While World War II raged, pioneering aircraft and engine designers were busy developing the world's first practical jet-powered research aircraft to test and prove the new technology. This book examines the aircraft that paved the way for Germany's Me 262 and Britain's Meteor - the world's first jet fighters. Throughout the war, Germany, Italy and Britain engaged in top-secret jet programmes as they raced to develop the airpower of the future. Various experimental aircraft were trialled in order to achieve the goal of producing an effective engine and fighter that could harness the potential of the jet power. These included the German Heinkel He 178 research aircraft and Heinkel He 280 jet fighter prototype, the famed British E.28/39 research aircraft built by Gloster Aircraft as well as the stillborn E.5/42 fighter and E.1/44 Ace fighter prototype, and finally the remarkable Italian Caproni-Campini N.1/CC 2 research aircraft. Illustrated throughout with full-colour artwork and rare photographs, this fascinating study examines the fore-runners to the military jet age.

This new book by Tony Buttler, a first of its kind, describes the British fighter, bomber, and research aircraft produced in the run up to and during World War II. Detailed coverage of aircraft that were built and flown as prototypes only, combine with others such as the Westland Welkin which entered production but never reached a squadron. Un-built design projects are explained and all types are covered separately, along with a large selection of photographs, some of which have rarely been seen before. This book covers basic short-term insurance fighters such as the Miles M.20, the Martin-Baker M.B.5, and Supermarine Spitfire, which represented the ultimate in piston fighter development, the Fairey Spearfish torpedo bomber and the four engine Vickers Windsor, oddities like the Blackburn B.20 flying boat, and Britain's first jet aircraft, the Gloster E.28/39. A comprehensive appendix, with the use of photographs and brief details, examines one-off examples of standard production types that were fitted with non-standard features. Gathered from archival sources, renowned author Tony Buttler presents a wealth of information on these historic aircraft.

Our stories of industrial innovation tend to focus on individual initiative and breakthroughs. With Making Jet Enginesin World War II, Hermione Giffard uses the case of the development of jet engines to offer a different way of understanding technological innovation, revealing the complicated mix of factors that go into any decision to pursue an innovative, and therefore risky technology. Giffard compares the approaches of Britain, Germany, and the United States. Each approached jet engines in different ways because of its own war aims and industrial expertise. Germany, which produced more jet engines than the others, did so largely as replacements for more expensive piston engines. Britain, on the other hand, produced relatively few engines—but, by shifting emphasis to design rather than production, found itself at war's end holding an unrivaled range of designs. The US emphasis on development, meanwhile, built an institutional basis for postwar production. Taken together, Giffard's work makes a powerful case for a more nuanced understanding of technological innovation, one that takes into account the influence of the many organizational factors that play a part in the journey from idea to finished product.

In the 1930s, as nations braced for war, the German military build up caught Britain and the United States off-guard, particularly in aviation technology. The unending quest for speed resulted in the need for radical alternatives to piston engines. In Germany, Dr. Hans von Ohain was the first to complete a flight-worthy turbojet engine for aircraft. It was installed in a Heinkel-designed aircraft, and the Germans began the jet age on August 27, 1939. The Germans led the jet race throughout the war and were the first to produce jet aircraft for combat operations. In England, the doggedly determined Frank Whittle also developed a turbojet engine, but without the support enjoyed by his German counterpart. The British came second in the jet race when Whittle's engine powered the Gloster Pioneer on May 15, 1941. The Whittle-Gloster relationship continued and produced the only Allied combat jet aircraft during the war, the Meteor, which was relegated to Home Defense in Britain. In America, General Electric copied the Whittle designs, and Bell Aircraft contracted to build the first American jet plane. On October 1, 1942, a lackluster performance from the Bell Airacomet, ushered in the American jet age. The Yanks forged ahead, and had numerous engine and airframe programs in development by the end of the war. But, the Germans did it right and did it first, while the Allies lagged throughout the war, only rising to technological prominence on the ashes of the German defeat. Pavelec's analysis of the jet race uncovers all the excitement in the high-stakes race to develop effective jet engines for warfare and transport.

