To retrieve the situation for the fighter force, Galland looked to employ new technology in the air war.
Galland flew the Messerschmitt Me 262 aircraft in May 1943 and became an enthusiastic supporter of the aircraft as the saviour of the fighter force.
Galland's enthusiasm failed to appreciate the difficulties involved in transferring a design into production, especially under the circumstances.
The Me 262 was not Willy Messerschmitt's priority.
The designer was involved in a battle with Milch from 1942 over the cancellation of the Messerschmitt Me 209 in favour of the jet.
There were also problems with the engines and series production was difficult because the company were making design changes at the same time they were working up production lines.

On 23 May 1943, Galland flew an early prototype of the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.
After the flight, he described his experience; "It was as though angels were pushing."
Galland became an enthusiastic supporter of the aircraft, realising its potential as a fighter rather than a bomber.
Galland hoped that the Me 262 would compensate for the numerical superiority of the Allies.
In a wartime report he wrote:
In the last four months [January–April 1944] our day fighters have lost 1,000 pilots...we are numerically inferior and will always remain so...I believe that a great deal can be achieved with a small number of technically and far superior aircraft such as the [Me] 262 and [Me] 163... I would at this moment rather have one Me 262 in action rather than five Bf 109s.
I used to say three 109s, but the situation develops and changes.

Galland succeeded in temporarily persuading Milch to support cancelling the Me 209 program in favour of producing 100 Me 262s by the end of 1943.
However, because of persistent problems with its turbojet engines and later, Hitler's determination to use it as a bomber, the Me 262 was not developed as a fighter until late in the war.

By spring 1944, the Me 262 was sufficiently ready for operational service.
By this time, Galland faced rivalries amongst the Luftwaffe command over how best to employ the aircraft.
Dietrich Peltz, commander of the IX.
Fliegerkorps (9th Air Corps), wanted to use the aircraft as a weapon against a future Allied landing in France.
Peltz saw the aircraft as an ideal fast bomber which could evade the overwhelming numbers of Allied piston-engine fighters and attack the landing grounds.
Peltz also wished to use highly trained bomber pilots who he felt could better serve as home defence fighter pilots in place of the overextended and overworked Jagdwaffe.
Their blind-weather experience and training, and background in multi-engine aircraft made them ideal for these operations in his view.

In the first five months of 1944, Peltz' conventional bomber force had suffered a significant defeat over England in Operation Steinbock but it did not dull his appetite for offensive action or dent his reputation with Göring.
Galland argued against his suggestion.
Instead, Galland thought the bomber corps should be disbanded and its pilots converted onto fighters.
Göring adopted Peltz' idea to impress Hitler and regain his waning influence.

Galland did not give up.
He made repeated appeals for Me 262 fighter aircraft.
Göring refused Galland's requests to have equal numbers of Me 262 fighter and bomber variants built.
However, Galland's close relationship with Albert Speer, the German armaments minister, enabled him to retain a small operational number.
Even this was difficult, as Hitler had taken personal control of turbo-jet production and checked where each batch of the aircraft were being deployed.

It was not until September 1944 that Hitler rescinded his directive that the Me 262 be used as a fighter-bomber.
Galland ignored the order and formed Eprobungskommando 262 to test the Me 262 against high-flying Allied reconnaissance aircraft.
He selected the highly decorated pilot Werner Thierfelder as its commander.
Hitler heard of the experiment through Milch and ordered Göring to put a stop to it at a meeting on 29 May 1944.
Galland pers
To retrieve the situation for the fighter force, Galland looked to employ new technology in the air war. Galland flew the Messerschmitt Me 262 aircraft in May 1943 and became an enthusiastic supporter of the aircraft as the saviour of the fighter force. Galland's enthusiasm failed to appreciate the difficulties involved in transferring a design into production, especially under the circumstances. The Me 262 was not Willy Messerschmitt's priority. The designer was involved in a battle with Milch from 1942 over the cancellation of the Messerschmitt Me 209 in favour of the jet. There were also problems with the engines and series production was difficult because the company were making design changes at the same time they were working up production lines.
On 23 May 1943, Galland flew an early prototype of the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. After the flight, he described his experience; "It was as though angels were pushing." Galland became an enthusiastic supporter of the aircraft, realising its potential as a fighter rather than a bomber. Galland hoped that the Me 262 would compensate for the numerical superiority of the Allies. In a wartime report he wrote:
In the last four months [January–April 1944] our day fighters have lost 1,000 pilots...we are numerically inferior and will always remain so...I believe that a great deal can be achieved with a small number of technically and far superior aircraft such as the [Me] 262 and [Me] 163... I would at this moment rather have one Me 262 in action rather than five Bf 109s. I used to say three 109s, but the situation develops and changes.
Galland succeeded in temporarily persuading Milch to support cancelling the Me 209 program in favour of producing 100 Me 262s by the end of 1943. However, because of persistent problems with its turbojet engines and later, Hitler's determination to use it as a bomber, the Me 262 was not developed as a fighter until late in the war.
By spring 1944, the Me 262 was sufficiently ready for operational service. By this time, Galland faced rivalries amongst the Luftwaffe command over how best to employ the aircraft. Dietrich Peltz, commander of the IX. Fliegerkorps (9th Air Corps), wanted to use the aircraft as a weapon against a future Allied landing in France. Peltz saw the aircraft as an ideal fast bomber which could evade the overwhelming numbers of Allied piston-engine fighters and attack the landing grounds. Peltz also wished to use highly trained bomber pilots who he felt could better serve as home defence fighter pilots in place of the overextended and overworked Jagdwaffe. Their blind-weather experience and training, and background in multi-engine aircraft made them ideal for these operations in his view.
In the first five months of 1944, Peltz' conventional bomber force had suffered a significant defeat over England in Operation Steinbock but it did not dull his appetite for offensive action or dent his reputation with Göring. Galland argued against his suggestion. Instead, Galland thought the bomber corps should be disbanded and its pilots converted onto fighters. Göring adopted Peltz' idea to impress Hitler and regain his waning influence.
Galland did not give up. He made repeated appeals for Me 262 fighter aircraft. Göring refused Galland's requests to have equal numbers of Me 262 fighter and bomber variants built. However, Galland's close relationship with Albert Speer, the German armaments minister, enabled him to retain a small operational number. Even this was difficult, as Hitler had taken personal control of turbo-jet production and checked where each batch of the aircraft were being deployed.
It was not until September 1944 that Hitler rescinded his directive that the Me 262 be used as a fighter-bomber. Galland ignored the order and formed Eprobungskommando 262 to test the Me 262 against high-flying Allied reconnaissance aircraft. He selected the highly decorated pilot Werner Thierfelder as its commander. Hitler heard of the experiment through Milch and ordered Göring to put a stop to it at a meeting on 29 May 1944. Galland pers
Adolf Galland