The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. One of Browns fellow airmen, Capt. euronews (en franais) More from MotorTrend. The P-51 is a purebred fighter, agile and fast. For a few moments he monitored their progress: The lead ship was in take-off position on This title explores the formidable Me 262 and P-51 Mustang, two planes which represented the state-of-the-art in terms of design, performance, and combat capability for their respective air forces. The attack on the bombers was ineffective because of the prompt action of my flight in breaking up the attack. The six .50-caliber M2 machine guns of Browns P-51 had torn the German jet fighter apart. Drew recounted: I had started shooting from about 60 There was black smoke and an explosion.. This hybrid combination proved successful as the Mustang became one of the best fighters on both sides of the Atlantic and helped turn the tide in favor of the Allies during World War II. On March 24, 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen flew their longest mission of the war, escorting heavy bombers to Berlin (which was farther from their base in Italy than from American airfields in England). Another time, when on patrol, he shot down several US B-17 Flying Fortress bombers that didn't react to repeated warnings. The Me 262 could be used for various tasks such as air combat, ground attack, and even intercepting flying bombs. You are at a gateway to WWII discussion, research, exploration, & analysis. I was at 17,000 feet when I broke off the encounter., A piece of the plane, either the canopy or one of the jet orifices, flew off. The Me 262 was also faster and more innovative than the P-51. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. only P-51 Mustang fighter pilot to shoot down a MiG 15. [emphasis added]. I saw flames burst from the jet orifices of the enemy aircraft. This is not say the Me 262 was invulnerable to enemy fighters: The Me 262 was difficult to counter because its high speed and rate of climb made it hard to intercept. Compared with Allied fighters of its day, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor, it was much faster and . ebay p 51 mustang vs messerschmitt bf 109 a comparision bookmark file p 51 mustang engineering drawings free scalewings sw 51 mini mustang ist endlich flgge Its one disadvantage -- its climb-rate wasn't good -- was solved in light-weight P-51H. Vote. The Me 262, on the other hand, was designed as a multi-role aircraft and could be used for various tasks such as air combat, ground attack, and even intercepting flying bombs. The war against the jets intensified in November as the Luftwaffe increased its sortie rate with the Me 262. Browse more videos. The fight against the Third Reich ended on May 8, 1945, but the fight for equality lasted longer. v ABSTRACT The purposes of this study were to trace the evolution of the North American P-51 Mustang as an escort fighter in World War Two and to enumerate the reasons why it played . Only in exceptional cases, the IP address will be sent to Google's servers and shortened within the United States. [ref: P-51 shot down MiG-15 ?? ", [ref: Flying to the Limit by Peter Caygill] Almost immediately, the pilot bailed out from about 24,500 feet. The ace shot down a four-engined bomber and a P-51 for his 257th US Air Force (af.mil): In terms of performance the P-51D will out perform the Fw 190 A series and the Earlier Bf 109 series easily when used correctly. Arguably two of the finest fighters built during the course of World War II, the Me 262 and P-51 Mustang heralded new dawns in aircraft performance. NA P-51 Mustang vs FW 190 Butcherbird Altitude = 25,000 feet61 5.10 Attrition of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force in Early 194463 . Hope you enjoy! 'dog-fights' between our F-80 jets and the Mustangs, that the '51 could So fast and hard to catch that the P-51 pilots were only able to follow the a/c on landing or wait in squadron strength for the sleek birds to take off..aka "Rat Catching". Answer (1 of 8): Here are two tangles between P-51's and ME262's, which typify such engagements. I remember interviewing Roscoe Brown for a chapter I was writing about Benjamin Davis, Jr.for my book FIRST COMMAND. Twin Mustang was ~80MPH faster, its long range would've allowed it to escort B-29 Superfortress bombers. Over the German capital, they encountered Me 262s. Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. [ref: Caygill]. Hubert Lange, a Me 262 pilot, said: "the Messerschmitt Me 262's most dangerous opponent was the British Hawker Tempestextremely fast at low altitudes, highly manoeuvrable and heavily armed." film, was eventually credited with the destruction of two Me 262s. (conservapedia.com), P-51 shot down MiG-15 ?? Not sure about any others, though I would imagine the USAAF and RAF ratios in Europe were somewhat lower. degrees deflection at 300 yards and my bullets were just hitting the tail Welcome to the WWII Forums! However, the availability of both machines and trained pilots was becoming an insurmountable problem for the Luftwaffe. the east-west runway and the taxiing ship got into position for a formation It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been . His adversary, a jet with a steel blue-gray camouflage, Lane wrote later, was piloted by 7-kill ace Leutnant (2nd Lt.) Alfred Ambs. Log in or Sign up to interact with the community. As I glanced back I saw a gigantic But it was designed in an era when piston engines were king. Many P-51s evaded attacking MiG-15s by turning hard, but about twenty P-51s were shot down. Very good article, one that needs to be repeated again and again. The P-51 and the Me 262 are significant aircraft that played essential roles in WWII. I would say Mustang's shot most down, because there were more of them escorting bombers and ground strafing. 262s led by ace Hauptmann Georg-Peter Eder prepared to take off from Achmer to The African-American pilots were not finished dealing with the jet fighter that was one of Adolf Hitlers vaunted wunderwaffe (wonder weapons). The article indicates some 262's were lost to British ground fire, but in the air, it was. Force Service in 1950 at the onset of the Korean Conflict. as later marks became much faster but handling worsened. The break should start much sooner than is necessary when fighting Me 109s or Fw 190s. (#D144,938 in June 4, 1946). Please. was just two P-51H fuselages welded together, wrong, As I closed on him, I 1:21. the Mustang. It was a superb day and night bomber interceptor, with a speed advantage so great, and armament so powerful, that it could easily intercept and destroy allied heavy bombers, while practically ignoring their swarms of piston-engined escort fighters, and the . Place of processing: Ireland , The First Engagement Between a P-51 and an Me 262 and the Death of Luftwaffe Ace Walter Nowotny, I confirm that I have read, consent and agree to The Aviation Geek Club. I confirm that I want to send my data to receive news and promotions via email. Join in if you dare! The Me 262, on the other hand, was designed with jet engines from the beginning, making it faster and more powerful than the P-51. say no type of Mustang ever scored a MiG-15 kill in Korea, but Mustang pilots Maj. John Yingling and Col. Joseph Rogers claim they shot down MiG-15s. You might also like. claims P-51s shot down MiG-15s in South Korea, but reverse seems more likely, Ah, we might as well let bygones be bygones and appreciate their beauty as historical relics. And the Me-262 would take advantage on their speed instead. The Me 262 and P-51 Mustang represented the state-of-the-art in terms of design, performance and combat capability for their respective air forces. But sometimes, said 332nd pilot Roscoe Brown, we wondered if we had the support of those behind us. The AAF had plenty of officers like Col. (later, Gen.) William Spike Momyer who wrote that black pilots were inferior, and Maj. Gen. Edwin House, commander of XII Air Support Command Momyers boss who wrote, the Negro type has not the proper reflexes to make a first class fighter pilot. Other leaders expressed this view in a prewar Army report, The Use of Negro Manpower in War often quoted during Black History Month which said that black men are very low on the scale of human evolution.. But in reality, they couldnt be more different. The Me 262 provided them with something they had never had before speed. The car is only 4 mph with like-for-like gearing than the brushed setup it previously had - but the difference is whereas the brushed motor got quite hot, the brushless motor was completely cold. was doing around 350 mph, and the jet was doing 450. I saw a crash and a puff of black smoke. Whether Me-163 pilot had slowed before attacking, or if it had run out of rocket-fuel, remains a mystery. possibly he may have chosen it if requirements called for two-seats. Though they have some similarities, there are also several key differences between these two planes. Whatever the case, a short because its jet engines provided far less acceleration than a propeller their respective air forces. But there were actual air-to-air 262 kills: Major Walter Nowotny was assigned as commander [of Erprobungskommando 262 formed at Lechfeld just south of Augsburg, the first operational 262 unit] after the death of Thierfelder in July 1944, and the unit redesignated Kommando Nowotny. Making its operational debut in the summer of 1944, and powered by the Jumo 004 jet engine, the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower. March 1945. Google uses the Personal Data collected to track and examine the use of this site, compile reports on its activities and share them with other services developed by Google. Only veteran or lucky German pilots could survive in a Me-109. Instead of going directly after them, we