World War II Fighting Jets - Hardcover

Ethell, Jeffrey; Price, Alfred

9781557509406: World War II Fighting Jets

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1557509409 ISBN 13: 9781557509406

Publisher: Naval Institute Press, 1994

During the desperate closing stages of the Second World War, the Germans brought into action several new aircraft types - the jet-propelled Messerschmitt Me262 Sturmvogel and Arado Ar234 Blitz and the rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet. The British introduced the jet-powered Gloster Meteor and the Japanese the Yokosuka Ohka. This book tells the full story of the development and operational careers of these aircraft. It also tells the stories of the two American and one German jet aircraft that had entered squadron service and were on the point of going into action when the war ended: the Lockheed P-80A Shooting Star, the Ryan FR 1 Fireball and the Bachem 349 Natter.

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Review:

A number of jets were flown in World War II and many more were on the verge of being used. World War II Fighting Jets takes readers through the most rapid period of advance in the history of aviation, when during the desperate closing stages of World War II test pilots pushed new technologies up to and sometimes beyond their limits. It chronicles the various jet aircraft used in the war and documents the extraordinary engineering difficulties that were overcome to crate this breakthrough weapons. The authors cover the development and operation of the three German jet types brought into action: the Messerschmitt 163 and 262, the Arado 234, and for a brief period the Heinkel 162. They present the complete history of the British Gloster Meteor fighter and the Japanese Ohka rocket-powered, piloted suicide weapon. They also tell the stories of the jet aircraft that had entered squadron service and were ready for action when the war ended: the American Lockeheed P-80A Shooting Star and Ryan FR 1 Fireball, the German Bachem 349, and the British de Havilland Vampire. A concluding chapter compares the capabilities of the various jet aircraft and assesses how they would have fared had they met in combat. This is a gripping account of a race against time to develop the aircraft that would turn the course of the war. -- Midwest Book Review

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