Download or read book Natter Manned Missile of the Third Reich written by Brett Gooden and published by . This book was released on 2020-01-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History an d technology of the Bachem Ba 349 Natter rocket interceptor built and tested in Germany in World War Two

Download or read book Project Natter written by Brett Gooden and published by Classic Publications. This book was released on 2005-12-31 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1944, in response to the bombing of German cities and factories by the Allies, an inventor named Erich Bachem developed 'Projekt Natter' ('Viper'), an extraordinary, highly-secret, vertical take-off, semi-expendable, single-seat rocket-fighter armed with a nose-mounted 'honeycomb' of 73-mm or 55-mm spin-stabilized air-to-air rockets as well as 30-mm cannon. The Natter was intended to offer high-speed defense of key targets. Once blasted into the air from its vertical launch tower, the pilot of the Natter was to climb towards an enemy formation using an internal rocket, target an enemy bomber and fire his battery of rockets. He would then use the remaining kinetic energy to climb higher than the bombers in order to mount a ramming attack. Just before impact, the pilot was to trigger a mechanism that would activate an ejection seat and separate the rocket unit, which would return to earth by means of an automatically deployed parachute for reuse. Relatively little has been published on the Natter and this book will provide a detailed and definitive account of this unusual but fascinating aircraft. This will be required reading for all those interested in the history of the Luftwaffe during World War II, particularly for those fascinated by the radical and revolutionary projects which German aircraft designers contrived toward the end of the Nazi regime.

Download or read book Kamikaze written by Aero Publishers, inc and published by Tab Books. This book was released on 1966 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brief text and captioned photographs describe the design, technical details, and operations of the Kamikaze attack planes.

Download or read book Fighting Hitler s Jets written by Robert F. Dorr and published by Quarto Publishing Group USA. This book was released on 2013-11-15 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fighting Hitler's Jets brings together in a single, character-driven narrative two groups of men at war: on one side, American fighter pilots and others who battled the secret “wonder weapons” with which Adolf Hitler hoped to turn the tide; on the other, the German scientists, engineers, and pilots who created and used these machines of war on the cutting edge of technology. Written by Robert F. Dorr, renowned author of Zenith Press titles Hell Hawks!, Mission to Berlin, and Mission to Tokyo, the story begins with a display of high-tech secret weapons arranged for Hitler at a time when Germany still had prospects of winning the war. It concludes with Berlin in rubble and the Allies seeking German technology in order to jumpstart their own jet-powered aviation programs. Along the way, Dorr expertly describes the battles in the sky over the Third Reich that made it possible for the Allies to mount the D-Day invasion and advance toward Berlin. Finally, the book addresses both facts and speculation about German weaponry and leaders, including conspiracy theorists’ view that Hitler escaped in a secret aircraft at the war’s end. Where history and controversy collide with riveting narrative, Fighting Hitler’s Jets furthers a repertoire that comprises some of the United States’ most exceptional military writing.

Download or read book Bachem Ba 349 Natter written by Robert Forsyth and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-06-28 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a secretive, vertical take-off, single-seat rocket interceptor intended to offer high-speed defence of key targets. This radical aircraft offered Luftwaffe an inexpensive means with which to intercept and attack Allied heavy bombers using a vertically-launched, semi-expendable machine built of wood and armed with a nose-mounted 'honeycomb' battery of spin-stabilised air-to-air rockets as well as cannon armament. Launched vertically at 36,000ft per minute, the pilot was expected to fly within range of the enemy bombers, fire his rockets at them, ram another bomber, eject and parachute to the ground. Illustrated with contemporary photographs and stunning commissioned artwork, this study examines this inventive yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt by the Luftwaffe to defend against the tide of Allied aircraft that was bombing German cities into the ground.

Download or read book World War II Fighting Jets written by Jeffrey L. Ethell and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book World War II US Gunships written by William Wolf and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-11-26 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The XB-40 and XB-41 were secret, little-known experimental modifications of the B-17F and B-24D, respectively, into heavily-armed bomber gunships sometimes referred to as “bomber escorters”. They were developed during early World War II in response to the lack of a USAAF long-range fighter aircraft able to escort and protect regular B-17 formations making the round trip from Britain deep into Germany. Using many formerly-classified documents from his large microfilm collection, William Wolf presents their previously-unpublished history. It describes in depth for the first time the politics and development and associated problems of both escorter types. Unfortunately, these “protecters” were found wanting in several ways - after the addition of guns and ammunition they became overweight and tail-heavy causing center of gravity problems and each encountered numerous delays in the development and delivery of their various armament additions and improvements, particularly the Bendix chin turret. In the end, the YB-40 participated in only 14 lackluster operational service test missions during mid-1943 before being withdrawn from service. The XB-41 Liberator never saw operational testing before also being cancelled for its poor performance. The failure of the gunship concept left a huge hole in the capabilities of the Eighth Air Force. Their failure, however, spurred the adoption of the Merlin-powered P-51 Mustang, the outstanding escort fighter that was key to Allied victory in the air war over Europe.