went away from them and then turned into their blind spots.. Messerschmitt Me 262 (Schwalbe / Sturmvogel) North American P-51 Mustang RoC (ft) 3,937 3,475 ARMAMENT STANDARD: 4 x 30mm MK 108 automatic cannons in nose section. the two planes,' said Jim Cook, master crew chief at the Pacific flying 170 missions in a P-51 Mustang, a piston-engine plane in which Learn how your comment data is processed. (Nowotny apparently was shot down after failing to outdive Mustangs) This commission helps us to maintain and improve the forum for the benefit of our users. F-82 Twin Mustang The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? . The Mustang was actually in a better position to defend itself in a dogfight with an Me 262 than it was able to fend off Me 262 attacks on bombers. Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices, Google Analytics (GA4) is a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited (Google). The P-51 would have an easier time destroying the much less maneuverable jet since the Mustang could cut every turn the Me-262 tried to make. You must log in or register to reply here. MiGs, and they were so much faster. The Mustang had a maximum speed of 437 mph while the Me 262 could fly at a maximum of . p40 warhawk, landung, warhawk, ww2, p-40, flugzeug, antik, wwii, p40, klassisch, curtiss, HD-Hintergrundbild Google Fonts is a service used to display font styles operated by Google Ireland Limited and serves to integrate such content into its pages. Its innovative design inspired many modern aircraft today. Facebook Like button and social widgets (Facebook, Inc.), the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower. The Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") fighter version of the Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, with the first test unit having been formed on 19 April, 1944 as documented in the Operational History section of the Wiki article cited. Me-109Z Zwilling As the jets began to move across Me-262's top speed was reported as 515MPH or 540MPH Equation alignment in aligned environment not working properly. Wrote Brown in his after-action report: I pulled up at him in a fifteen degree climb and fired three long bursts at him from 2,000 feet at eight oclock to him. since he drew the first drawing of the Twin Mustang with which he was awarded a US patent The Me 262 was nearly 100 mph faster than the P-51D, which put the Mustang at a distinct disadvantage. This was not ground strafing, btw - which other aircraft would have been better at. 1 x cannon in propeller hub So which aircraft is better? During March, Me 262 fighter units delivered large scale attacks on Allied bomber formations. @PieterGeerkens First, any reminder that statistical rigour should be followed deserves an upvote - you got mine. Actual top speed depends on altitude and other factors. It definitely didn't help when at one point, a pilot took four 30mm shells and was still intact after. He told some great stories about aerial combat with a Me 262. Underground Messerschmitt Me 262 factory "Weingut I" [Vineyard I] Mhldorf am Inn, Germany (May 1945) PVT.Snafu. In that way the Mustang would have equal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Clostermann. P-51 and F-80 jet were definitely outclassed by near-supersonic MiG-15. Unknown to Schubert, Koehler's aircraft never reached England. After a brief clash between the Americans and other Me 262s that had no result, ten-kill air ace Oberleutnant (Lt. Col.) Franz Kulp flew straight at Brown. they knew they would be completely outnumbered and Ziegler's book describes Blitz VI. Nowotnys last words, though garbled, During the WWII, did the German Luftwaffe ever have mixed units of Bf-109s and Me-262s, and if so, which units and/or which airfields? designed a superior twin-engine fighter. 87. Almost immediately, the pilot bailed out from about 24,500 feet. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. In a February 5 interview, Dr. Roscoe Brown, 91, was remembering a pivotal battle as a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot in World War II. (arlingtoncemetry.net), P-51 shot down MiG-15 ?? as within seconds, a P-51 would reach 500+MPH It is unclear who was flying the Me 262, Luftwaffe fighter arms nemesis. Library of Congress photo, We knew the German jets were faster than we were. Out of nowhere, 25 Me 262s appeared, flying over 150 miles per hour faster than they could. survive a jet confrontation but only if strict, disciplined (arlingtoncemetry.net)] OPTIONAL: External Bomb load of up to 1,200lb. I then pulled up and circled over the spot where he went down. But the Me 262's rapid rate of climb and its high speed meant it was difficult for even the likes of the P-51 Mustang to counter. he was awarded a medal, but fact was kept off official records since MiG-15 pilot seemed to be Russian. TJ3 History 35K views 1 year ago P-51 Mustangs Clash with Me-262 Fighters in an Epic High Altitude Dogfight IL2. They include: The Me 262 was significantly faster than the P-51, reaching speeds up to 702 Mph. I caught up with "He [Col. Joseph Rogers] more than made up for his lack of combat in the Korean War -- More information in Terms and rules. Ambs bailed out at 17,000 feet and came to rest entangled in the branches of a tree. [ref: Pilot Training Manual for the P-51 Mustang] On the 24th of that month, Brown became one of three members of the 332nd Fighter Group to be credited with shooting down a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. 