Luft46.

This is coolbert:

Here is another good web site to go to:

http://www.luft46.com

Deals with experimental German aircraft in development during the years of the Second World War [WW2].

These aircraft were only experimental but did show a lot of interesting features and designs that DID influence future aircraft development throughout the world, even to this day!! For their day, the German was way ahead of the pack, even amazingly so!! Or at least you are lead to believe so, from what you see on this web site.

For instance:

http://www.luft46.com/horten/horten.html

At this page you will see aircraft designs put forth by the Horten group. These are flying wings. Look amazingly similar, NO, look almost like the current stealth bomber used by the USAF, the B-!!!

[some have suggested that the design specifications for the Horten flying wing would seem to indicate that this was the aircraft that would have dropped a "Virus House" atomic device on New York City!!??]

Indeed it seems that the entire German aircraft industry was in a continuous and agitated state of ferment all during the war years.

The various designs incorporated all sorts of features that were more or less unique and innovative, but not necessarily practical. Swept back wings, swept forward wings, bat wings, flying wings, [and it is amazing when perusing this web site, how many German aircraft designers had hit upon the flying wing concept and intended to use it in a big way.]

Many, if not most of these designs were just concepts and did not even get off the drawing board.

But I am sure that the MIG-15 DID incorporate German design concepts in a big way. Click here to see the German aircraft design that so influenced the development of the MIG-15. It is a known fact that many German scientists and engineers were captured by the Soviets and were sent to the Soviet Union after the war, and were made to work on military projects in forced labor type camps.



"After the war, the Ta 183 story continued. The Soviets found a complete set of plans for the Ta 183 in Berlin at the RLM offices, and began construction of six prototypes in March 1946 by the MIG design bureau. On July 2, 1947, the first Soviet-built Ta 183 took to the air powered by a British Rolls-Royce "Nene" turbojet. They discovered that the original Ta 183 design needed either automatic leading edge slots or wing boundary layer fences to alleviate low-speed stalling. Also, as a compromise between high-speed and low-speed flying, the horizontal stabilizer was moved approximately one-third down from the top of the vertical tail. The modified Ta 183 first flew on December 30, 1947 and in May 1948 was ordered into production as the MIG 15."

It is also amazing the number of aircraft manufacturers and design bureaus that were work all at the same time in Germany. They seem to have had too much in too many places to do a lot of good. Instead of concentrating on a few designs that would have substantially helped the German war effort, the German designers seem to have dissipated their efforts in producing MORE aircraft of a MORE superior nature. Not concentrating on what was practical and do-able NOW! My guess!

coolbert.