Second World War aviation art prints of the He162 aircraft. Our collection of prints and original paintings of the He162 aircraft of World War Two.
Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger Known as the peoples Fighter, named after the Volksstrum was a single-engine, jet-powered fighter aircraft built by Germany for the Luftwaffe at the end of World War Two. Designed and built quickly, and made primarily of wood as metals were in very short supply and prioritized for other aircraft, the He162 was nevertheless the fastest of the first jets that flew in the Luftwaffe and faster than the first Allied jet fighters. Volksjäger was the Reich Air Minstrys official name for the He162. The He162 was also well known by another name - the Salamander, which was the codename of its construction program, and Spatz (Sparrow), which was the name given to the plane by the builders Heinkel. In February 1945 the He162 began operations with deliveries of the He 162 to its first operational unit, I./JG 1 The He 162s only had 30-minute fuel capacity which caused problems, as at least two of JG 1s pilots were killed attempting emergency landings after exhausting their fuel.
Herbert Ihlefelds personal He162 White 23 - the revolutionary Heinkel Peoples Fighter - on patrol with JG1.This aircraft was captured intact and is today preserved in the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC.
Item Code : DHM2441
Jet Interceptor by Nicolas Trudgian - Editions Available
TYPE
DESCRIPTION
SIZE
SIGNATURES
OFFERS
PRICE
PURCHASING
PRINT
Signed limited edition of 250 prints, supplied double matted. Full Item Details
Born 1st June 1914 in Pinnow Pommern and died 8th August 1995 in Wenningen lower Saxony. Joined the Luftwaffe in 1936 and scored nine victories during the Spanish Civil War. Flew 1000 combat missions and claimed 132 enemy aircraft with 56 on the Western Front including 26 spitfires and 67 on the Russian Front. Participated in the air war over Poland, France and the Battle of Britain. In 1941 Ihlefeld was transferred to the Balkans for the invasion of Yugoslavia. He was shot down by AA fire and captured by the Yugoslavian Army. 8 days lated he was rescued by the German troops. Ihlefeld participated in the assault on Crete, claiming his 36th kill, a Hurricane. He then commanded Jagdgeschwader 77 in time for Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. In April 1942 Ihlefeld became the 5th pilot to reach 100 victories and his unit 1/JG77 was credited with 323 enemy aircraft kills compared to the loss of only 17 Bf109s. Ihlefeld then took command of Jagdgeschwader 52 in June 1942 but he was involved in a landing accident and badly injured and was not ready to return to active service until July 1943. In May 1944 he commanded JG11 and then JG1 during the defence of the Reich. In 1945 he took command of Jagdgeschwader 1 equipped with the Heinkel 162.