On 6th December 1944, new German single-engine jet fighter, Heinkel He 162, performed its maiden flight.
The aircraft was developed under Jägernotprogramm (English: Emergency Fighter Programme), issued by Reichsluftfahrtministerium (English: Ministry of Aviation) on 3rd June of 1944 and focused on creating a simple and cheap, but sitll effective fighter aircraft that could be used against formations of the Allied bombers – hence its name, Volksjäger (English: People´s Fighter) .
For more information about the genesis of Jägernotprogramm, as well as the He 162 development and operational service, please visit our article from the Photo of the Week series, issued in November of 2023: Heinkel He 162 A-2 Volksjäger.
