Jet Fighters in the Air - a terrifying development
The Me 262 jet fighter was by all accounts a game changer in the war. Many historians debate the impact it would have made in the outcome of the war if its potential had been exploited properly. This is the first time that Tony's crew had met them in the air. By March of 1945, the Luftwaffe had been fielding them in numbers over important areas in Germany and had concentrated some talented pilots to fly them. The Eight Air Force had this to say on 18 March 1945: "the Luftwaffe makes its most concentrated and successful attacks with the Me 262 to date".
The clip below shows footage of German fighters, including an Me 262
attacking B17 formations.
The clip below shows more detailed footage of the Me 262 and
has excellent commentary about it's historic role.
The 486th's Bomb Group didn't have any major remarks about this mission to Berlin. But of the 495 bombers that flew the mission, 7 are lost and 268 damaged. There are 28 airmen wounded and 49 Missing in Action. It's no wonder that Tony and his crew were scared, this type of mission had all the necessary elements of a nightmare: tight air defenses over the prized capital, flying to close to maximum range, jet fighter opposition, and a desperate enemy . The only saving grace was complete cloud cover, which made it a little harder on the enemy to find them.
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