Book Review of
Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe
Heinkel He-162
Author: Dan Sharp
Tempest Books
ISBN: 9781911658245
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: $19.99
ISBN: 9781911658245
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: $19.99
HISTORY:
Heinkel’s single-jet He-162 fighter arrived in Luftwaffe service at the very end of WWII., but its development can be traced back to the beginning of July 1944. A contest had been set in motion to design a powerful and aerodynamically advanced replacement for Messerschmitt’s twin-jet Me 262 and Heinkel believed it could win.
As the competition progressed and Germany’s resources dwindled, it became clear that an advanced jet fighter was not what the Luftwaffe needed. A new concept was formulated: a cheap basic fighter equipped with a single readily-available turbojet.
The advanced fighter contest was temporarily shelved and Volksjager was born. Swept metal wings, V-tail and HeS 011 engine swapped for straight wooden wings, conventional tail and BMW 003 engine Heinkel’s fighter design was rushed through a brief selection process before Adolf Hitler himself placed an order for 1,000 a month.
A massive effort saw the He-162 go from blueprints to flying prototype in less than two months. But was it a triumph of engineering prowess or a costly white elephant which hastened the end of the war?
Using contemporary documents, author Dan Sharp explains and explores the development history of this fascinating and controversial late-war secret project.
THE BOOK:
Tempest Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 165 pages in 7 ¼” x 9 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a He-162 with 2 Argus As 014 pulsejets dog-fighting with a U.S. P-51 Mustang that is trailing smoke.
The back cover has 2 black and white photos on it. One shows a He-162 sitting on a runway. The second photo shows the aircraft ina wind-tunnel. A illustration shows a 3-view line drawing of the aircraft, over the history of the He-162 and a color side view illustration of it.
The book begins with a color portrait of the book’s author and information about him:
Dan Sharp is a writer, researcher and editor. Born and raised in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, he studied history at the University of Liverpool before beginning a career in journalism. Having spent several years as the news editor of a regional daily newspaper, he switched to motorcycle and aviation magazines – developing an unhealthy obsession with primary sources and archival research.
His published works include “Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe vol. 1”, “Jet Fighters 1939-1945”, “Cold War Interceptor”, “The RAF’s T.155 T/O.R.329 Fighter Projects”, “Spitfires Over Berlin”, British Secret Projects”, “Britain’s Space Shuttle”, “The Luftwaffe Secret series”, “Dueling Above the Trenches”, “Sopwith Aircraft of the Great war” and many more.
He lives in Northhampshire with his wife and two children.
The book contains 33 black and white photos. These include a photo of a BMW P3302 jet engine prototype, a portrait of Generalfeldmarshall Erhard Milch, a portrait of Luftwaffe General of Fighters Adolf Galland, a portrait of Siegfried Knemeyer.
There are 10 black and white walk-around type photos of the He-162 anatomy and cockpit interior. A strip of film showing 10 frames of a He-162 breaking up in mid-air during a test flight.
Color photos are of: Hitler, Albert Speer meeting with officers about the development of the He-162 and 5 photos of a He-162 in a wind-tunnel.
Color illustrations include:
A profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-02, July 6, 1944.
A profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-01 with a Jumo 004s engine, July 6, 1944.
A profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-03 in Japanese Air Force markings, July 6, 1944.
A Profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-04.
A Profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-11, August 5, 1944.
A Profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-13, August 18, 144, in Russian Air Force markings.
A profile of a P.103. 01-16, September 11, 1944, in Bulgarian Air Force markings.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162 with BMW 003. R engine, March 12, 1945, in captured British Air Force markings.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162s glider that was based on a drawing, November 8, 1944.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162s two-seat trainer, November 11, 1944.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162 with Arado E-377a Mistel, both on a wheeled trailer, November 30, 944.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162 with two Argus AS 012 pulsejets, March 30, 1945. It is in a red and white checker-board pattern covering its fuselage and red and white horizontal stripes on its rudders. The pulsejet is all white.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162 with Argus -044 engine project, March 30, 1945.
A 3-view of a Heinkel He-162 with forward-swept wings, July 21, 1945.
A 3-view of a Heinkel He-162 with swept backward wings. July 19, 1945.
At the end of the book there is 7 appendix’s, pages of acknowledgement, end notes and an index.
This book will be of great interest to modelers planning on making a model of the He-162 and to aircraft historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the North American distributor of Tempest books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web site at.
