonable three-wheeled take-off trolley (note that its central landing skid has also been extended) at Rheine airfield during the early stages of the aircraft flight test programme in the late summer of 1943. Arado’s Chief Test Pilot Flugkapitän Heinz Selle performed the V1’s first flight on 30 July 1943 (EN Archive)

  By September 1944, VV OKL had been pushed back to Rheine, near Osnabruck in Germany, where the unit was eventually disbanded because production series aircraft, with conventional landing gear, were now available. A new unit, Kommando ‘Sperling’, was organised with three pilots and three pre-production Ar 234B-0s, which had been replaced by nine production aircraft by 1 November. During the month the Allies finally became aware of this new aircraft when a flight of 339th Fighter Group (FG) P-51 Mustangs spotted a Blitz high over Holland and were unable to intercept the jet. It would not take long, however, for the first Ar 234 to fall to the guns of Allied fighters.

  DESPERATE TIMES – He 162

  By August 1944, just 120 Me 262s had been delivered to the Luftwaffe, and with American and British bombers pounding the Reich day and night, the Nazis searched for a way to produce more fighters to repel these raids. Thus, the idea of the Volksjäger (People’s Fighter) was born. Developed by Karl Otto Saur, whom Albert Speer had put in charge of Luftwaffe re-equipment, and supported by Hermann Göring, the concept behind the Volksjäger was to design a simple jet fighter that was capable of outperforming Allied piston-engined rivals while being flown by basically trained pilots drawn from the Hitler Youth. In desperation, the Emergency Fighter Programme was launched on 8 September 1944, with proposals submitted by Arado, Blohm & Voss, Fieseler, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel, Junkers and Messerschmitt for a fighter that could be designed quickly and built cheaply by semi-skilled or unskilled workers using non-strategic materials.

  The fighter would be powered by the 1760-lb thrust BMW 003E engine and armed with a pair of MK 108 30 mm cannon. It was to have a top speed of 470 mph, a combat endurance of 30 minutes and be able to take off in less than 1700 ft while weighing 4000 lbs. The prototype would have to be ready by 1 December 1944, with production beginning a month later. ‘Willy’ Messerschmitt refused to participate in the programme, partly due to the unrealistic nature of the specifications and timetable, but mostly because he was busy developing the Me 262. By the middle of September the top two designs were the Heinkel P 1073 and the Blohm & Voss P 211, with the former ultimately being selected. On 28 September, the RLM placed an order for 1000 examples.

  The diminutive size of the He 162A-1, together with its Lippisch-designed wingtips and slanting tail fins, are shown clearly in this view of what is believed to be JG 1’s ‘White 21’ at Ludwigslust in April 1945. One member of the groundcrew is about to pull down the canopy, behind which can be seen a red and white engine intake cover which is marked with a ‘21’. The aircraft’s nose has been finished in the national military colours of red, white and black, together with red arrows on either side. A generator cart is visible to the left of the photograph (EN Archive)

  As if the programme was not fanatical enough already, at a conference held at the RLM on 17 October, it was decided that production of the new Heinkel fighter would begin on 1 November 1944 at a rate of 4000 aircraft per month – 1000 by Heinkel at Marienehe, 1000 by Junkers at Bernberg and 2000 by Mittelwerk GmbH in the hellish underground facility at Nordhausen.

  Known within Heinkel as the Salamander or Spatz (Sparrow) and originally designated He 500, the new fighter would enter service as the He 162. First flown on 6 December 1944 by Heinkel test pilot Flugkapitän Gotthold Peter, the He 162 M1 (Wk-Nr 200001) demonstrated longitudinal instability due to the dorsal-mounted engine and tail surfaces that were too small. Regardless, Peter took the fighter up to an incredible 525 mph at 1900 ft. Four days later, he was killed when the M1 disintegrated during a high-speed pass (450+ mph) for high ranking officials. Despite Peter’s death, the programme proceeded unhindered, and the second prototype, M2 Wk-Nr 200002, which was identical to M1, made its first flight on 22 December with Karl Francke at the controls. The next two aircraft, M3 and M4, were ready by 16 January 1945, and they differed from the first two prototypes through the introduction of a redesigned trailing edge, wingtips that were canted downward at 55 degrees, enlarged tail surfaces and ballast in the nose to shift the centre of gravity forward.