Forty-six accurate, authentic renderings of fighters, bombers, transports, etc. Includes "Enola Gay," Japanese Zero, British Spitfire, German Komet jet fighter, many others. Captions include detailed coloring information, military role and affiliation of plane, manufacturer, other data. All illustrations copyright-free. 13 planes in color on covers. Publisher's Note.

This title gives a new perspective on the development of US bomber aircraft during World War 2. It reveals how the intense combat pressures of the war accelerated the scientific and technological advances of aeronautics, propulsion, aircraft systems, avionics and ordnance. Extensively researched, this detailed study of both the US Army and Naval air forces is packed with three-view drawings and rare photographs including many little-known experimental aircraft plus unusual variants, with every aircraft illustrated. The book follows a logical path to show how projects were selected from the multitude of design concepts and proposals put forward at the time. This enables the author to give detailed coverage of the programmes that advanced beyond the preliminary stages and contributed to the rapid developments in all aspects of bomber design during the war. The author discusses the technological maturation of US bombers with emphasis on high technology and experimental models. The war years were particularly noted for the rapid advance of electronic navigation, communications, radar, and electronic warfare that greatly aided mission success. The bold moves to long-range heavy bombers and super-heavy intercontinental bombers (the latter solely an American undertaking) further spurred system-intensive aircraft that were important transitions to the jet bombers that followed. How all this work contributed to actual fielded weapon systems is of particular note, with discussions of failures, course changes, and close-run competitions. The effects of interaction with other Allies, knowledge of enemy systems and the reaction by the US and Allied forces to their introduction, and the effect of mobilizing the nation's industries for total war are also examined. The book concludes with an examination of the ultimate achievement of Allied air superiority in the war and its dependence on all of these factors, together with consideration of the effects of emergency measures, haste, budgets, resources, evolving doctrine and strategy, the general course of the war and leadership biases.

Illustrated with detailed artworks of Japanese aircraft and their markings, Japanese Aircraft of World War II is a detailed guide to all the aircraft deployed by the Japanese military from the Second Sino-Japanese War to the surrender in the Pacific in August 1945. Organized alphabetically by manufacturer, this book includes every type of aircraft, from fighters to seaplanes, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, torpedo bombers and carrier aircraft. All the best-known types are featured, such as the Mitsubishi G4M 'Betty', Nakajima B6N2 Tenzan, Aichi B7A2 Ryusei torpedo bomber and the world- famous Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero' fighter. The entries are accompanied by exhaustive captions and specifications. The guide is illustrated with profile artworks, three-views, and special cutaway artworks of the more famous aircraft in service, such as the Aichi D3A1 'Val', Mitsubishi A6M2 Reisen, and Nakajima Ki.27 'Nate'. Illustrated with more than 120 artworks, Japanese Aircraft of World War II is an essential reference guide for modellers and enthusiasts with an interest in military aircraft of World War II.

This illustrated WWII history reveals the full range of experimental military aircraft that the Third Reich nearly flew into combat. From jet planes and high-altitude aircraft to radar-equipped fighters configured to deliver chemical weapons, numerous secret Luftwaffe planes reached prototype stage during the Second World War. Had these innovative aircraft made it into combat, the course of the war could have gone very differently. Renowned aviation expert Manfred Griehl explores these projects through an informative and fascinating selection of images, including numerous wartime photographs. Despite the Allied authorities' ban on research, countless aircraft were designed and tested by the Luftwaffe and German manufacturers before World War II. The research went ahead at secret evaluation sites in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the USSR. Though this work continued after the outbreak of war, many projects were never completed, often because the developers simply ran out of time. This definitive guide reveals the remarkable range of planes that the Third Reich failed to complete.

Photos of every U.S. Air Force prototype jet fighter program from the height of the Cold War to today's fighteres capable of supersonic cruise.