Chapter II, Part 18: The First Swallows
Tyr Anazasi
Well-known member
Runway, Amsterdam-Schiphol, September 6th 1944, 12:15
A Me 262 landed after its ferry flight from the factory. The pilot (U) was greeted by the group commander, Major Walter Nowotny (WN).
U: Hauptmann Uhse reports fit for duty, Herr Major!
WN: Excellent, Hauptmann. This was your first flight with this jet, wasn´t it?
U: No, sir. I already had two other planes ferried over here, but now I got my orders to report here for duty, as well.
WN: I see. Hmm. Did you engage with the enemy yet?
U: Not with this plane, no. But I was involved in some fights while flying the Bf 109 or the Fw 190.
WN: And?
U: Well, I was never shot down. Obviously.
WN: Wanna add another one to your ledger?
U: Jawoll!
WN: "Excellent. What do you think about this baby? The major nodded towards the Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow).
U: It is an excellent plane. I really enjoy flying it, especially as I only flew piston engined planes before.
WN: I hear a ‘but’ hidden in that sentence.
U: Well, erm, yes. It´s no Eurofighter… The major had to laugh.
WN: I guess you´re right. Personally, I´d like to give every of ours such a beauty, but we have only a few and they are all needed elsewhere by pilots trained to fly them. We´d all need new training courses in order to be able to fly then and by then the war would probably be over already. Laughs. Besides, the production of the Eurofighter can only resume after several factories are built, which will last at least until next year.
U: Yes, sir. I know, sir, but a soldier can dream.
WN: Don't be so formal, Hauptmann, after all we're all pilots; here to supplement the UT planes. The Me 262 is the best plane we can produce currently, but I still think it will have a rather short career though, as it will be replaced as soon as the other planes currently being designed and built are ready. You see, this is still the Me 262 A-1a model, which engines are better but still, they´re only the Jumo 004 motors. The Me 262 B variant will be an all-day fighter with RADAR, HUD, Jumo 029 engines (GE J-49) with afterburners and the ability to carry AIM-9 Li Sidewinder missiles. And two BK-27 guns. They say, with some more modifications, Mach 1 could be achieved. I don´t know if that´s true…
In this moment, the alarm bells began to ring. Since the end of the 2nd battle of Britain no Allied plane had crossed the Channel, but apparently it was happening now.
WN: Hauptmann, do you have enough fuel?
U: Yes, sir!
WN: Then up into the air!
Thirty minutes later they were in the air. A group of Mosquitos had been discovered trying to attack the Phlipps factories in Eindhoven. And there they were, Hauptmann Uhse thought, and they noticed us. And while other planes may have had problems catching up with the enemy planes, the Me 262 certainly had none: A Mosquito only about 100 meters away. The four Mk 108 guns started shooting and soon the Hauptmann could see the result: The Mosquito went down with black smoke. Her first kill. When 16 of the 24 enemy planes had been shot down, they started to retreat.
Uhse and her fellow pilots followed the Mosquitos over the Channel now, but they were not allowed to enter British air space, so they would need to turn around soon. But then they were suddenly engaged by enemy jet fighters. Interesting, Hauptmann Uhse thought, Gloster Meteors. It was the only jet the Allies could field. One plane was in a good position behind the Hauptmann. A fast reaction was needed. The Me 262 could ascend much faster and higher than a Meteor. And indeed the enemy Meteor could not follow the Me 262 as Uhse ascended higher and higher: A turn to the right into the sun – and then a fast attack on the jet below. The Mk 108s fired again and the Gloster Meteor exploded.
But the Hauptmann had made a mistake. Behind the plane shot down was another Meteor. A first salvo barely missed the Me 262, yet a second never came. It looked like the guns had jammed. Only a second later another Me 262 appeared and fired the guns at the Meteor, which went down, leaving behind a black trail. After losing 6 Meteors, including another one for Uhse, for a badly damaged Me 262 the British planes retreated. As the fuel was low the Germans did the very same. And now the Hauptmann could recognize the plane that had saved her: It was the machine of the Major himself. He could now claim his 256th kill. But the kill of Hauptmann Beate Uhse was a special one: It was the first kill of a jet by another jet pilot, being her third. For the time being she was the best DT jet fighter pilot.
