Horten 229

[mrivc211]

I just finished watching a segment on this airplane Hitler was building. What are everyone's thoughts on the impact this would have had on the war? According to Northrop Grumman, even though it wasn't fully stealth, the combination of radar detection, fast speed(600 mph), and high maneuverability would have given the British only 2 minutes of early warning.

The airplane actually flew for a few months and they started building the Horton 18, a long range bomber that could reach the eastern coast of the US.

 

[hook_dupin]

I just finished watching a segment on this airplane Hitler was building. What are everyone's thoughts on the impact this would have had on the war? According to Northrop Grumman, even though it wasn't fully stealth, the combination of radar detection, fast speed(600 mph), and high maneuverability would have given the British only 2 minutes of early warning.

The airplane actually flew for a few months and they started building the Horton 18, a long range bomber that could reach the eastern coast of the US.

It also looks like its payload would have been very small (and likely inaccurate). I see the effect as mostly psychological... no different really than the V-2.

The only two bombers that made any single-ship impact on the war were the Enola Gay and Bock's Car. Every other bombing operation required mass to achieve desired effects.

 

[USMCmech]

Every other bombing operation required mass to achieve desired effects.

Yes, and no.

The Dolittle Raid did insignificant damage to Japan, however it's strategic importance proved to be pivotal. What was intended to be a morale boosting PR stunt actually brought about the Battle of Midway and the turning point of the war.




That said, I agree with you about the myth of German wonder weapons in WW2. The ME-262 outclassed everything the allies had, but there simply wasn't time to build enough of them to matter. The Tiger tank outclassed the Sherman in every category, but we had a whole lot more of them. Developing the V-2 cost Germany more than the atomic bomb cost the US, and had no real impact.

 

[hook_dupin]

Yes, and no.

The Dolittle Raid did insignificant damage to Japan, however it's strategic importance proved to be pivotal. What was intended to be a morale boosting PR stunt actually brought about the Battle of Midway and the turning point of the war.

Fair enough....maybe a better statement would be "Every bombing campaign that affected enemy capacity to wage war did so through mass."

The other half is the pilots. By 1945, Germany's pilot production was severely degraded, whereas the US pilot training machinery was in full throttle.

 

[mrivc211]

Fair enough....maybe a better statement would be "Every bombing campaign that affected enemy capacity to wage war did so through mass."

The other half is the pilots. By 1945, Germany's pilot production was severely degraded, whereas the US pilot training machinery was in full throttle.

Perhaps this is a preview of our pilot production in the next decade which is pretty much zerozero

 

[Whatusername]

Correct me if I'm wrong. But didn't the 262 and Komet have really short operational flight times? If I also recall the Komet was also extremely hazardous to fly as well.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Fair enough....maybe a better statement would be "Every bombing campaign that affected enemy capacity to wage war did so through mass."

The other half is the pilots. By 1945, Germany's pilot production was severely degraded, whereas the US pilot training machinery was in full throttle.

By 1945, they had more pilots and planes than they had fuel.