Download or read book Bachem Ba 349 Natter written by Robert Forsyth and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-06-28 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a secretive, vertical take-off, single-seat rocket interceptor intended to offer high-speed defence of key targets. This radical aircraft offered Luftwaffe an inexpensive means with which to intercept and attack Allied heavy bombers using a vertically-launched, semi-expendable machine built of wood and armed with a nose-mounted 'honeycomb' battery of spin-stabilised air-to-air rockets as well as cannon armament. Launched vertically at 36,000ft per minute, the pilot was expected to fly within range of the enemy bombers, fire his rockets at them, ram another bomber, eject and parachute to the ground. Illustrated with contemporary photographs and stunning commissioned artwork, this study examines this inventive yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt by the Luftwaffe to defend against the tide of Allied aircraft that was bombing German cities into the ground.

Download or read book Bachem Ba 349 Natter written by Gustavo Uruea A., Sir and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-07-07 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a World War II German point-defence rocket powered interceptor, which was to be used in a very similar way to a manned surface-to-air missile. After a vertical take-off, which eliminated the need for airfields, the majority of the flight to the Allied bombers was to be controlled by an autopilot. The primary mission of the relatively untrained pilot, was to aim the aircraft at its target bomber and fire its armament of rockets. The pilot and the fuselage containing the rocket motor would then land under separate parachutes, while the nose section was disposable. The only manned vertical take-off flight on 1 March 1945 ended in the death of the test pilot, Lothar Sieber. Von Braun Rocket Interceptor On June 15 1939 at the highlly secret Luftwaffe test station called Peenemünde-West, a diminutive aircraft took off from the aerodrome with test pilot Erich Warsutz at the controls. The Heinkel 176 was quite conventional in shape but had no propeller or air-intake. It was propelled by Hellmuth Walter's HWK R 1-203 hydrogen peroxide rocket motor.1The aircraft quickly accelerated to nearly 600 km/h, flew briefly around the aerodrome and landed. In the process it became the first aircraft to achieve a controlled flight powered only by a liquid propellant rocket motor.2 Five days later Warsitz flew a second circuit of the aerodrome. This trial was announced officially and is generally referred to in aviation histories as the first successful flight. Two years earlier Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team, in addition to their A-4 project, were also working on rocket propulsion for the Luftwaffe. The plan was for von Braun's group to develop a more

Download or read book Jet Prototypes of World War II written by Tony Buttler and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-09-19 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While World War II raged, pioneering aircraft and engine designers were busy developing the world's first practical jet-powered research aircraft to test and prove the new technology. This book examines the aircraft that paved the way for Germany's Me 262 and Britain's Meteor - the world's first jet fighters. Throughout the war, Germany, Italy and Britain engaged in top-secret jet programmes as they raced to develop the airpower of the future. Various experimental aircraft were trialled in order to achieve the goal of producing an effective engine and fighter that could harness the potential of the jet power. These included the German Heinkel He 178 research aircraft and Heinkel He 280 jet fighter prototype, the famed British E.28/39 research aircraft built by Gloster Aircraft as well as the stillborn E.5/42 fighter and E.1/44 Ace fighter prototype, and finally the remarkable Italian Caproni-Campini N.1/CC 2 research aircraft. Illustrated throughout with full-colour artwork and rare photographs, this fascinating study examines the fore-runners to the military jet age.

Download or read book Bachem Ba 349 Natter written by David Myhra and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 1999 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The pilot-operated Bachem Ba 349 "Natter" ("Adder") was one of several unexpected new weapons Germany was seeking to perfect for a more effective defense against Allied heavy bombers. The idea of the ground-to-air missile to slow down, if not stop, attacking aircraft was one of the greatest developments to come out of World War II, and Germany led the field. David Myhra has taken 240 photographs and illustrations from his collection and presents the world's first defense interceptor missile - the manned Ba 349 "Natter." AUTHOR:

Download or read book The First Team written by John B Lundstrom and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2005-07-01 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hailed as one of the finest examples of aviation research, this comprehensive 1984 study presents a detailed and scrupulously accurate operational history of carrier-based air warfare. From the earliest operations in the Pacific through the decisive Battle of Midway, it offers a narrative account of how ace fighter pilots like Jimmy Thach and Butch O'Hare and their skilled VF squadron mates--called the "first team"--amassed a remarkable combat record in the face of desperate odds. Tapping both American and Japanese sources, historian John B. Lundstrom reconstructs every significant action and places these extraordinary fighters within the context of overall carrier operations. He writes from the viewpoint of the pilots themselves, after interviewing some fifty airmen from each side, to give readers intimate details of some of the most exciting aerial engagements of the war. At the same time he assesses the role the fighter squadrons played in key actions and shows how innovations in fighter tactics and gunnery techniques were a primary reason for the reversal of American fortunes. After more than twenty years in print, the book remains the definitive account and is being published in paperback for the first time to reach an even larger audience.