Heinkel’s single-jet He-162 fighter arrived in Luftwaffe service at the very end of WWII., but its development can be traced back to the beginning of July 1944. A contest had been set in motion to design a powerful and aerodynamically advanced replacement for Messerschmitt’s twin-jet Me 262 and Heinkel believed it could win.
As the competition progressed and Germany’s resources dwindled, it became clear that an advanced jet fighter was not what the Luftwaffe needed. A new concept was formulated: a cheap basic fighter equipped with a single readily-available turbojet.
The advanced fighter contest was temporarily shelved and Volksjager was born. Swept metal wings, V-tail and HeS 011 engine swapped for straight wooden wings, conventional tail and BMW 003 engine Heinkel’s fighter design was rushed through a brief selection process before Adolf Hitler himself placed an order for 1,000 a month.
A massive effort saw the He-162 go from blueprints to flying prototype in less than two months. But was it a triumph of engineering prowess or a costly white elephant which hastened the end of the war?
Using contemporary documents, author Dan Sharp explains and explores the development history of this fascinating and controversial late-war secret project.
THE BOOK:
Tempest Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 165 pages in 7 ¼” x 9 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a He-162 with 2 Argus As 014 pulsejets dog-fighting with a U.S. P-51 Mustang that is trailing smoke.
The back cover has 2 black and white photos on it. One shows a He-162 sitting on a runway. The second photo shows the aircraft ina wind-tunnel. A illustration shows a 3-view line drawing of the aircraft, over the history of the He-162 and a color side view illustration of it.
The book begins with a color portrait of the book’s author and information about him:
Dan Sharp is a writer, researcher and editor. Born and raised in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, he studied history at the University of Liverpool before beginning a career in journalism. Having spent several years as the news editor of a regional daily newspaper, he switched to motorcycle and aviation magazines – developing an unhealthy obsession with primary sources and archival research.
His published works include “Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe vol. 1”, “Jet Fighters 1939-1945”, “Cold War Interceptor”, “The RAF’s T.155 T/O.R.329 Fighter Projects”, “Spitfires Over Berlin”, British Secret Projects”, “Britain’s Space Shuttle”, “The Luftwaffe Secret series”, “Dueling Above the Trenches”, “Sopwith Aircraft of the Great war” and many more.
He lives in Northhampshire with his wife and two children.
The book contains 33 black and white photos. These include a photo of a BMW P3302 jet engine prototype, a portrait of Generalfeldmarshall Erhard Milch, a portrait of Luftwaffe General of Fighters Adolf Galland, a portrait of Siegfried Knemeyer.
There are 10 black and white walk-around type photos of the He-162 anatomy and cockpit interior. A strip of film showing 10 frames of a He-162 breaking up in mid-air during a test flight.
Color photos are of: Hitler, Albert Speer meeting with officers about the development of the He-162 and 5 photos of a He-162 in a wind-tunnel.
Color illustrations include:
A profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-02, July 6, 1944.
A profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-01 with a Jumo 004s engine, July 6, 1944.
A profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-03 in Japanese Air Force markings, July 6, 1944.
A Profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-04.
A Profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-11, August 5, 1944.
A Profile of a Heinkel P.1073-01-13, August 18, 144, in Russian Air Force markings.
A profile of a P.103. 01-16, September 11, 1944, in Bulgarian Air Force markings.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162 with BMW 003. R engine, March 12, 1945, in captured British Air Force markings.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162s glider that was based on a drawing, November 8, 1944.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162s two-seat trainer, November 11, 1944.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162 with Arado E-377a Mistel, both on a wheeled trailer, November 30, 944.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162 with two Argus AS 012 pulsejets, March 30, 1945. It is in a red and white checker-board pattern covering its fuselage and red and white horizontal stripes on its rudders. The pulsejet is all white.
A profile of a Heinkel He-162 with Argus -044 engine project, March 30, 1945.
A 3-view of a Heinkel He-162 with forward-swept wings, July 21, 1945.
A 3-view of a Heinkel He-162 with swept backward wings. July 19, 1945.
At the end of the book there is 7 appendix’s, pages of acknowledgement, end notes and an index.
This book will be of great interest to modelers planning on making a model of the He-162 and to aircraft historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the North American distributor of Tempest books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web site at.
Highly Recommended.