German Jets and Rocket Planes of WWII Quiz

Answer: He178

The He178 first flew on the 27th August 1939 with a HeS 3B engine offering 1,102lb. s.t. with Erich Warsitz at the controls.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets".

Answer: He280

The He280 was designed from the start with an ejection seat , nose-wheel undercarriage and eventual cabin pressurization.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich", see above, note 1.

Answer: 18th April 1941

The Me262 first flew on the 18th of April 1941, powered by a Junkers Jumo210G piston motor with Flugkapitän Fritz Wendel at the controls. The first flight on jet engines and the piston engine occurred on the 25th March 1942.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". See above, note 1.

Answer: He162

The He162 was selected over other design studies from Arado, Blohm und Voss, Fieseler, Focke Wolf, Junkers and Siebel. The first flight was recorded on the 6th December 1944.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". See above, note 1.

Answer: Go229

The Horton brothers designed the Gotha Go229 flying wing, twin Jet (also known as the Horten Ho229) . The first flight of the Go229 powered by jet engines was by the Go229V2 was on the 2 February 1945 by Erwin Ziller.
Ref William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". Joachim Dressel and Manfred Griehl, "Bombers of the Luftwaffe".

Answer: Ar234

The Ar234v8 was the prototype to the Ar234C and first flew on 1 February 1944 using 4 BMW003A-0 turbo jets paired in two nacelles.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". See above, note 1.

Answer: Ju287

The Junkers Ju287 was designed with a forward swept wing of 25 degrees and 4 Junkers Jumo 004B engines, the Ju287v1 was first flown on the 16 August 1944, in all 17 flights were made from Brandis. A six engined version was found by the Russians at the end of the war and was flown in the Moscow region in 1947.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". Joachim Dressel and Manfred Griehl, Bombers of the Luftwaffe."

Answer: Ju248

Due to the development work that was being undertaken by Messerschmitt at the time, instructions were issued to transfer the project to Junkers and some redesign was undertaken by Professor Hertel, this lead the Me163D being redesignated as the Ju248. Later the RLM insisted that the designation be changed to Me263.
Ref William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". See above, note 1.

Answer: Hs132

Henschel, using data from the Berlin B9 research aircraft, designed the Hs132, the v1 was almost ready for flight testing when the factory was over run by Soviet forces in 1945.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". See above, note 1.

Answer: Ba349

A total of 36 Ba349 Natter interceptors were completed and 25 flown, 7 with pilots. However no operational sorties were undertaken.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich".

Answer: Me163

The Me163 entered operational service in January 1944 and flew the first operational sortie on the 13th May 1944 using Me163v41.
Ref: Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets". Ospey Aviation, "German Jet Aces of WWII" lists the first operational sortie as the 14th May 1944. Bernd Barbas, "Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces" lists the formation of the 1/JG400 as late January 1945. William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich" list the formation of 1/JG400 as the May 1944.

Answer: Ar234

The first operation was flown by Leuntnant Erich Sommer in a Ar234 on the 2 August 1944 over the Normandy beach head. During the war the Ar234 flew operationally as a reconnaissance plane with the FAGr100, FAGr123, AGr33 and Kommando Sommer. The Me262 was also used operationally as a reconnaissance plane during the war with NAGr6
Ref: Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets". Alfred Price, "The Last Year of the Luftwaffe, May 1944 to May 1945".

Answer: JG400

The Me163 only flew operationally with JG400.
Ref William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets". Alfred Price, "The Last Year of the Luftwaffe, May 1944 to May 1945".

Answer: JG1

The He162 only equipped JG1, although there was plans to reequip JG400 in April 1945. On 1 April 1945 the He162 was cleared for operations and the first victory was claimed on the 26 April 1945 and the next on 4 May 1945. At least 1, possibly 3 were lost due to enemy action.
Ref: Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, 2World War II Fighting Jets". Bernd Barbas, "Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces", William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich".

