Iron Cross

When he saw the new Me-262 demonstrator, he immediately noticed the huge difference from the previous model. Only then did Hoffman understand why Speer said "a little later." According to the scheduled plan, the Me-262 will begin trial production in March. Judging from the current situation, it may be difficult to carry out production in June. When Hoffman frowned and posed the question to Dr. Messerschmitt, the latter vowed: "We will definitely start trial production according to the new model in June, and we are guaranteed to enter large-scale mass production within 2 months. "

Faced with Messerschmitt's rhetoric, Speer just smiled and said nothing.

While the doctor turned around to arrange the test flight, Hoffmann said to Speer in confusion: "What's going on? I found that the smile between the doctor and you was very weird... There must be something going on that I don't know. of."

"Of course, head of state, there are many reasons involved here. Postponing mass production is a comprehensive decision based on many factors - this is agreed by me."

After Speer's detailed introduction, Hoffman learned that there were many changes hidden under the seemingly peaceful Me-262 project:

The first is the engine problem. The Me-23 jet engine was replaced with the Jumo-004 engine due to unreliability. There are two types of this engine, one is 004A and the other is 004B. Type A is a standard type produced based on laboratory research results, using a large amount of rare metals such as cobalt, chromium, and molybdenum, while type B is a simplified version that rarely uses these metals. The results of the simplification are mixed: the good news is that the manufacturing process is simplified and the weight is lighter - the production model 004B is 100 kilograms lighter than the 004A. The bad thing is that the lifespan is shortened - the practical trouble-free time is only 50 hours, much less than A The performance stability has also declined to the level of 200 hours.

Without the series of work planned by Hoffman for the minerals, the Me-262 would have taken to the sky with a simplified version of 004B as in history, but now Germany has passed the rare metal shortage stage (at least important equipment is completely guaranteed ), and obtained another batch through transactions with Japan (it is not economical to transport rare metals by air, but air transport is mainly for the exchange of personnel and drawings, the metal is only incidental, and the marginal cost is zero), including Speer and Messerschmitt and others advocated the use of all Category A. It just so happened that Junkers was also studying the metal structure of Japanese aircraft, and at the same time saw Japan's exploration of high-temperature alloys. Although Japanese technology is not advanced, they use the basis of nickel-based alloys while Germany uses iron-based alloys. The foundation is completely different. After trial use, I found that the performance has been greatly improved: the thrust of a single unit increased from 8.8 kN to 10 kN, the weight dropped by nearly 30 kilograms, and the average time between failures increased to 250 hours. .

The overjoyed Yumo Company immediately designated this model as type 004C. At the same time, it conducted in-depth research on the basis of the new alloy, hoping to find a better and more valuable high-temperature alloy formula. After the engine improvement, it meant that the Me-262 had many areas to adjust. Dr. Messerschmitt made a lot of new design improvements, including nose length, wing sweep angle, pod layout, body metal materials, etc. In many aspects, the fragile nose landing gear has also been significantly improved. The Me-262 project has a new upgrade before it has been officially implemented.

Especially in the field of swept wings, the changes are even greater. Dr. Messerschmitt himself is an authoritative expert in this field, and German research in this field is second to none in the world. In terms of engine thrust increase and airframe weight decrease, Later, the aircraft became faster because it increased the swept wing angle to improve flexibility and the body's overload limit during dive. The improved demonstrator's sweep angle is close to 25 degrees (originally 18.5 degrees), the maximum speed exceeds 910 kilometers per hour, the maximum range reaches 1,250 kilometers, and the maximum ceiling exceeds 12,500 meters. At the same time, the cockpit visibility has also been improved. , which is equivalent to another major modification, with the internal code name Me-262B.

The reason why the doctor is persistent in improving the Me-262 is also related to the stimulation he has received recently - the fact that the Bf-109 has actually been discontinued in Germany and seeing that a new generation of fighters will fall on the Fw-190C has greatly stimulated his competitiveness. He hopes to develop a more mature jet aircraft with superb combat effectiveness, and he is determined to surpass Dr. Tank.

Another important reason is the mass production of Bf-219. Messerschmitt originally did not have high expectations for this, thinking that Hainan Airlines just needed a carrier-based fighter for emergency relief, but the market for a few hundred aircraft was better than nothing. Unexpectedly, it was well received on the Eastern Front. Orders jumped from a few hundred to 3,000. Not only were the Luftwaffe and Luftwaffe in large demand, but also the Italian, Romanian, and Hungarian air forces were queuing up for this new aircraft. The demand was so strong It even made up for the order volume after the transfer of Bf-109.

