Messerschmitt Me 262

The Messerschmitt Me 262, called Schwalbe in its fighter form and Sturmvogel as a fighter-bomber, was the first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft in the world. Design began in April 1939, the first flight on piston power took place on 18 April 1941, and the first jet-powered flight followed on 18 July 1942. Engine and metallurgy problems, and interference from Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler, who wanted it rebuilt as a bomber, delayed it, and it entered Luftwaffe service in mid-1944. It was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter, and it also served as a light bomber, reconnaissance aircraft and experimental night fighter. German pilots claimed 542 Allied aircraft shot down, while the Allies countered by attacking the jets on the ground and during takeoff and landing.