Speaking of Nazi Germany, perhaps because it conquered most of Europe in a short period of time, some people are always willing to attribute its victory to various strange forces and gods. Starting from UFOs, an unheard-of Nazi black technology will appear on the Internet every now and then, and it will be said that no scientist can explain it now. Of course this cannot be explained. Who can explain something that is invented with one mouth? Besides, why has the whole world ever owed an explanation to the inventors of history? But when it comes to Germany's technological projects that were ahead of its time, there were indeed some. German helicopters were ranked second at that time, but no other country in the world dared to be ranked first. This scene actually happened. Generally speaking, when talking about the early development of helicopters, everyone will think that the United States tried to equip Sikorsky R-4 helicopters in 1943, and carried out actual rescue missions in the Pacific and China-Burma-India theaters. But the Germans not only used helicopters earlier than the Americans, but also more extensively than the Americans. It can be said that from the invasion of Poland to the surrender of Germany, German helicopters were flying around every day. Had it not been for the worsening war situation and production capacity constraints of the Germans, they could have achieved more dazzling achievements and status. Of course, with Germany's defeat, their dominance in helicopter design and use was quickly overtaken by the United States, and these wartime monsters fell into obscurity. Now, even if military enthusiasts mention German helicopters during World War II, they may regard them as experimental models, but in fact they are already mature and practical models. Today we will analyze the development history of German helicopters through the introduction of some main models. I don’t want to go back to ancient designs and experimental models starting with Leonardo da Vinci, but the appearance of the German helicopter also happened to be around the time the Nazis came to power, so let’s start from that time. The predecessor of the helicopter was the gyroplane, which was the new toy of the special forces a few years ago, and was called a three-bouncer on the Internet. The difference between this product and a real helicopter is that the main rotor has no power and is actually a windmill. The gyroplane relies on a horizontally mounted propeller to generate thrust or pull to move the fuselage forward, and the main rotor is impacted and rotated by horizontal airflow to generate downward lift. This kind of aircraft can provide the ability to take off and land in short distances, but if you want to complete the vertical takeoff and landing, hovering, reverse, and side flight of a real helicopter, don't even think about it, because like a fixed-wing aircraft, it must keep moving forward to generate lift. The design of gyroplanes has been relatively mature since World War I. In 1928, the C8L gyroplane designed by Spanish Cierva participated in the Berlin air show. At that time, a German named Ernst Udet The pilots flew the bizarre aircraft, and among the crowd of spectators was a German designer named Heinrich Fokker. The Silva C8L opened the door to a new world for German designers. To this day, the rotorcraft concept has not completely lost its vitality. Both men played an important role in the subsequent development of German helicopters. Udet was an air force general, equipment The minister was the main supporter of helicopters among the generally short-sighted top brass of the Luftwaffe; and Heinrich Fokker was the founder of the famous Focke-Wulf company and can be called the father of the German helicopter. Fokker's helicopter business started as an agent for Silva rotorcraft. After carefully observing the structure of the gyroplane and communicating with Silva himself many times, Fokker realized the limitations of the gyroplane and determined the development direction of the engine driving the main rotor to generate lift to build a helicopter that could truly take off and land vertically. However, Fokker himself encountered a palace coup at this time. Because he was obsessed with helicopter research, the Focke-Wulf Company could not reap the dividends from the German Aviation Ministry's military expansion and war preparations. In 1933, the shareholders, led by chief designer Kurt Tank, rebelled and expelled Fokker from the company. Falk had no choice but to reorganize a new studio on his own. Most of the designers Falk-Wulf pursued supported Tan Ke, and only a limited number of people were willing to follow him. The facilities at Folkwulf were also closed to him, not even the wind tunnel. However, despite this adversity, Fokker built a small free-flying model in 1934 and successfully made it fly to a height of 18 meters. The success of the model proved the feasibility of Fokker's idea. In 1935, the German Aviation Ministry gave him an order to build two prototypes, numbered Fw 61. The Fw 61 uses the Fw 44 trainer fuselage designed by Kurt Tank, moves the horizontal tail position to the top of the vertical tail, and has an engine power of 160 horsepower.
