THE MISSION
Operation Lusty
Me 262
By 1944 America was long aware the Germans had developed new powerful aeronautical ability during WWII. When the war came to a close they were anxious to capture this technology as quickly as possible before the aircraft were completely destroyed or 'disappeared'. Harold “Bud” Watson, an Aeronautical Engineer in charge of maintenance for the 9th Air Force was given the job of collecting the newest revolutionary German aircraft. The mission was christened “Operation Lusty” (an acronym for Luftwaffe secret technology). The U.S. War Department initiated an Air Technical Intelligence office to oversea the mission. This office came up with a wish list of enemy equipment it wanted to study. The list included piston-powered aircraft as well as jets.
High on the War Department's list was the Me 262. A tremendously fast and maneuverable jet fighter. It could fly 100 mph faster than the P 51. The 262's wingspan was 4 feet longer than the Mustang's and the fuselage was 3 feet longer. Its unusual wings were swept back. Not for aerodynamic reasons, but to balance the plane on its nose wheel. Cylindrical pods beneath the wings held Junkers Jumo 004B jet engines, which gave the craft 1,980 pounds of thrust. Fred Hillis’ first kill in Cookie II was a ME 109 a prototype of this airplane. The Allies soon discovered most of the Reich's remaining 262s were clustered around Lechfeld, Germany, near the Messerschmitt factory airfield.
Less than three weeks after the German surrender, Watson, and Bob Strobell, his personal pilot, whom he had chosen to spearhead the ME 262 pilots, landed at Lechfeld. They found shot up barracks, the facility in poor order, and the jets in various stages of repair. German troops had destroyed some of the 262's in their retreat and the Allies damaged others during the invasion. Meanwhile, opportunists in the area had taken advantage of the unmanned field and appropriated whatever they could trade or sell for food. Thirty 262's in widely varying stages of repair were ultimately found. It was hoped the German and American mechanics could rehabilitate at least 15 working airplanes from this inventory.
When the war ended in Europe many of the remaining 9th Air Force pilots waited for reassignment, perhaps to the Pacific. But some like Fred Hillis and Robert Anspach already had enough points to be discharged through the military's new point system. (Soldiers received points for each month in the service, each month overseas, each combat mission flown, wounds, medals, etc.)
Anspach heard that Army intelligence was looking for pilots to test fly captured German aircraft. No other details emerged, except that the pilots who managed to get assigned might be sent home quicker than if they waited for official discharge. He and Captain Fred Hillis with the 358th fighter squadron were recommended , interviewed and chosen to fly the jets. Joining them and Robert Strobell would be: Captain Kenneth Dahlstrom and Lieutenants William Haynes, Roy Brown and James K. “Ken” Holt. The expert and highly decorated pilots were flown to Lechfeld, becoming the newly formed 54th Air Disarmament Squadron, with Watson in command and Stroball as squadron leader. In addition to the pilots there were 10 American crew chiefs and 28 German mechanics assigned to Operation Lusty.
While the terms of a new surrender were in place, many pockets of resistance were rumored to be active, especially in southern Germany and Austria, Me 262 territory. The Allies calculated Lechfeld should still be considered "enemy territory."
Days after their arrival on June 4, 1945, Watson briefed the pilots. Their group was destined to finish filling the War Department's wish list, by flying rebuilt Me 262s to Cherbourg, France, for transport to the U.S. along with other captured German aircraft. The aircraft were scheduled for tests and study in America. Watson and Strobell had already assembled the Messerschmitt factory mechanics and had them busy rebuilding jets when the pilots arrived. He also recruited six Messerschmitt test pilots to instruct the 9th Air Force pilots. Once the Germans discovered the Americans ate well and they too could partake of the bounty, it was not difficult to convince them to volunteer.
Watson lectured the pilots shortly after arrival, Anspach said he felt inspired: The Colonel was obviously a sharp cookie, and he thought they were getting a good deal. Not so Hillis, and as it turned out Strobell too, who knew him better. They found Watson to be egotistical and very “full of himself”. But if it meant getting home early, flying the revolutionary planes to France was definitely going to be worth it. Truth be, the opportunity to fly that fascinating machine was incredibly enticing. Hills said he wouldn't have missed it for anything despite having to put up with Watson's hot air.
