The Me 262 Stormbird: From the Pilots Who Flew, Fought, and Survived It

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There are only a very few of us left of the generation who actually flew the fighters like the Bf 109, the Fw 190, and especially the Me 262 during the war under combat conditions. Our generation has been dying out progressively and with it the knowledge of how things really were—all those aspects that go beyond the metal bits and pieces that are called airplanes.

Many of these fighters are still in great condition in museums or even flying. And there are many curators, mechanics, and young pilots who know a great deal about the mechanics of how they function. There are many historians who research how they came to be designed and built and have learned some of the intrigues that surround them. Performance data and statistics and stories of their actions in the war can also help future generations understand these great war machines. But much of this is only about metal, armaments, fabric, wood, and paint. It is not about the planes’ souls—which are the pilots and their memories.

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