In July 1942 a German Messerschmitt took off from Leipheim airfield in Bavaria…but it was no ordinary aircraft… It was an Me 262 - the world’s first operational jet fighter. Powered by two Junker Jumo ...

The jet boasted a top speed of approximately 540 miles per hour, far surpassing the fastest Allied piston-engine fighters. There can be little doubt that, at least when the Second World War began, ...