Heinkel he 162 volksjager he 162, schiffer military history. This engineering study discusses the design, development, and prototyping of the he 162 jet fighter. The heinkel he 162 volksjager german, peoples fighter, the name of the project of the emergency. Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our affiliate program. The lastgasp jet fighter heinkel he 162 salamander youtube. Nov 17, 2016 he is the author of messerschmitt me 264 amerikabomber 2006 with eddie j creek, and he 162 volksjager 2008 with eddie j creek.
He 162 volksjager units is an osprey combat aircraft series book, authored by robert forsyth, with illustrations by jim laurier. The lack of fuel and experienced pilots lead the majority of the 200 he 162 grounded for most of the time. The top speed of the he 162 a2 was 553 mph at sea level, and 562 mph at 19,500 ft. Incredibly, the first prototype flew less than 90 days later on december 6. Detailed aircraft profiles and never before seen photographs perfectly complement the analysis of the revolutionary heinkel he 162 as author robert forsyth traces its entire history, from the early design and production through to its limited combat experience. They always lacked of fuel they needed j2 a mix of diesel and flight petrol and had mostly training flights in northern germany after end of april 45. Powered by a bmw turbojet, the he 162 achieved notoriety by going from drawing board to prototype flight in just three months, often at considerable human cost. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc.
Partially completed heinkel he 162 fighter jets sit on the assembly line in the underground factory at either tarthun, germany. Feb 28, 2021 heinkels design, the he 162 spatz sparrow, was selected on september 25, 1944. Nevertheless, he recalled the sheer exhilaration of flying the he 162 with affection. The first kill of i gruppejg 1, is credited to oberst cpt herbert ihlefelds wingman, sill, near kirchheimtreck in early february of 1945. The he 162 was a last throw of the dice by the nazi leadership in midtolate 1944. The heinkel he 162 volksjager, the name of a project of the emergency fighter program design competition, was a german singleengine, jetpowered fighter aircraft fielded by the luftwaffe in world war ii. Partly due to the late war period it was designed within, some of the he 162s landing gear components were. He is the author of messerschmitt me 264 amerikabomber 2006 with eddie j creek, and he 162 volksjager 2008 with eddie j creek.
There are no combat reports, airtoair eyewitness accounts, or other luftwaffe events. He 162 volksjager units combat aircraft book 118 kindle edition by forsyth, robert, laurier, jim. In the last days of april, iijg1 evacuated from marienhe and on 2 may joined the ijg1 at leck, but shortly after aircraft were grounded as the german surrender commenced. As one of the newest german jets the he 162 attracted much interest from the allies after the war and the final chapter covers. This book takes an indepth look at the development, selection, and early flight tests of. The he 162 volksjager fighters were designed based on a philosophy loved by the german political leadership in berlin such as hermann goring and albert speer but hated by luftwaffe generals such as adolf galland. First lieutenant wolfgang wollenwebers wwii odyssey, from combat operations in the me110 over russia with the arctic sea hunters, to pitting the extraordinary he 162 jet fighter against allied fighters over germany, and flying possibly the final luftwaffe mission of wwii, may be the last great untold story from a wwii luftwaffe. Read he 162 volksjager units by robert forsyth available from rakuten. Book description hikoki publications, united kingdom, 2014. Heinkel rose to the challenge with the he 162, a fighter constructed of wood and metal that was designed, built and flown in the staggeringly short time of ten weeks. The museums heinkel he 162a2, werke number 120077, was built in february march of. Author robert forsyth illumines one of the dangerous, desperate measures hitler took during nazi germanys death throes. Since this was a project that saw its existence close to the end of world war 2 production really never ramped up and there were only, approximately 320 built and only a few flew in combat. The he 162 saw limited combat before the war ended in germany.