In early June the mechanics had a 262 ready to fly. Strobell ordered one of the German test pilots to fly the airplane first. He figured if they wanted to sabotage one of the planes, they would kill a German test pilot, not an American. Strobell told the ground crew to fill the tanks only halfway and the chosen German test pilot flew the plane uneventfully. After he set down Strobell got into the 262 cockpit, and taxied back to the hangar, where an American crew serviced the plane. Strobell then climbed aboard and taxied back out to the runway, held the brakes, shoved the throttles forward and let go. He flew around the airfield soon discovering several of the jet's idiosyncrasies the German pilots had failed to warn them about.
Messerschmidt 262 Repairs
All Army Air Force pilots wore a collar insignia, a pair of gold wings with a silver propeller. After Strobell shut down the 262 and jumped off the wing, Anspach and Holt snapped off Strobell's collar insignia’s props. When Watson flew in for a progress report, he saw the defaced insignia and didn’t disapprove; in fact, it was said he was pretty proud of them for doing it.
Relations gradually eased between the Americans and Germans at Lechfeld. The Germans repaired jets; the Americans paid them and supplied them and their families with K-rations. Out of 30 plus Me 262s, the mechanics managed to get 10 in airworthy condition. By then the swastikas painted on the jets had been replaced with a U.S. Star insignia. The American pilots quickly started getting checked out in them. They familiarized themselves with the cockpit layout and instruments. Strobell educated them about the 262’s more unusual flight characteristics: no torque from spinning props, no slowing down when the power was pulled back, the difficulty stopping the plane upon landing and its tremendous speed. They practiced first by firing up the Jumos on a damaged 262 that was chained to the ground. Each pilot then climbed into the cockpit of a Me 262B (fitted with two seats) with Baur, a German test pilot. They took turns flying around the field and all landed without incident. As they deplaned their fellow pilots broke the props off their insignia.
Hillis in his own Me 262, Lechfeld, Germany
The trip from Germany to the English Channel French port of Cherbourg was planned for 2 hops. Partly because the Me 262's engines could only fly few hours before they needed to be rebuilt. The American mechanics assembled enough spare parts for the jets to take with them when they left to insure they could all make it to Cherbourg. They discovered several brand new engines stockpiled nearby in a barn. Those, and some rebuilt engines were loaded onto trucks, along with enough spare parts to keep the jets flying. The trucks and mechanics then left for France.
After more practice flights the pilots followed on June 10, 1945. They flew to their first stop, Melun France just outside Paris, 365 miles from Lechfeld. Once airborne for a length of time they found the jet controls remained ultra responsive. There there were no vibrations compared to their P 47 and P 51 fighters, which made the plane less tiring to fly. An added bonus was that the Me 262 was extremely quiet and flew faster than any piston powered airplane in existence. In short, the airplane was a joy to fly even if dangerous to land.
Col. Watson and Gen. Spaatz reviewing the 262s
The Whizzers, Melun, France in front of Cookie VII
After the pilots made it to Melun, they were forced to wait before going on to Cherbourg. Col. Watson decided he wanted to demonstrate the 262 for General Carl Spaatz, chief of the Army Air Forces in Europe. It took Spaatz a few days to arrive in Melun. The pilots took this opportunity to paint new names on their 262's. When the general finally showed up, the men all wore new shoulder patches sewn on their uniforms: Donald Duck circling the globe on a jet engine, with “Watson’s Whizzers” on the patch and each had re-christened their jet. Strobell, Holt and Hillis demonstrated the 262 for the brass with three or four fast passes, plus some mild maneuvers. General Spaatz was suitably impressed. He said to Watson, “that’s a wicked airplane. Wicked. WICKED! I’m sure glad they [Germany] screwed up the tactical use…”
The other Luftwaffe aircraft safely landed in Cherbourg, where they were loaded aboard the British escort carrier HMS Reaper destined for Newark, N.J. The pilots, except for Strobell, boarded the Reaper with their airplanes for the trip home. Eight days later they were all back in the U.S.
The next day the Whizzers flew the last leg of their journey, 254 miles to Cherbourg, where the 262s and the other captured Luftwaffe aircraft were loaded aboard the British carrier HMS Reaper. Eight days later the Reaper, their pilots and the aircraft landed safely at Newark, N.J.
Me 262s on HMS Reaper, Cherbourg, France