Heinkel He162

If it can be said that adversity generates creativity, then the story of the Heinkel He 162 jet fighter is testimony to such a precept. From the summer of 1944, the adversity facing the leadership of the Third Reich was formidable. Ironically however, the very existence of such adversity prompted many inventive designs for the air defence of the Reich on a determined and even manic scale. The pinnacle of these accomplishments was the so-called VolksjAger (the 'People's Fighter') project which was, and still is, regarded as a 'miracle of production'.Created in desperation by the Nazi leadership in mid-1944, and powered by a BMW turbojet, the He 162 was known to its pilots as the 'Spatz' (the 'Sparrow'). It represented an unprecedented aeronautical and engineering achievement, with the aircraft going from drawing board to prototype flight in just three months, often at considerable human cost.In this book, aviation historians Robert Forsyth and Eddie J. Creek draw, for the first time, on hundreds of previously unused Heinkel company papers to offer a unique insight into the workings of the Nazi production system in the late-war period, as well as other German and Allied documents. Their work is supported by many rare photographs and accompanied by line drawings and facsimile documents as well as highly detailed colour artwork by He 162 specialist, Simon Schatz.Heinkel He 162 Spatz offers the whole history of the VolksjAger project, and is the first major history of this fascinating aircraft to be published in the English language. A natural accompaniment to the other detailed German aircraft monographs published by Classic Publications, it is certain to find a ready audience and will form an essential reference work to all those interested in the airpower of World War 2.