When the revolutionary Messerschmitt Me 262 jet first appeared as a bomber in the skies over north-west Europe in late 1944, it represented both a new dawn in aeronautical development and a great shock to the Allied air forces and armies. In mid-1944, Adolf Hitler, having seen the impressive and formidable performance of Me 262 prototypes, stated his firm desire to see the aircraft enter service as a bomber. There was nothing which the Allies had in their air forces which could touch the Me 262. Although, due mainly to problems associated with delays in engine deliveries, its debut was too late to contest the Allied landings in Normandy, when it finally did enter service in the autumn of 1944, the bomb-carrying Me 262s conducted several hit-and-run raids against RAF airfields in Belgium and Holland. From then until the end of the war the Me 262 remained one of the most feared weapons in the Axis arsenal. This book covers the complete history of the Me 262 bomber and reconnaissance units during World War 2.

Robert Forsyth has studied the history and operations of the Luftwaffe for many years. He is the author of JV 44 - The Galland Circus (1996), Battle over Bavaria: The B-26 versus the German Jets (1998), Mistel: German Composite Aircraft and Operations 1942-1945 (2001), Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerikabomber (2006 - with Eddie J Creek), and He 162 Volksjäger (2008 - with Eddie J Creek); for Osprey Publishing, Jagdverband 44 and Jagdgeschwader 7 (Aviation Elite Units) and Fw 190 vs B-17 (Duel). Aces of the Legion Condor is due to be published in 2011 and Luftwaffe Viermot Aces is in preparation. He works in publishing.
Eddie J Creek is co-author of a number of landmark books on Luftwaffe aircraft including Jet Planes of the Third Reich (1982), Arado Ar 234 (1992), Me 262 (1997-2000 - four volumes), On Special Missions - The Luftwaffe's Research and Experimental Squadrons 1923-1945 (2003), Do 335 Pfeil (2006), He 177 Greif (2009) and He 162 Volksjäger. He has contributed to more books than he cares to remember.

(chapter titles are provisional and are to be decided/confirmed and subject to revision)
Chapter 1: Hitler, the Jet and the Bomb /Chapter 2: Kommando Schenck /Chapter 3: High-speed intelligence /Chapter 4: Jet-bombing operations /Chapter 5: Too little, too late /Appendices: Technical specifcation and performance; tables for Me 262 A-2a and Me 262 A-1a/U3 and a selected bibliography