was the Me-262 able to turn the tide of war if introduced earlier?

The problems with the engines was they required material to make that the Germans were very short of. They had a short operational life due to having to use inferior metals and alloys. Time would only increase the shortages not increase the reliability.

More 262 airframes were produced than the engines to fit to them as well as replace those in operational units airframes.

 

Early jets had many problems, slow acceleration, poor manouverability compared to piston aircraft, more complicated to learn to fly (The Germans had already reduced their pilot training program like the Japanese).

 

The Me-262 was already introduced TOO EARLY for its reliable operational use. It was introduced into combat out of DESPERATION, not of sober development. Those who salivate over visions of hordes of Me-262's "winning the war" are too myopic to see the improbability of that. Plus, not too unpredictably, such gushing imagination takes only ONE aspect on ONE side of the equation and waves a "magic wand" over all the other difficulties. WHAT IF the P-51D had been introduced in quantity a year earlier? Would the 3rd Reich have crumbled earlier??

The 262 *NEVER* inflicted a disproportionate amount of damage on US bomber streams. On the BEST day of the war (sometime in 1945) they shot down maybe twenty of the TWO THOUSAND aircraft in the sky. Not too impressive. I think, once again, that the original poster WAAAAAY over-emphasized the psychological impact of the jets, too. The 262 was NOT an offensive weapon---too short-ranged and such. Strictly DEFENSIVE. Defensive is NOT the way to win a war. Maybe he forgot that the British introduced Gloster Meteor jets into squadron service BEFORE the Me-262.

Then, the chromium needed to make reliable jet turbine blades was just NOT around in sufficient quantities to truly mass-produce the jet engines. It wasn't a case of "spending more time solving the problems". The engines burned out in short order, requiring LOTS of mechanic time compared to a piston-engined plane.

But truly, a fully-functioning Me-262 with a competent pilot was a thing of military beauty---it was just too rare to make a difference.

 

Thus was the problem with Germany's technology. It was always rushed. Plus, in my opinion, whatever Germany had in it's arsenal had better beat the allies quick because the allies, thanks to enigma, would be quick to adapt. If Germany did not get a victory quick, then it would never do so because the Allies would either come back with a better weapon or find a way to defeat Germany's.

 

It wasn't just enigma. Take the V-1 for example. I think it was about 6 months although it might have been a couple more than that after the Germans started using them the US put an improved version into production. If the war against Germany had gone much longer the US would have surpassed German production a few months after initial production and increased the lead rapidly after that.

 

I meant to say Ultra and it did give the Allies a heads-up when the Germans were up to something new. So at least they were one if not two steps ahead versus being cold cocked o).

 

It was certainly useful in a lot of cases. On the otherhand the Bulge wasn't telegraphed by enigma intercepts and new technology would only be if info related to it were transmitted by radio.