Heinkel He 162 Volksjager – Red 2, II./JG 1, Luftwaffe, Leck, Germany 1945

Oxford Aviation 1/72 scale AC019: Heinkel He 162 Volksjager Red 2 of II./JG 1, Luftwaffe based at Leck, Germany, 1945

Length 5 inches Wingspan 4 inches

Heinkel He 162A-2 Salamander (Volksjager) II/JG 1 Einsatz Gruppe 1, Leck, Germany 1945. The Heinkel He 162 Volksjager (People’s Fighter) was a German single-engine jet-powered fighter aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in WWII. It was designed and built very quickly, taking its first fight in December 1944 and entering service in 1945. Only around 170 were built but it was one of the fastest of the first generation of jets. The German Air Ministry named it Volksjager but other names include Salamander – the construction codename, and Spatz (Sparrow), which the manufacturers – Heinkel – called it.

Designed as a cheaply and easily constructed jet interceptor, the He 162 was first flown on December 6th, 1944. Developed under the codename “Salamander”, the 162 was more commonly known as the “Volksjager” or “People’s Fighter”. As allied forces steadily impeded the Luftwaffe’s ability to counter high-altitude bombers, the 162 was rushed into production as a “disposable” high-speed interceptor, constructed from non-strategic materials by largely un-skilled workers. Despite it’s advanced design, numerous issues resulting from its hurried production and late arrival into the war prevented it from realizing its full potential as an effective jet fighter.