The World’s First Fighter Jet Engine? - The Junkers Jumo 004
CREDITS:
- SE5a footage: High Flight -
- Turbojet footage: AgentJayz -
- 262 flying footage: KNIGHT FLIGHT VIDEO -
- Junkers Jumo 004 Animation: VIRTUELLE FABRIK -
- All other footage used is archival, public domain footage
CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS:
- While the He 178 was the first jet aircraft to fly, it was not technically a production fighter aircraft
- At 16:48 there is mistakenly a few seconds of black screen
- Hitler ordering the Jabo version of the 262 did not technically delay production, but rather hampered the effectiveness of the 262 overall, as the Luftwaffe felt that the 262 should have only been used in a fighter role.
The jet age. That point in history when power-to-weight ratios skyrocketed and a new era of aviation roared into existence. But when did it happen? When was the exact moment that we made that quantum leap forward? Well, according to Anselm Franz, the man most responsible not for designing the first jet engine, but for leading the project that would develop the first practical employment of one, that moment occurred when a small group of people gathered in Leipheim to witness the first flight of the Messerschmitt Me 262. On that day, Willy Messerschmitt and Franz stood by as Fritz Wendel stood the thrust levers up on the world’s first jet fighter, and began careening down the runway. Moments later, as the 262’s wheels left the tarmac, the jet only hovered above the runway, and the men feared the jet had suffered some sort of malfunction. However, instead of aborting the takeoff as they expected, Wendel left everyone awestruck as he cranked the 262’s nose skyward, nearly vertically, rocketing into the clouds. It was in that moment, they recalled, the jet age had officially begun.
#aviationhistory #ww2history
0:00 Do We Have a Deal?
2:06 Historical Context
3:27 Development
13:25 Design
16:18 Applications