Luftwaffe X-Planes: German Experimental Aircraft of World War II
Manfred GriehlDespite the Allied authorities ban on research, countless aircraft were designed and tested by the Luftwaffe and German manufacturers before World War II. The research took place at secret evaluation sites in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and the USSR. After the outbreak of the war this work continued. Many projects remained on the drawing board or at prototype stage because either they were deemed unsuitable or, as is the case with most of those in this selection, the developers simply ran out of time and the projects never went into production.
Renowned aviation expert Manfred Griehl has painstakingly assembled a valuable selection of images which shows the remarkable range of projects dreamed up by the German designers. Had these innovative projects ever been realized the course of the World War II could have been dramatically different.