A Me 262 landed after its ferry flight from the factory. The pilot (U) was greeted by the group commander, Major Walter Nowotny (WN).
U: Hauptmann Uhse reports fit for duty, Herr Major!
WN: Excellent, Hauptmann. This was your first flight with this jet, wasn´t it?
U: No, sir. I already had two other planes ferried over here, but now I got my orders to report here for duty, as well.
WN: I see. Hmm. Did you engage with the enemy yet?
U: Not with this plane, no. But I was involved in some fights while flying the Bf 109 or the Fw 190.
WN: And?
U: Well, I was never shot down. Obviously.
WN: Wanna add another one to your ledger?
U: Jawoll!
WN: "Excellent. What do you think about this baby? The major nodded towards the Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow).
U: It is an excellent plane. I really enjoy flying it, especially as I only flew piston engined planes before.
WN: I hear a ‘but’ hidden in that sentence.
U: Well, erm, yes. It´s no Eurofighter… The major had to laugh.
WN: I guess you´re right. Personally, I´d like to give every of ours such a beauty, but we have only a few and they are all needed elsewhere by pilots trained to fly them. We´d all need new training courses in order to be able to fly then and by then the war would probably be over already. Laughs. Besides, the production of the Eurofighter can only resume after several factories are built, which will last at least until next year.
U: Yes, sir. I know, sir, but a soldier can dream.
WN: Don't be so formal, Hauptmann, after all we're all pilots; here to supplement the UT planes. The Me 262 is the best plane we can produce currently, but I still think it will have a rather short career though, as it will be replaced as soon as the other planes currently being designed and built are ready. You see, this is still the Me 262 A-1a model, which engines are better but still, they´re only the Jumo 004 motors. The Me 262 B variant will be an all-day fighter with RADAR, HUD, Jumo 029 engines (GE J-49) with afterburners and the ability to carry AIM-9 Li Sidewinder missiles. And two BK-27 guns. They say, with some more modifications, Mach 1 could be achieved. I don´t know if that´s true…
In this moment, the alarm bells began to ring. Since the end of the 2nd battle of Britain no Allied plane had crossed the Channel, but apparently it was happening now.
WN: Hauptmann, do you have enough fuel?
U: Yes, sir!
WN: Then up into the air!
Thirty minutes later they were in the air. A group of Mosquitos had been discovered trying to attack the Phlipps factories in Eindhoven. And there they were, Hauptmann Uhse thought, and they noticed us. And while other planes may have had problems catching up with the enemy planes, the Me 262 certainly had none: A Mosquito only about 100 meters away. The four Mk 108 guns started shooting and soon the Hauptmann could see the result: The Mosquito went down with black smoke. Her first kill. When 16 of the 24 enemy planes had been shot down, they started to retreat.
Uhse and her fellow pilots followed the Mosquitos over the Channel now, but they were not allowed to enter British air space, so they would need to turn around soon. But then they were suddenly engaged by enemy jet fighters. Interesting, Hauptmann Uhse thought, Gloster Meteors. It was the only jet the Allies could field. One plane was in a good position behind the Hauptmann. A fast reaction was needed. The Me 262 could ascend much faster and higher than a Meteor. And indeed the enemy Meteor could not follow the Me 262 as Uhse ascended higher and higher: A turn to the right into the sun – and then a fast attack on the jet below. The Mk 108s fired again and the Gloster Meteor exploded.
But the Hauptmann had made a mistake. Behind the plane shot down was another Meteor. A first salvo barely missed the Me 262, yet a second never came. It looked like the guns had jammed. Only a second later another Me 262 appeared and fired the guns at the Meteor, which went down, leaving behind a black trail. After losing 6 Meteors, including another one for Uhse, for a badly damaged Me 262 the British planes retreated. As the fuel was low the Germans did the very same. And now the Hauptmann could recognize the plane that had saved her: It was the machine of the Major himself. He could now claim his 256th kill. But the kill of Hauptmann Beate Uhse was a special one: It was the first kill of a jet by another jet pilot, being her third. For the time being she was the best DT jet fighter pilot.