Who Won The WW2 Jet Race?

During WWII, both Allied and Axis engineers wanted to build an engine that would change the tides of the war, and perhaps the course of aerial warfare, forever. 

So who led these efforts from both sides, and what particular challenges did they overcome? Who really won the jet race? Well, the answer is… it’s complicated. 

Weapon of War

Since 1914, planes have been used as a successful weapon of war, and throughout WWII, traditional piston engines were utilized. However, this technology eventually reached its limits.

During the development of the Spitfire, the horsepower of the engine doubled from around 1,000 hp in the Mk 1 to over 2,000 hp in the Mk 24. 

However, the top speed only increased from 360 to 450 mph. To develop the next generation of aircraft, an entirely new engine was needed – the jet engine. 

Need for Speed

While a propeller pulls a plane through the air, a jet engine pushes it forward by ejecting a super-heated blast of air.

It also has relatively fewer moving parts than the piston engine and is much more energy-efficient. This allows it to propel an aircraft faster than that of a propeller. 

The Jet Engine

On the British side is Frank Whittle, an RAF officer who had his first jet engine patent in 1932. On the German side is Hans von Ohian, a Physics and Math student who had his patent in 1932.

The Germans completed their first solely jet-powered flight of the Heinkel He 178 in August 1939. Meanwhile, it took the Brits nearly 2 years to come up with their first jet aircraft in May 1941, the Gloster E.28/39. 

Mass Production

Later on, the ME 262 was produced, built around Junkers Jumo 004 turbojets which were the first turbojet engines that went into mass production.

The plane became one of the most vital developments in aircraft technology in the 20th century. However, it was not until the end of 1943 that the Me 262 program was accelerated into production. 

Pressing Ahead

Meanwhile, Whittle and his team went ahead with the British Gloster Meteor which was built as a slightly simpler design than the Me 262. 

While it was initially slower than the 262, after the war, an updated Meteor can reach speeds up to 600 mph. The Meteor entered service in the RAF in July 1944 beating the Germans by three months who didn’t introduce the Me 262 until later that year.