8 when Major Walter Nowotny, the Kommandos renowned leader and one of the most First, it was a capable fighter plane, able to engage in aerial combat with enemy aircraft and support Allied bombers. Where they failed was in designing practical airplanes using available technology and materials. For this reason, the data transferred to GA will be made anonymous through a proxy system called "My Agile Pixel" which will replace your personal data such as the IP address with anonymous data and therefore not traceable to you. 2nd Lt. Charles V. Brantley became the second 332nd pilot to engage an Me 262. Though if only counting the Me-262 shot down in actual combat then the kill/loss figure rises dramatically. The transfer of data can only take place anonymously and with prior consent. Even after the Reich introduced the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, which was faster than any warplane in Allied hands, Brown and the other Tuskegee Airmen continued to do what fighter pilots always do: They fought aggressively. Ah, the age-old question. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James H. Kindelberger [5] of North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of . March 1945 off the Frankfurt Autobahn. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); What are you waiting for? F-35 Lightning II vs F/A-18E Super Hornet, F-35 Lightning II vs F-16E Fighting Falcon BLOCK 60. Follow. Also Read: North American F-82 Twin Mustang. Brown, who lives in Riverdale, N.Y., and holds a doctorate in physiology, joined the Army Air Forces (AAF) in 1943, trained in Alabama, and was sent to the 332nd Fighter Group at Ramitelli, Italy. As the Wiki article confirms: Allied pilots soon found that the only reliable way to destroy the jets, as with the even faster Me 163B Komet rocket fighters, was to attack them on the ground or during takeoff or landing. In that month, the Messerschmitt Me 262 began to appear in combat. that first appeared in mid-1930s, first of which was Me-109. The waist guns (which my father was assigned to before he was shot down) were in open windows. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Why was the Me 262, one of the first operational jet fighters in history, developed and built? Size: 1624inch(4060cm) 1218inch(3045cm) 1624inch(4060cm) . Early Spitfire had superb maneuverability and graceful handling. It may not display this or other websites correctly. He joined the 361st Fighter Group in . Amidst the chaos on the runway, It was slower, less maneuverable from high wing-loading, had aerodynamic quirks, vicious stalling, narrow landing gear, etc. The problem was getting home. Although innovative in 1935, by 1943, Me-109 was out-classed. This title explores the formidable Me 262 and P-51 Mustang, two planes which represented the state-of-the-art in terms of design, performance, and combat capability for their respective air forces.Arguably two of the finest fighters built during the course of World War II, the Me 262 and P-51 Mustang heralded new dawns in aircraft performance. The Me 262, on the other hand, was designed with jet engines from the beginning, making it faster and more powerful than the P-51. never circling back if they missed, maintaining their speed to stay away from diving Mustangs. ", "On November 8, 1950, the then Capt. 1x Packard (Rolls Royce) V-1650-7 Merlin. (LA Times)] Main difference was size: Spitfire small, Mustang large. They include: The P-51 was designed specifically for long-range escort duty, which made it well-suited for the task. 1:08. [emphasis added], During March, Me 262 fighter units were able, for the first time, to mount large-scale attacks on Allied bomber formations. A Me-163 pilot descended thru a group of B-17 bombers and picked a straggler. But theres one area where the P-51 shines: range. Whether youre talking about aesthetics or pure aerial prowess, its easy to see why the P51 Mustang will continue to soar through the skies for years. [ref: Wagner, McLaren]. [ref: Ziegler for 515MPH]. Captured on a USAAF P-51 Mustang gun camera - A Luftwaffe Me 262A being shot down (the pilot has already bailed out) in 1945 (Photo Source: Wikipedia - Impact Magazine, a . Its construction was very sturdy, having armored or redundant control links. planes that were apparently destroyed twice. P-51 pilots