Who invented jet fighters?

[Ali Barber]

It appears that the Italians had them in the First World War!

Ottoman times shipwreck found off Saudi coast - Emirates 24/7

“The ship is believed to have been sunk by Italian fighter jets in a raid on Ottoman (Turkish) vessels near the port during World War 1,” Almadina daily said.

[Vizsla]

Was Frank Whittle so young

[sisemen]

Yep, the Italians had them first but it took Whittle (and a German chappy) to invent the ones that went forwards.

[Wensleydale]

Reminds me of the "Flying Pizza" in Lincoln back in the days of yore.

[Finningley Boy]

I had know idea the Italians were quite so clever?

All that hard work by Air Commodore Whittle and the Messerschmitts, when all they had to do was consult Fiat!

FB

[Fareastdriver]

They weren't that far off. This one had a piston ehgine to drive the compressor and the resultant air was burned in a combustion chamber. It just needed a turbine to drive the compressor to be a pure jet.
It first flew in August 1940.

[BEagle]

Ah - the old Campini Caproni CC2! I remember reading all about that at my prep school in 1959!