X-Planes: German Luftwaffe Prototypes 1930-1945

by Manfred Griehl

Overview

Renowned German aviation specialist Manfred Griehl has collected a unique and valuable selection of photographs of Luftwaffe projects that never made it into battle. They remained on the drawing board or at prototype stage either because they were deemed unsuitable or the developers simply ran out of time and the projects never went into production.

Most photographs come from the development sites and testing grounds of the major manufacturers of Nazi Germany: companies such as Dornier, Junkers, Focke-Wulf and Heinkel all received funding from the government to develop bigger and faster aircraft. A huge amount of private testing went on with major organizations such as Daimler-Benz, BMW and Siemens investing huge amounts in new engine systems and other advances such as radar.

This book also details the innumerable alterations that were made to existing service aircraft to equip them for new roles. There are examples of Fw190s developed for the delivery of chemical and toxic weapons, the high altitude Junkers EF 61, the early prototype WNF 342 helicopter as well as numerous examples of developmental jet fighters that could very well have been realized had it not been for the effectiveness of the Allied bombing campaign in restricting the supply of necessary materials.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783034192
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	10/24/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	22 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Manfred Griehl is a respected historian with a unique photographic archive, specializing in Luftwaffe operations of World War II. His books include German Bombers over Russia and German Elite Pathfinders.

Table of Contents

1 Preface and Acknowledgements 1

2 Aircraft Development by the RWM and RIM 3

3 Germany's Test Centres 18

4 Experimental, Test and Trials Units 21

5 Test Detachments and Squadrons 24

6 General Aviation Research 27

7 Development Projects in 1945 28

8 Aircraft Prototypes 30

8.1 Arado 31

8.2 Bachem 55

8.3 Hamburger Flugzeugbau/Blohm & Voss 59

8.4 Bücker 73

8.5 Deutsche Forschungs-Anstalt für Segelflug 78

8.6 Dornier 86

8.7 Fieseler 110

8.8 Flettner 118

8.9 Focke-Achgelis 123

8.10 Focke-Wulf and Tank 126

8.11 Gotha and Kalkert 158

8.12 Heinkel 166

8.13 Henschel 204

8.14 Horten 216

8.15 Junkers 217

8.16 Klemm 262

8.17 Bayerische Flugzeugwerke/Messerschmitt 267

8.18 Flugzeugbau Halle and Siebel 307

8.19 Zeppelin 313

Editorial Reviews

"Pretty much an essential book for the student of experimental craft not just of this period and country but everything that came after it"

SpeedReaders.info