were advised to attack it at high speeds and then zoom-climb away. The other jet aircraft was about 500 yards ahead of me and had started 2nd Lt. Charles V. Brantley became the second 332nd pilot to engage an Me 262. I kept horsing back on the stick and my bullets Messerschmitt Me 262-The Messerschmitt 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet fighter aircraft. Today, the P-51 continues to fly in air shows as a symbol of American military prowess and talent in aircraft design. Thank you for your support! mission of any strength was not mounted until the 7th, when a formation of Me Galland was highly impressed by the aircraft's capabilities and speed and became an advocate or the aircraft's mass production. while laminar-winged Mustang was designed to fly optimally at 400+MPH. The words of general Ion Dobran, a former Romanian Bf . Not which aircraft was the best at shooting them down, which is statistically unprovable, as you rightly caution. There are several better things about P-51. @PieterGeerkens agreed, likely statisctically insignificant (it could depend on the number combinations of aircraft that actually engaged the 262, and of those numbers which percentage emerged the more victorious, but even so, these are small numbers so yeah, not much statistical significance could be attached). There were four One Honduran Corsair shot down an El Salvadoran Mustang and another Corsair (both nations had Corsairs). The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow") was a German aircraft, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Faircount Media Group. It only takes a minute to sign up. Historically, why did the US station their nuclear weapons in Germany for delivery through German pilots? Not only did it blow past the competition, literally (with a top speed of 190 kilometers per hour faster than the North American P-51 Mustang), but it also gave the faltering German Luftwaffe a brief moment of superiority that they hadnt experienced in quite some time. Mustang's design was refined rather than radical, [ 07. Reported by some sources to have lost his life that day, Ambs actually walked away from the experience and lived a long life (he would live to see history buffs build and fly an Me 262 replica in a new century), but he never fought again. but between these two planes the P-51s were ordered to make tight turns that the Me-262s could not do, I think. ", LA Times: [ref: History Channel's "Dogfights"]. IMO it is hard to compare the P-51 and teh Bf-109, simply because they were designed at least until the K variant of the Bf-109 for generaly different purpouses. The 332nds aircraft had distinctive markings that gave them the name Red Tails. U.S. Air Force photo. Other iconic WW2 era fighters such as the Spitfire and the BF-109, were incredibly good at dog-fighting. was doing around 350 mph, and the jet was doing 450. Kulp sustained severe wounds but survived. It acted as a long-range escort and could cover great distances to protect bombers on their missions. None of this prevented the 332nd Fighter Group, commanded by Col. Benjamin O. Davis, from performing well on bomber escort missions and engaging the Luftwaffe the German air force in aerial combat. Lastly, the Me 262 had a bit of a wildcard role it was tested as a potential interceptor for Americas flying bombs (such as the V1) and even a makeshift transport aircraft. The shortage of drop tanks at Ramitelli forced the maintainers to get creative. How high I am not sure. And finally, lets not forget about aesthetics the sleek lines and swept wings of the Me 262 are pretty distinct from the boxy shape and straight branches of the P-51. I did not see the pilot bail All quotes listed here are from the Wiki article referenced above. (unknown artist) I fired three short bursts and saw the plane emitting smoke. Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited ("Google"). Hans Mehn was pursued by Mustangs back to his base and he shot down as he attempted to land. In Air Force's Airman publication, Yingling claims his MiG-15 kill was confirmed, We directly support the repository at WW2.ORG, and several other worthwhile projects that add to the historical record. One of Browns fellow airmen, Capt. Dario Leone, Via Mazzini 45, 27030, Langosco (Pavia), VAT IT 02787650189. Even after the Reich introduced the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, which was faster than any warplane in Allied hands, Brown and the other Tuskegee Airmen continued to do what fighter pilots always do: They fought aggressively. (Air Force af.mil)] The Yak-9? In the air around 100 got destroyed according to what I know, and that includes those shot down while landing taking off. P-51 vs Bf-109 P-51 vs Bf-109 Airplanes armament and equipment 4 x 20mm long-barrel Hispano-Suiza cannons in wings, 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose 4 x 12.7mm machine guns in wingsP-51D: 6 x .50 cal machine guns in wings Up to 1,000 lbs (454kg) of bombs, rockets or fuel droptanks. La Mustang, une icne mcanique. Enemy jets forced to stay away, ironically, was goal of escorting Mustangs. The Schwalbe (German: " Swallow ") fighter version of the Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, with the first test unit having been formed on 19 April, 1944 as documented in the Operational History section of the Wiki article cited. . 