World War II Fighting Jets

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.