In the early summer of 1944 the ME 262 became the world's first operational jet aircraft. With a top speed of 540 mph it easily outperformed any Allied aircraft of WWII, and went on to revolutionize aerial warfare. A truly remarkable aircraft. This one was flown by Heinz Bar a top ace of the German Air Force. Bar took command of the JV44 unit after Galland had become injured in combat on April 26th 1945. He finished the war with a total of 221 victories, which included 13 planes shot down using a Me262 jet fighter.