  After a number of pre-production aircraft were built, quite rapidly, construction of the first production He 162A-1s and A-2s began on 20 January at the underground factory at Hinterbruhl. Once completed, they were rushed to the newly established test unit EKdo 162, which
was also known as Einsatzkommando ‘Bär’ after high-scoring Luftwaffe ace Heinz Bär. By the end of January it had been decided that Fw 190-equipped JG 1 would be the lead operational Spatz unit. On 6 February 1945, a number of He 162s that had been built by Heinkel at Rostock-Marienehe were sent to Parchim and assigned to I./JG 1 under the command of Oberleutnant Emil Demuth. When the He 162s arrived, I. Gruppe’s Fw 190s were transferred to II./JG 1. Over the next ten days nearly 30 He 162s were issued to the unit, after which II. Gruppe, commanded by Hauptmann Paul Heinrich Dhäne, transferred to Vienna-Heidfeld to begin its conversion from the Fw 190 to the new jet fighter.

  Five pilots of 3./JG 1 relax at their dispersal in 1945. Second from right is Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Günther Kirchner, who first flew the He 162 on 4 April 1945. He would be killed two weeks later when he attempted to eject from his Heinkel after being attacked by enemy fighters over Leck airfield. Also in this photograph, second from left, is Feldwebel Rolf Ackermann, who lost his life a few days after Kirchner when his He 162 crashed at Leck (EN Archive)

  Over the next few weeks, before JG 1 was declared operational, a number of He 162s were lost due to pilots running out of fuel and either force landing or ejecting from their aircraft. These accidents made it glaringly apparent that Hitler Youth pilots would have been unable to fly the aeroplane, much less fight in it, after only a few hours of flight training. The He 162 quickly proved to be a very challenging aircraft to control when in the air, and a number of experienced Luftwaffe pilots were killed in accidents – post-war, a handful of British and French test pilots also perished while attempting to evaluate the jet fighter.

  After having to move several times due to the rapidly approaching Red Army in the east and persistent USAAF daylight bombing raids in the west, both I. and II./JG 1 settled at Leck, on the northern coast of Germany. Here, I. Gruppe was declared operational on 15 April 1945. During the brief 21-day period that JG 1 was operational, 13 aircraft were destroyed and ten pilots killed. Most of these losses were again due to operational accidents. Indeed, available records show that only one jet was destroyed in combat. On 19 April Tempest V pilot Flg Off Geoff Walkington of No 222 Sqn claimed to have shot down an ‘unknown type of plane with twin rudders and one engine’ over Husum airfield. For many years there has been speculation that his victim may have been Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Günther Kirchner of 3./JG 1.

  While Kirchner was killed on this date, his demise was not as a result of Walkington opening fire on him. At 1222 hrs Leutnant Gerhard Stiemer and Kirchner took off from Leck, 20 miles north of Husum, to intercept enemy fighters spotted in the area. At the same time a pair of Tempests made a pass over the field. It was reported that Kirchner whipped his He 162 into a tight turn in order to pursue the RAF fighters – a fatal manoeuvre when at the controls of a Spatz. The fighter suddenly flipped over onto its back and began falling like a leaf. At that point Kirchner pulled the ejection handle, and, since the aircraft was nearly inverted, he was fired into the ground without his parachute ever opening. Seconds later one of the Tempests was shot down by a flak battery at Leck, its pilot bailing out and quickly being captured.

  As previously noted, while this action was taking place over Leck, Flg Off Geoff Walkington was 20 miles to the south strafing Husum airfield. During a run across the field from south to north, he spotted an aircraft with twin rudders and one engine and gave chase as the unidentified machine rolled into a right turn. This manoeuvre allowed Walkington to close to within 1000 yards and open fire – he shot off two short and ineffective bursts. Walkington then followed his quarry up into the clouds, and at 3000 ft he passed the aircraft, which, he stated, was then spinning out of control. Walkington watched the aircraft continue to spin until it struck the ground and exploded near Husum airfield. Although his description of his alleged victim matches that of an He 162, only one Spatz was reported lost on that day and it was Kirchner’s.

  Shortly after the German surrender in early May 1945, JG 1 organised its He 162s into two neat rows on Leck airfield in anticipation of the arrival of British air intelligence specialists who were eager to learn more about German jet aircraft technology. The jet closest to the camera is He 162A-1 Wk-Nr 120067 ‘White 4’ of 1./JG 1 (EN Archive)

  On 20 April RAF Typhoons were active in the Leck area and three He 162s were scrambled in what turned out to be an unsuccessful interception. A fourth Spatz, flown by Oberleutnant Wolfgang Wollenweber of 3./JG 1, did engage Typhoons that were again strafing Husum. While flying at more than 560 mph Wollenweber closed to within 100 yards of a Typhoon and pulled the trigger, but his MK 108 cannons remained silent. He overshot and lined up on a second Typhoon, buzzing the British pilot before zoom-climbing out of range.