Fliegertechnische schule 6, colocated at neuenmarkt and weidenberg near bayreuth, was tasked with training the needed ground crews and service personnel, as was. He 162 volksjager units, osprey combat aircraft 118. Is there any record of the heinkel he162 engaging in combat. He 162 volksjager jet fighter world war ii database. A total of 116 he 162s were completed, and an additional 800 were in various stages of completion, 14 but the actual amount of aircraft produced varies depending on the source. On 19 april, feldwebel gunther kirchner shot down a royal air force fighter, and although the victory was credited to a flak unit, the british pilot confirmed during interrogation that he had been downed by an he 162. Though they scored several kills, the unit lost thirteen aircraft with two downed in combat and ten destroyed in operational incidents. Heinkel he 162 the heinkel he 162 volksjager german, peoples fighter, the name of the project of the emergency fighter program design competition, was a german singleengine, jetpowered fighter aircraft fielded by the luftwaffe in world war ii. Osprey combat aircraft he 162 volksjager units new ebay. The heinkel he 162 page contains all related products, articles, books, walkarounds and plastic scale modeling projects dedicated to this aircraft.
Pilots perspective of flying the he 162 in combat perhaps the last untold luftwaffe pilot story. Heinkel he 162 schiffer military history nowarra, heinz j. Originally conceived as the jet fighter anyone could fly into combat, the he 162 was. This wooden jet fighter showed just how desperate germany was. Reading length provides a calculation for the word count of this book, find out how long it will take you. Heinkel he 162a1 volksjager 120086 canada aviation and. Jan 23, 2012 towards the end of january, 1945, the luftwaffe authorized the newly established erprobungskommando 162 to begin immediate combat and flight evaluations of the he 162 jet fighter. Of the 65 factory pilots assigned to he 162s, only five were left at the end of the war. The first chapter cover the conception of the volksjager and the subsequent design competition. The book does not address the he 162 combat record. He 162 volksjager units combat aircraft has 96 pages. Oct 22, 2020 very few he 162s were ever encountered in combat.
This chapter also describes in depth the very limited combat seen by the he 162. Robert forsyth has studied the history and operations of the luftwaffe for many years. No more than 10 aerial kill being confirmed by the type in combat. The heinkel he 162 was a german jet fighter developed during world war ii which saw limited service in the conflics final months. Heinkel he162 volksjager ww2 german luftwaffe late. The book is broken up into the following chapters and appendices.
The history of development, combat use and post war trials of german jetfighter of ww ii. Heinkels singlejet he 162 fighter arrived in luftwaffe service at the very end of the second world war but its development can be traced back to the beginning of july. He 162 volksjager units combat aircraft book 118 ebook. Originally conceived as the jet fighter anyone could fly into combat, the he 162 was designed and built in under five. The aircraft itself was remarkably innovative for its time. Though the first flight was successful, it was noted that some of the glue holding the wooden frame together started to fail. Volksjager was the reich air ministrys official name for the government design program competition won by the he 162 design. One of the last aircraft to bear the insignia of the luftwaffe before the final defeat was the heinkel he. This vividly told story from one of germanys most experienced jet pilots provides an insiders view of not only the revolutionary heinkel he 162 jet fighter, but also about the changing fortunes of the luftwaffe from the happy hunting on the russian front to its final. None were lost to combat they died or crashed during ferry flights or learning to fly them. Partially completed heinkel he162 fighter jets sit on the assembly line in the underground factory at either tarthun, germany. The jagdgeschwader 1 was partly trained on and equipped with he 162 after end of march 45.
He 162 volksjager units ebook by robert forsyth 9781472814593. He also gives a good account of the shortages, horrors of the situation in germany during the final months of the war. On 19 april, a captured royal air force fighter pilot informed his german interrogators that he had been shot down by a jet fighter matching the description of the he 162. Jan 19, 2021 the he 162 finally saw combat in midapril. The book traces the developmental history of the he 162, including the construction of its aircraft in underground factories staffed by forced labor. The discussion surrounding the he 162 s supposed combat successes also relies heavily on research carried by rick chapman in 1989 and i have to say that i think the authors conclusions, based on pilot reports and a translation of some german text to be erroneous. The first he 162a2 was sent into combat with squadrons of jgl the only unit ever use it in the early april 45 when all were lost for the germans. Originally conceived as the jet fighter anyone could fly into combat, the he 162 was designed and built in under five months an astonishing and unparalleled. In this book, aviation historians robert forsyth and eddie j. The second chapter covers the development and testing of the he 162. It was designed and built quickly and made primarily of wood as metals were in very short supply and prioritised for other aircraft. Luftwaffe resource center german luftwaffe air force from. A captured german heinkel he 162a2 on display in trafalgar square, london, uk, on 8 may 1945. War 2 which for some unknown reason features the he162 it mentions that.
