While the numbers may be inflated, Luftwaffe pilots claimed that the Me 262 shot down 542 Allied aircraft during the war.

The history of the fighter jet has dominated the 20th century. See how they've evolved from rudimentary experiments to ...

The first jet to fly was the Heinkel He 178, in 1939. But the first operational jet fighter was the Me 262 Sparrow, some of which were converted from piston engine to jet engine in July 1942.

Indeed, the first-generation of fighter jets were quite similar to piston-engine fighters of the era, aside from the method of propulsion. Examples of first-generation fighters include the Me-262 ...