Answer: KG76

The Arado Ar234 only flew with Kampfgeschwader KG76. The Me262 flew operationally with the KG51, KG(J)54 and III/KG(J)6. The KG(J)30 began conversion during 1945 but were never declared operational, nor is it believed that any operations were flown.
Ref: William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich". Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets". Joachim Dressel and Manfred Griehl, "Bombers of the Luftwaffe". Manfred Griehl, "Luftwaffe at War".

Answer: JV44

Adolf Galland established JV44 during February 1945 at Brandenburg-Briest with 20 Me262.
Refs: Bernd Barbas, "Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces". William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich", claims that JV44 began forming in January 1945. Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets: German Jets 1944-1945". Order of Formation 24 February 1945, with 16 planes and 15 pilots.

Answer: 37

On the 27 February, 37 Ar234 dropped 18.5 tonnes of bombs on British troops in the Kleve area.
Ref: Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets". Alfred Price, "The Last Year of the Luftwaffe, May 1944 to May 1945".

Answer: 57

57 fighter sorties were flown by Me262's on the 7 April 1945.
Ref: Alfred Price, "The Last Year of the Luftwaffe, May 1944 - May 1945". Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets." '10 April saw the climax of the Me262 operations when 55 fighter sorties.'

Answer: JG7

Due to chaotic situation at the end of the war it is hard to be exact, but its is believed that JG7 scored nearly 500 victories, JV44 about 50 and the NJG10/11 48 victories. Ref: Bernd Barbas, "Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces" claims that JG7 had 'close to 500 victories', JV44 'only about 50'. Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets".

The Me262 in the fighter role 'caused the destruction of no more than 150 allied aircraft'. Osprey Aviation, "Aircraft of the Aces, German Jet Aces of World War II", lists 28 Aces (5 or more victories) with more than 228 victories for the Me262. William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich: states that JG7 'was to claim no fewer than 427 kills' and JV44 'some 50 kills'.

Answer: About 16

It is doubtful whether, after almost a year in service, the rocket fighter caused the destruction of more than 16 enemy aircraft.
Ref: Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets". Bernd Barbas, "Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces", 'only about 20 victories were claimed.'

Answer: Kurt Welter

Kurt Welter flew with the 10/NJG11 and claimed more than 20 victories in a Me262 including 4 Mosquitos in a night on the 30 March 1945. His total victories was 60, including 30 four engine bombers. Most of his claims in a jet were claimed in the Me262a and some possibly in the Me262b.

Heinz Bar was credited with 16, Adolf Galland with 7 and Johannes Steinhoff with 6. Ospey Aviation, "German Jet Aces of WWII". R F Toliver and T J Constable, "Horrido!" lists Heinz Bar as the top scoring jet pilot with 16 victories. Bernd Barbas, "Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces", lists Welter with 64 victories.

Answer: 210

210 Ar234B and 14 Ar234C were delivered to the Luftwaffe.
Ref: Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets", Joachim Dressel and Manfred Griehl, "Bombers of the Luftwaffe", 'up to February 1945 all 210 aircraft of the B series were delivered'.

Answer: About 364

About 364 Me163 were delivered to the Luftwaffe.
Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets". Manfred Griehl, "Luftwaffe at War, Rocket Planes", 'a total of some 360 of 454 projected aircraft were delivered'.

Answer: About 200

Nearly 200 He162 were delivered in the closing weeks of the war.
Ref: Alfred Price, "The Last Year of the Luftwaffe, May 1944 -May 1945". Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets", states that the 'Luftwaffe formally accepted delivery of about 120 He162, possibly half as many again were collected from the factories by service pilots.' William Green, "Warplanes of the Third Reich": 'Some 120 were officially accepted by the Luftwaffe, although at lest 50 were collected from the assembly line' plus 'a further 100 or more were awaiting flight testing'.

Answer: More than 1400

More than 1400 Me262s had been accepted by the end of the war.
Ref: Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price, "World War II Fighting Jets". Alfred Price, "The Last Year of the Luftwaffe, May 1944 - May 1945: 'by the beginning of April 1945 the Luftwaffe had accepted more than 1200 Me262s'.