He wanted a volksjager a peoples fighter that was quick to produce and used minimal quantities of strategic materials. This is a fantastic book by two well known authors. Despite many bad characteristics the 162 was a fighter of a futuristic kind, created in quantity far quicker than modern aircraft are even drawn on paper. Luftwaffe resource center german luftwaffe air force. Last hope of the luftwaffe ww2 messerschmitt me163. Professional pilots were in short supply, and so the luftwaffe was ordered to man the he 162 with hastily trained members of the hitler youth a flawed plan that fortunately never came to fruition. Nov 22, 2016 robert forsyth has studied the history and operations of the luftwaffe for many years. Jan 07, 1997 heinkel he 162 schiffer military history nowarra, heinz j. This project is focusing on how the he 162 actually worked, and how to fly and handle it in practice, in a highly defined researchbased simulation in xplane 11. Chapter four looks briefly at a design study for a pulsejet powered he 162, various armament options and a suggested mistel composite. The heinkel he 162 volksjager german, peoples fighter, the name of a project of the. First lieutenant wolfgang wollenwebers wwii odyssey, from combat operations in the me110 over russia with the arctic sea hunters, to pitting the extraordinary he 162 jet fighter against allied fighters over germany, and flying possibly the final luftwaffe mission of wwii, may be the last great untold story from a wwii luftwaffe pilot.
Intended as an inexpensive fighter, the heinkel he 162 could be built by semiskilled labour out of nonstrategic materials. Secret projects of the luftwaffe, heinkel he 162 ipmsusa. In february 1945, 1jg1 gave up their fockewulf fw190s to start flying salamanders. This wooden jet fighter showed just how desperate germany. Heinkel he 162a1 volksjager planes of fame air museum.
Heinkel he 162 spatz offers the whole history of the volksjager project, and is the first major history. Soviet strategic aviation in the cold war add to compare. He gives a good accounting of its combat record and puts to rest claims of he 162s shot down in combat. Nov 17, 2016 he 162 volksjager units is an osprey combat aircraft series book, authored by robert forsyth, with illustrations by jim laurier. Wollenweber became one of the most experienced he 162 pilots in the luftwaffe. He 162 volksjager units combat aircraft reading length.
The history of the luftwaffes last minute singlejet fighter, the heinkel he 162. Jan 30, 2021 first lieutenant wolfgang wollenwebers wwii odyssey, from combat operations in the me110 over russia with the arctic sea hunters, to pitting the extraordinary he 162 jet fighter against allied fighters over germany, and flying possibly the final luftwaffe mission of wwii, may be the last great untold story from a wwii luftwaffe. The lastgasp jet fighter heinkel he 162 salamander. This unique project will allow to see and feel the he 162 in a bit of a different light than the usual he 162 in combat flight simulators. After the war, ernst heinkel would say the unrealistic notion that this plane the he 162 should be. As he 162 fighters saw more combat, it was found that the tail fins could break off if the pilots maneuver too hard in combat.
Deliveries began to luftwaffe units in february 1945 but only two victories were claimed for the type during its short service life and both were unconfirmed. With the third reich on the brink of defeat, hitlers instru. While the hitler youth were trained to become pilots, the first completed salamanders were sent to existing fighter squadrons. Last hope of the luftwaffe ww2 messerschmitt me163 komet. Liberally seasoned with absorbing anecdotes, he 162 volksjager units 118 in ospreys combat aircraft series spans 96 pages across five fascinating chapters.
1135 1421 432 221 387 739 1561 532 1402 711 1582 890 1264 111 205 1846 1374 1466 1097 637 1132 1289 200 591 1822 855 1564