Download or read book Ju 52 3m Bomber and Transport Units 1936 41 written by Robert Forsyth and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-05-23 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An authoritative history of the Ju 52/3m, the Luftwaffe's 'unsung', yet crucial, workhorse, which will appeal to all enthusiasts of the air war in World War 2.

Download or read book Secret Aircraft Designs of the Third Reich written by David Myhra and published by Schiffer Military. This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Secret Aircraft Designs of the Third Reich aircraft biographer David Myhra gives the reader much more than pictures of proposed German aircraft projects, although this work is richly illustrated by state-of-the-art digital images by Mario Merino. The total number of German projects is in excess of 400. Blohm und Voss tops the list with over 200 project designs. The reader is introduced to the men behind these proposed aircraft. One will discover Wolderman Voight's frustration with his Me P.1101 and why it simply would not jell. The reader will learn why Dr. Göthert of Gotha lobbied the RLM to take his Go P.60 designs and scrap the Horten Ho 229. We see why critics of design genius Alexander Lippisch said that he was a man who had a new design almost every day but fails to put most of them into the air. Myhra describes the shameful handling of Hugo Junkers, the father of German aviation, by the Gestapo. It was Junkers who said that "ideas for advanced aircraft projects were about as cheap as blueberries. To an idea must be added materials, resources, and time." And time in all the secret projects was short, very short. Although over 400 aircraft projects were on the drawing board when the war in Europe ended in May 1945, only a handful were in the prototype stage. This outstanding book also offers a superb collection of photographs of scale models from contributors throughout the world, and digital images by Mario Merino and Andreas Ott that offer a one-of-a-kind look at secret German designs.

Download or read book Luftwaffe Mistel Composite Bomber Units written by Robert Forsyth and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-20 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The striking appearance of Luftwaffe's Mistel Composite attack aircraft might seem ridiculous to modern eyes, but employed correctly, these original 'fire and forget' weapons were devastatingly effective, as Allied sources testify. This book draws on a wealth of first-hand reports and revealing contemporary photographs to tell the full, strange story of the Mistel units. They were the product of a remarkable mix of desperation and innovation, and were actually grounded in a pre-war, non-military practise – the mounting of one aircraft atop another was initially conceived to extend the ranges of passenger and mail-carrying aircraft. But as early as 1942, German planners saw the potential for use as a guided missile, and by the end of the war, the sight of a Ju-88 lashed to a BF 109 or FW 190 fighter bearing down on an Allied target was not as rare as one might expect. This is a comprehensive account of the Mistel units, from their design and development, through the first deployments at D-Day, to the last, desperate missions against key bridges on the Oder and the Neisse in the final weeks of the war.

Download or read book No Higher Honor written by Jeff Nesmith and published by Longstreet Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Young and idealistic, the men who carried the sea battle that turned the war with Japan brought with them an uncluttered sense of purpose, patriotism and love of country. This is their story.

Download or read book Chasing the Demon written by Dan Hampton and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-07-24 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • At the end of World War II, a band of aces gathered in the Mojave Desert on a Top Secret quest to break the sound barrier–nicknamed "The Demon" by pilots. The true story of what happened in those skies has never been told. Speed. In 1947, it represented the difference between victory and annihilation. After Hiroshima, the ability to deliver a nuclear device to its target faster than one’s enemy became the singular obsession of American war planners. And so, in the earliest days of the Cold War, a highly classified program was conducted on a desolate air base in California’s Mojave Desert. Its aim: to push the envelope of flight to new frontiers. There gathered an extraordinary band of pilots, including Second World War aces Chuck Yeager and George Welch, who risked their lives flying experimental aircraft to reach Mach 1, the so-called sound barrier, which pilots called “the demon.” Shrouding the program in secrecy, the US military reluctantly revealed that the “barrier” had been broken two months later, after the story was leaked to the press. The full truth has never been fully revealed—until now. Chasing the Demon, from decorated fighter pilot and acclaimed aviation historian Dan Hampton, tells, for the first time, the extraordinary true story of mankind’s quest for Mach 1. Here, of course, is twenty-four-year-old Captain Chuck Yeager, who made history flying the futuristic Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947. Officially Yeager was the first to achieve supersonic flight, but drawing on new interviews with survivors of the program, including Yeager’s former commander, as well as declassified files, Hampton presents evidence that a fellow American—George Welch, a daring fighter pilot who shot down a remarkable sixteen enemy aircraft during the Pacific War—met the demon first, though he was not favored to wear the laurels, as he was now a civilian test pilot and was not flying the Bell X-1. Chasing the Demon sets the race between Yeager and Welch in the context of aviation history, so that the reader can learn and appreciate their accomplishments as never before.