X-Planes

In this superb illustrated guide, 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. 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 realised had it not been for the effectiveness of the Allied bombing campaign in restricting the supply of necessary materials. Much of this development work went on to have an important influence on aircraft design in both the East and the West after the Second World War, making this book an essential source not just for those interested in Hitler's Luftwaffe but also in the history of military aviation in general. AUTHOR: Manfred Griehl is a renowned aviation expert and the author of more than forty books including Luftwaffe Over America: The Secret Plans to Bomb the United States in World War II, Last Days of the Luftwaffe: German Luftwaffe Combat Units 1944-1945, and Luftwaffe at War: Air War over the Atlantic. SELLING POINTS: . A comprehensive guide to one of the most fascinating and influential periods of military aviation research and development . Compiled by a world-renowned German aviation expert . Detailed listings of over 200 prototype and experimental aircraft, organised alphabetically by manufacturer, giving the purpose they were built for, when or if they flew and their ultimate fates . More than 340 original photographs from the testing grounds of Nazi Germany's major aviation manufacturers, many never published before . Entries on projects such as the rocket-powered and jet fighters, the Horten flying wings, early helicopters and giant flying boats Illustrated throughout