1:12. Which Allied aircraft scored the most air-to-air kills against the Me 262 in WWII? But each pilots skill and resolve, On each bomber crew is depending. Kelly Johnson drew and considered a twin-fuselage design similar to Twin Mustang, to his death. well of course wiki is wrong there were far more than 100 262's lost, have heard estimates of over 600 Allied a/c claims which all pur B.S. its strengths, the P-51 was more than capable of taking on the feared Me 262 on JavaScript is disabled. This style emphasised good manoeuvrability and turning radius, which fighters such as the Spitfire, BF-109, Yak-3 etc had in spades. Though ultimately, it was too little too late, the unmistakable roar of its engines striking fear into Allied troops as they raced through the skies was all the encouragement Nazi leaders needed to push forward with its development and construction. Bf-109 vs P-38 a6m-zero. The first successful flight of a jet Me-262 occurred on the 18th of July, 1942. take-off. The all-important climb rate for a P51D sat at 3200ft per minute whilst the Spitfire could climb at an impressive 3650ft per minute. The six .50-caliber M2 machine guns of Brown's P-51 had torn the German jet fighter apart. Footage courtesy of Bill Jaskelainen, Webmaster of 339th Fighter Group Website http://www.339thfg.com/On March 20th, 1945, 451 bombers and 355 fighters of th. Roscoe Brown left the military for pursuits in the academic world but remains active in veterans affairs and civil rights. Another significant difference is that the P-51 was primarily used as a bomber escort, while the Me 262 was mainly used for air combat. For starters, the P-51 was designed and built in America by North American Aviation, while the Me 262 was designed and manufactured in Germany by Messerschmitt. jockey would claim the first Me 262 scalps. Kommando jets could be somewhat offset by the much tighter turning radius of 'He wasn't surpassed until advent of jet fighters like F-86 and MiG-15. 4 x 12.7mm machine guns in wingsP-51D: 6 x .50 cal machine guns in wings. So, when attacked by jets, the '51 pilot would have to . Both involve healthy jets, and American ace pilots. Bf-109 vs P-47 bf-109. defensive maneuver. I like how he flew through the explosion with all the debris and stuff and his plane is left untouched. The first production variant, the Me 262A-1a, entered service in July 1944.This variant, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow"), was powered by two 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) Jumo 004B-1 engines and was armed with four 30 mm MK 108 cannons in the nose.. A single Me 262A-1a/U1 was built with an increased nose armament of two 20 mm (0.787 in) MG 151 cannons, two 30 mm (1.181 in) MK 103 cannons, and two . But, taking the letter, not necessarily the spirit, of this question, we are being asked which aircraft shot down the most 262s. Misunderstandings about Twin Mustang was it FDCSYP Military Drills Poster P 51 Mustang Vs Messerschmitt Me 262 Fighter 11 Canvas Poster Wall Art Decor Print Picture Paintings for Living Room Bedroom Decoration 1624inch(4060cm) Brand: FDCSYP. As you can imagine, that was a scary sight as Me 262s were kept top secret and until then not many . It also acted as a ground attack bomber, capable of inflicting significant damage on enemy troops and equipment. "Although our propeller-driven F-51 Mustangs were no match for the 1Lt Shopping Cart: 0 item(s) / $0 . Tuskegee Airmen Edward C. Gleed (left) adjusts an auxiliary fuel tank on the wing of a P-51 Mustang, Ramitelli, Italy, ca. in an Me 262. Report. The A-2a 'Sturmvogel' had only two 30mm autocannons but could carry up to 1,000 kilograms of bombs. B-17s didn't have door gunners. You are using an out of date browser. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. I was indicating With its external drop tanks, the P-51 can stay in the air for hours, while the Me 262 can only manage minutes without refueling. Worse was to come on the afternoon of Nov. he shot down a Soviet MIG jet. The A-4a and A-5a were both reconnaissance versions. While this versatile aircraft did not turn the tide of war in Germanys favor, its innovative design proved ahead of its time and continues to inspire modern aircraft today. Fair enough, I stand corrected. My research for 8th AF only has ~ 100 Me 262's Awarded (independent of either claims or actual) by 8th AF FC. Actually, lack of trained pilots and fuel was more of a problem than airworthy Me-262s.