Me 262 Stormbird Rising

The troubled birth and dramatically brief career of the Stormbird are chartered in full detail in this benchmark work on the premier Luftwaffe fighter. Through unique interviews sourced specifically for this volume, surviving fighter, nightfighter and reconnaissance pilots relate their experiences of flying the Me 262 in the final months of the war. Detailed unit and pilot histories are also a feature of this comprehensive work, many previously unknown facts coming to light from original documents unearthed recently in Germany. Equally as important as the views of the men at the ‘sharp end’ are those of the engineers and test pilots involved in the actual design, building and prototype flying of the jets in the early days. Postwar evaluation of captured Me 262s was undertaken by the Allies, and unique accounts are provided by General Harold E Watson, chief of the 1945 evaluation team known as ‘Watson’s Whizzers’, and other leading personnel. Bringing the story up to date, the remarkable Herbert Tischler, who is re-manufacturing airworthy Me 262s to order in Texas, is fully profiled. The handful of surviving Stormbirds spread across the globe are also detailed in full, and a comprehensive appendices features original factory drawings and performance charts compiled by RAF Intelligence during World War 2. Profusely illustrated with over 200 unique photographs gleaned from original sources, this volume also contains an eight-page color section.