Me 262 Vs. B-26
On its operational debut in 1944, the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Me 262, the world’s first jet-engined fighter aircraft, outperformed its Allied competitors in terms of speed and firepower, ushering in a new era in design, performance, and combat capabilities. Fighter ace Adolf Galland’s Jagdverband 44 (JV 44) fought three USAAF bomber groups in fierce aerial battles over Austria and southern Germany, aiming their formidable but ill-prepared Martin B-26 Marauders with frequently disastrous effects.
The aircraft carrying Galland was shot up on April 26, 1945. Leading a group of 12 Me 262s from JV 44, all equipped with R4Ms, he left Riem at 11:30 to engage B-26s from the 17th BG that were aiming for the ammunition depot at Schrobenhausen and the recently evacuated jet base at Lechfeld.
In his book “B-26 Marauder vs. Me 262, Europe 1945,” Robert Forsyth tells how the Me 262s destroyed the bomber formation throughout five shooting passes. They attacked from a bewildering number of angles and directions, pushing the American gunners’ abilities to the limit. Any cohesion within the 17th BG’s formation was lost, and only one of the group’s four squadrons survived without loss—and this despite the presence of four groups of fighter escorts.
P-47Ds aiding the bombers
The bombers were aided shortly after midday by P-47Ds of the 27th and 50th FGs, who dived down from a higher altitude and pursued the now rapidly dispersing jets while firing their machine guns. Galland’s enemy would turn out to be the Thunderbolts.
He wrote:
‘A hail of fire enveloped me. A sharp rap hit my right knee, the instrument panel with its indispensable instruments was shattered, the right engine was also hit—its metal covering worked loose in the wind and was partly carried away—and now the left engine was hit. I could hardly hold her in the air.’
One by one, the jets returned home, having claimed five B-26s, including one kill each for Unteroffizier Schallmoser and Feldwebel Kammerdiener. JV 44 had lost two pilots, although one of them had managed to bail out. Kammerdiener’s jet had been hit in the right-hand engine, setting it on fire—his subsequent landing at Riem proved difficult on the remaining, functioning engine.
Following in Kammerdiener at around 1230 hrs was a shaken Galland. Both his engines had been hit in the fighter attack, and metal fragments had been sucked into the port-side Jumo’s manifold. Shells had also entered the Me 262’s cockpit from the rear, and, as a result, Galland had to contend with metal splinters that had embedded themselves in his knee and controls that no longer functioned.
Adolf Galland’s last combat mission
He flew over the Autobahn on his approach to Riem.
‘Having regained my self-confidence, I gave the customary wing wobble and started banking to come in. It was remarkably quiet and dead below. One engine did not react at all to the throttle, and as I could not reduce it, I had to cut both engines just before the edge of the airfield. A long trail of smoke drifted behind me.’
The Me 262 bumped to a halt with a flat tire as Galland threw open the canopy and clambered out awkwardly, just as Allied fighter-bombers began a strafing run over Riem. His flying days were over, and those of his unit would not last much longer.
B-26 Marauder vs Me 262, Europe 1945 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by U.S. Air Force, Noop1958 and German Federal Archive via Wikipedia
