US recreates experimental Nazi warplane

lowend1 · June 30, 2009, 10:06:58 PM

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529548,00.html

Lightyear · June 30, 2009, 10:36:22 PM

Can't wait for the National Geographic special!

I predict that this thread will run at least 5 pages - God only knows what will be included along the way

Freuds_Cat · June 30, 2009, 11:35:57 PM

Thats pretty cool

Chris P. · June 30, 2009, 11:52:23 PM

Wow, especially the part 'the building of the airplane is financed by an unknown German Lawyer' is interesting.

But: Great story!

Darrol · July 01, 2009, 02:38:36 AM

I actually saw the special on that the other night. It ended with them saying that the war could have changed completely if they managed to put them into production considering the speed they could travel alone.

uwe · July 01, 2009, 03:41:27 AM

"The Ho 229 replica with period-appropriate backdrop in the Northrop Grumman hangar."

Period-appropriate backdrop!

You yanks crack me up, forever caught in visualizing Nazi Germany as if it were a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. As if we had nothing better to do than to decorate our aircraft production facilities with swastikas.

All this "if Nazi Germany would have had this or some other secret weapon, it would have won the war"-talk is nonsense. You don't win wars with superior novelty equipment/Wunderwaffen like the above Ho 229, you win it by producing cheaply, quickly and efficiently good-enough stuff like the Sherman tank, the Mustang, the T-34, Liberty merchant ships etc, having the logistic expertise to bring them to the front AND having enough fuel and gas to run them as well as enough well-fed and medically well-treated soldiers/pilots/sailors to man them. The abundance of penicillin for Allied soldiers did more for the outcome of the war than 200 delta wing Luftwaffe jets ever could have. And even if we would have had that many plus the people and the fuel to fly them, all it would have done at best is perhaps prolong the war a few months for the US to have Little Boy and Fat Man ready in time (your nuclear program was way ahead of what German scientists had, whose heavy water research had pretty much become stuck) to drop them on Berlin. That would have ended the war (and grounded the delta wing jets) real quick.

Cool plane though! But would it have had the technical means to fly stable (an issue with delta wing jets) back in 1944/45? I'd be amazed.

Uwe

Freuds_Cat · July 01, 2009, 06:07:23 AM

True, I thought it was the fact that the on board computer could make x many calculations per second to adjust the Stealth that kept it stable. Without which it would supposedly fall out of the sky.

I would love to have seen the IBM punchcard that ran the Ho 299

I agree with Uwe, I thinks its like if the V1's and 2's had only seen short (or no) service then people (after the fact) would be saying the same thing. "If the Nazi's had built them to fruition they would have won the war".
It obviously cant ever come down to just one thing, except maybe an A bomb when the other side has none.

Saf · July 01, 2009, 07:39:50 AM

marvelous plane, can't wait to see teh docu on national geographic over here. Can;t find a torrent to download it

rahock · July 01, 2009, 08:29:07 AM

The Russians were the true masters of high quality war machines and cheap mass production. The cold war kept the US and others from mentioning /admitting any of this.
Rick

Dave W · July 01, 2009, 08:31:22 AM

Quote from: Big D Bassist on July 01, 2009, 02:38:36 AM
I actually saw the special on that the other night. It ended with them saying that the war could have changed completely if they managed to put them into production considering the speed they could travel alone.

According to the article I saw on National Geographic's website, the special premieres this coming Sunday. Did you see an advance screening?

Unlike the Fox news story, the NG article makes it sound like would not have changed the war much, and even then only until a counter could be developed.

Highlander · July 01, 2009, 11:34:39 AM

Daa da dat daaaa, daa da daaaaa, daa da dat daaaa, daa dat da da da - "Snakes, why'd it have to be snakes...?"

That's sum Ho...

Gotta go, the shed's calling...

Darrol · July 01, 2009, 01:01:15 PM

Quote from: Dave W on July 01, 2009, 08:31:22 AM
According to the article I saw on National Geographic's website, the special premieres this coming Sunday. Did you see an advance screening?

Unlike the Fox news story, the NG article makes it sound like would not have changed the war much, and even then only until a counter could be developed.

I watched on national geographic on Sunday I think. Thought about recording it but I came into it after it started. Interesting to watch them build it and give some history on the subject.

uwe · July 01, 2009, 05:28:34 PM

If Luftwaffe records are to be believed, one prototype of these actually flew in late 1944 without crashing. Who'd have thought.

eb2 · July 02, 2009, 12:24:36 AM

Who? Goering! That is who!

Aww, some of us Yanks know that period correct backdrops would look like this:

uwe · July 02, 2009, 02:58:59 AM

What's the cogwheel doing there? Never seen that flag variation before.