Hitler's Jet Plane: Me 262 - Hardcover

Ziegler, Mano

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1853676241 ISBN 13: 9781853676246

Publisher: Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal, 2006

Synopsis

The first operational military jet in the world, towards the end of the Second World War the ME 262 was to be the German "miracle weapon". Mano Ziegler was involved from its inception and contributed to the design, testing, training and even served in it operationally. Could the ME 262 have broken the Allied supremacy in the air? Why did it take so long to come into service and why were hundreds of German pilots sacrificed in developing it? Why did the ME 262 prove not to be the unparalleled success claimed by Goering and why were German cities left dangerously exposed against Allied bombing campaigns? These are only some the important questions this new book answers. Mano Ziegler, born 7 June 1908, had a lifetime fascination with flight. At the age of eight, he wrote to Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen, the famous "Red Baron", asking to be allowed to fly with him. Richthofen even replied, telling him, "Yes, we'll fly together!". At the age of 21, he took up glider flying. He also pursued his sport of diving and was a core member of Germany's Olympic high-diving team. In 1932 and 1934 he was student world high-diving champion at the world championships in Darmstadt and Turin. When war broke out in 1939 he became a pilot in the Luftwaffe, and from 1943 until the war's end he flew the Me 163 with Erprobungskommando 16 (Operational Test Unit 16) and Jagdgeschwader 400 (Fighter Group 400). After the war he escaped from Russian captivity and - having returned to Berlin - continued to fly and write newspaper articles. In Berlin he guested as a high-wire walker with the Camilla Mayer circus troupe, walking the 24-metre high wire - without any prior training - for a newspaper article. He eventually became editor-in-chief of the Flug-Revue aviation monthly in Stuttgart and, as such, made his first supersonic flight in an English fighter aircraft in the spring of 1960. Hitler's Jet Plane fills an important gap in the history of the Luftwaffe and of aviation in general with new research which dicloses how the first ever military jet plane failed to make its mark on World War II.

About this title

About the Author

Mano Ziegler was involved from the inception of the ME 262 and contributed to its design, testing, training, and even served in it operationally.

Review

The ME 262, the first military jet to enter service, was amongst the most significant of Adolf Hitler's so-called "miracle weapons" which were to save the Reich. The author of this book is well placed to tell the story of this famous aircraft as he not only flew it but helped to design it. Consequently we are treated to a most comprehensive account of the ME 262, from the initial development stages through to its belated entry into service during the final months of 1944. Ziegler correctly focuses on the reasons behind this late arrival as it could have reached the front line much earlier, and may well have had a significant impact on the efforts of the Allies to win air supremacy over the continent. Yet Hitler's peculiar conviction that it should only be developed as a bomber, rather than the fighter which it quite clearly was, resulted in it only coming into service once that battle was effectively over. Despite numerous successes, the Luftwaffe's dwindling resources and pilots were faced with the insurmountable, and it became apparent that even a miracle weapon could only do so much. - Pegasus Archive Written by someone who was closely involved with its design and testing. Aeroplane Monthly

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1853676241
• ISBN 13: 9781853676246
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 206