The doctor was an excellent aircraft designer, but first of all he was a successful businessman. He wanted to hurry up and produce some to recover the losses on the Bf-109. Speer understood this. After all, Messerschmitt was an important supporter of the party. He had to give the doctor an explanation for the 109 production line being shut down and moved to Italy. So he gave Messerschmitt an extra 5 months for further modification of the Me-262 on the condition of mass production of the Bf-219. So, starting from March, the monthly production of the Bf-219 would reach an astonishing 800 aircraft - a small difference compared to the production of 1,200 aircraft of the Fw-190 series.

After learning the whole story, Hoffman breathed a sigh of relief. If he could get a better aircraft 5 months later, he didn't mind waiting a little longer - historically, the Me-262 was put into actual combat in mid-1944.

"Doctor, there is one thing you need to make clear. No matter how it is modified, the Me-262 is purely designed to attack enemy aircraft at medium and high altitudes..."

"Understood!" Messerschmitt laughed, "I know the Fuehrer's slogan - not a kilogram of weight can be used for ground attack. My changes will satisfy you."

Sure enough, in the design of Me-262B, the doctor frantically took out the configuration of 4 20mm MG213 cannons (200 rounds of ammunition per cannon) and 48 R4M rockets, and also reserved a position for auxiliary fuel tanks. After adding them, the maximum range at full load can be extended to more than 1,500 kilometers.

Hoffman nodded with satisfaction. This configuration is enough for B-17 or the upcoming B-2262. When used with Ta-152, air supremacy in 1944 is guaranteed. As long as there is air supremacy, the Third Reich will have something to fight.

Using the intervals between visits, Speer also introduced Hoffman to the production and development of engines.

All the DB-601E engines that had been in stock for a long time have found a place to go. Some of them were exported to Japan, and the rest were all installed on the He-218. Once Heinkel successfully upgraded the He-218, the DB-605 series engines would also have appropriate fields of use, and the DB-603 was scheduled to be used on the Ta-152. Mercedes-Benz breathed a sigh of relief from top to bottom.

The DB series engines have overcome the difficulties caused by the reduction in production of Bf-109. Now it is Jumo's turn to worry about the future prospects of its Jumo-213E engine, but this concern was soon dispelled. In January, three orders were placed in front of them:

One is the upgrade demand of the Ju-88 bomber. The Air Force requires 1,000 Ju-188 bombers (a new model upgraded on the basis of Ju-88). The unfulfilled Ju-88 orders are automatically converted to Ju-188. Historically, the aircraft used the BMW801G engine, but now it has been replaced with the Jumo-213E engine. The power of a single engine has been increased by 50 horsepower while being slightly lighter. At the same time, the high-altitude performance has been improved. The bomb load is 3 tons, the speed is up to 505 kilometers per hour, and the range is close to 2,200 kilometers. It perfectly surpasses the US B-25 bomber and is comparable to the B-26, but the take-off and landing process is much easier and more reliable than the B-26.

Another place that uses the Jumo-213E engine is the Ju-290A transport aircraft, which is the successor model of the Ju-52. The Air Force requires the Jumo series engine (originally also using the BMW-801). This is a big guy with 4 engines, and the last one is 4 engines. Junkers was addicted to grabbing business. In addition to not letting go of the transport aircraft orders, it also launched the Ju-290C (maritime patrol version) and prepared to sell it to the HNA to replace the Atlantic Condor - Fw-200C. Faced with the maximum speed of 440 kilometers per hour and the range of up to 6,000 kilometers, Richthofen was immediately tempted and asked for 100 aircraft.

Originally, Junkers wanted to use the Ju-290 to compete in the 4-engine heavy bomber bidding, but was explicitly rejected by the Armament Department. The reason for the rejection was very interesting: "We think the design is not as good as your company's Ju-488. In view of the requirement that each company concentrates on applying for one aircraft, are you sure to withdraw the application for the Ju-488 project?" Junkers could only give up the dream of Ju-290 heavy bomber in dismay.

The last unexpected order came from the Me-323. The giant transport aircraft that had performed outstandingly in the North African landings won Hoffman's favor and instructed Messerschmitt to find ways to improve it. The doctor immediately formed a capable team to conduct research, and initially decided to replace the original wings made of wood and fabric with all-aluminum ones - Germany now had no shortage of materials. At the same time, the six French Grom-Rhone 14R engines were replaced with Jumo-213E.