  Although it is difficult to determine precisely, it is generally accepted that He 162 pilots achieved two aerial victories. On 25 April Leutnant Hans Rechenbach of II./JG 1 claims to have shot down a British fighter, but there is no corresponding loss reported by the RAF. At 1138 hrs on 4 May, with Nazi Germany’s surrender imminent, Leutnant Rudolf Schmitt of I./JG 1 took off from Leck in He 162A-2 ‘White 1’ (Wk-Nr 120013) to engage Typhoons and Tempests roaming in the Husum area. Just seven minutes later Schmitt encountered one of the British fighters southeast of Husum and fired what appeared to be several effective bursts. Schmitt felt that he had damaged the fighter enough that it went down. Leutnant Schmitt’s apparent aerial victory occurred on what was likely the last combat sortie flown by JG 1.

  Later that day I. and II./JG 1 were merged and placed under the command of Oberstleutnant Herbert Ihlefeld, who arranged to turn the remaining 22 He 162s, which were neatly lined up in rows on either side of one of Leck’s taxiways, over to Allied intelligence. On 5 May 1945, Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Freideburg ordered German forces in northwest Europe to surrender. The next day elements of the British 11th Armoured Division reached Leck and accepted the surrender of the Luftwaffe’s sole He 162 unit.

  CHAPTER TWO

  FIRST CLASHES

  The renowned Eighth Air Force historian Roger Freeman coined a simple phrase to describe the Luftwaffe’s revolutionary new aircraft – the jet menace. Allied intelligence had been aware of Germany’s jet programmes for several months, and heavy bombers soon began targeted attacks on suspected manufacturing plants and airfields. The first actual sighting, however, did not occur until 28 July 1944.

  That day, Mustangs of the 359th FG were escorting 45th Bomb Wing (BW) B-17s that had been sent to attack oil industry targets near Merseburg and Leuna, in eastern Germany. At the same time several Me 163s from I./JG 400 were airborne on training flights, and two of the pilots made feigned attacks on the Flying Fortresses. These passes resulted in a brief, inconclusive, engagement with several 359th P-51s, including the aeroplane flown by group CO, Col Avelin Tacon, who later reported;

  Prior to joining the 78th FG in August 1944 to take command of the 82nd FS, Maj Joseph Myers had scored three victories flying P-38s with the 55th FG. Following his shared Me 262 kill with 2Lt Croy on 28 August 1944, Myers claimed his final victory on 7 October 1944, thus finishing the war just a half-kill short of ‘making ace’. Maj Myers was flying P-47D-27 42-27339 when he shot down the 1./KG 51 Me 262 flown by Oberfeldwebel Hieronymous Lauer on 28 August 1944 (USAAF)

  ‘My eight-ship section was furnishing close support to a combat wing of B-17s that had just bombed Merseburg. The bombers were heading south at 24,000 ft and we were flying parallel to them about 1000 yards to the east at 25,000 ft. Someone called out “contrails high at six o’clock”. I looked back and saw two contrails at about 32,000 ft about five miles away. I immediately called them to my flight as jet-propelled aircraft. There is no mistaking their contrails. It was white and very dense – as dense as cumulus clouds and the same appearance, except it was elongated. The two contrails I saw were about three-quarters of a mile long.

  ‘We immediately dropped tanks and turned on gun switches while making a 180-degree turn back towards the bandits. It has since turned ou
t in interrogation that there were five Me 163s – one flight of two, which I saw with jets on, and another flight of three without jets. The two I saw made a diving turn to the left, in good close formation, and started a “six o’clock” pass on the bombers. As soon as they turned they cut off their jets. We started a head-on overhead pass at them, getting between them and the rear of the bombers. When they were still about 3000 yards from the bombers they saw us and made a slight turn to the left into us, and away from the bombers. Their bank was about 80 degrees in this turn, but they only changed course 20 degrees. They did not attack the bombers. Their roll rate appeared to be excellent, but radius of the turn very large. I estimate, conservatively, they were doing between 500-600 mph.

  ‘Although I had seen them start their dive and watched them throughout their attack, I had no time to get my sights anywhere near them. Both ships, still in close formation and without jet propulsion, passed about 1000 ft under us. I split-essed to try to follow them. As soon as they passed under us one of them continued on in a 45 degree dive and the other pulled up into the sun, which was about 50 to 60 degrees above the horizon. I glanced quickly up into the sun but could not see this one. When I looked back at the one that had continued the dive, approximately one second later, he was about five miles away down to about 10,000 ft. Although I did not see it, the leader of my second flight reports the aircraft that pulled up into the sun used his jet in short bursts. The flight leader described it as looking like he was blowing smoke rings. This ship disappeared and we don’t know where it went.’