The primary objective of this source edition is to provide readers with original documents, allowing them to form their own impression of the development, manufacture and operation of the Heinkel He 162. By linking this accumulated data with the historical situation of those times, we hope to have facilitated a more objective assessment of the "Volksjäger" project. For the purposes of this book, around 200 documents were selected from a multitude of material on the Heinkel He 162 and reproduced in their original state. Complementing them are some 140 photographs, some of them hitherto unpublished , 50 scale drawings, 30 color plates and innumerable citations from contemporary documents, teleprints, orders, lectures, reviews and intelligence reports. To make orientation easy, documents and illustrations are arranged in chapters that follow the historic timeline: project, development of the Heinkel He 162, manufacturing of the "Volksjaeger", in action with the Luftwaffe, and allied war booty are the most important topics. The production and delivery numbers of the Heinkel He 162 are broken down for the first time. Most of the original documents are not translated, but discussed in the text. A German-English glossary helps to understand the content of those original files. Rounding off the publication is a comprehensive appendix giving details of propulsion units, camouflage schemes, armament, the cockpit, plus the various versions of the Heinkel He 162. An index of individuals, place names and subjects and a list of sources and literature, covers several pages.