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Hans Von Ohain
The first operational jet engine was developed in Germany by young German physicist Hans von Ohain. In 1939, they would make the first operational jet aircraft the Heinkel Hn 178. Other German engineers would continue to refine his first design. One of them was Anselm Franz who developed the jet engine, the Jumo 004 that would power the Me 262. The first jet fighter to enter active service in 1944. Despite only a small amount of them being produced they still achieved an impressive amount of kills. After the war, both the US and the Soviet Union would take German jet planes for study.
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Me 262 or known as the "Swallow" was revolutionary for its time and marked a great leap forward in jet technology. It was powered by two Juno 004B jet engines which reached a top speed of 540 mph which was 100 mph faster than the US P-51 Mustang. It had four 30mm MK-108 cannons that fired up to 650 rounds per minute as well as 24 R4M air-to-air rockets. Despite its speed and armaments, it was difficult for new inexperienced pilots to maneuver making them vulnerable when turning or landing and taking off. Only 1400 of them were produced and lower than 300 of them saw active combat due to the lack of resources and time. Their impact in WW2 was minuscule due to their late entry into the war. The Americans and British were developing their own jet fighters and took ideas from the captured Me 262s. Some features they implemented were the swept wing, wing slots, underslung engine nacelle, and heavy cannon armament mounted in the nose. It would continue to influence the designs of the F-86 Sabre and the MiG-15.
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