The aircraft is equipped with three propellers. Two counter-rotating main rotors are installed on both sides of the fuselage through molybdenum alloy steel tube brackets to offset torque. There is also a small propeller on the nose to generate cooling airflow and a little pulling force. If you look at the appearance of this aircraft, it has almost no resemblance to a modern helicopter, and is more similar to a rotorcraft. In fact, its 7-meter-diameter main rotor is a product authorized by Silva Company. Modern replica of the Fw 61 compared with the Fw 44 trainer. The Fw 61 completed its first flight on June 26, 1936. On May 10, 1937, it completed its first autorotation landing with the engines shut down. So far, the Germans have been at the forefront of helicopter development in the world. The Fw 61 is undoubtedly Germany's first real practical helicopter, if not the world's first. It is generally said that the first practical helicopter invented by Sikorsky in the United States did not complete its first tethered flight test until 1939. Since then, the test flight of Fw 61 has been a series of record-breaking processes. The final indicators are a speed of 112 kilometers per hour, a ceiling altitude of 3,427 meters, and a range of 230 kilometers. At this time, Fok was finally proud and could take revenge on Tan Ke. He officially parted ways with the Focke-Wulf Company and established a separate company, Focke-Achgelis, specializing in helicopter design, so the Fw 61's number was also written as Fa 61. However, although Tan Ke was involved in a palace coup, he was not incompetent and would continue to cause trouble for many years to come. In fact, during the Third Reich, Tan Ke was much more successful than Fokker. Parallel rotor layout of Fw 61 Fw 61 flying off the ground I need to say a few more words here. The so-called Focke Achgelis, like Focke-Wulf, is composed of the surnames of Heinrich Fokke and Gerd Achgelis. This Gerd Archiglis was originally the chief test pilot of Focke-Wulf, and later followed Fokker to establish a new position. This man died in 1991. Therefore, Fokker Archiglis is not a single name, nor is it a "little-known young designer". If you want to see any book written like this, no matter how famous the studio or author is, it is Nonsense. On the other hand, after Fokker-Wulf expelled Fokker, they continued to imitate and improve the Sylva rotorcraft. However, because there was no helicopter authority like Fokker, they had to wait until 1938 to improve the Fw 186 rotorcraft. The test flight was successful and it was mothballed because it was difficult to control. After that, the Focke-Wulf withdrew from the helicopter field. German officials had always hoped to give the world's first helicopter a sensational debut on February 19, 1938. In the name of the exhibition, the famous female pilot Hannah Leitch flew the Fw 61 to perform a flight demonstration in the Deutsche Hall in Berlin. Both Udet and Fokker were on hand to watch. With the accompaniment of music, Hannah Leitch performed forward. , retreat, hover, turn to both sides, vertical take-off and landing and other unprecedented actions, this is the most glorious moment in Fw 61's life Hannah Leitch's indoor stunt performance However, Western News. The media did not intend to give the Germans dignity. Hanna's carefully prepared and difficult flight performance was passed over in the report, and the German achievements were buried. As a result, the German high-level officials lost interest in the two Fw 61 prototypes. The aircraft was later used for helicopter pilot training and was destroyed in World War II. Almost at the same time as the Fokker, another German designer Anton Flettner was also engaged in helicopter research. He flew his own experimental helicopter, and in 1935 he also received a prototype order from the German Aviation Ministry, numbered Fl 184. Flettner's design was based on the Silva C30 rotorcraft, which also had a pull-in type on the nose. The propeller only outputs power from the engine to the main rotor. This helicopter does not have the anti-torque propeller on the tail of modern helicopters. Instead, it relies on a large vertical tail and rudder to offset the torque of the main rotor. Since then, the company's helicopters have changed in appearance. All have this characteristic. The Fl 184 was Flettner's first official design. The prototype of the Fl 184 crashed inexplicably during a test flight in 1936, and Flettner went on to design the Fl 185, which has a weird flat nose. In appearance, it uses a three-blade main propeller, but two small counter-rotating propellers extend out from the outside of the fuselage. In addition to offsetting torque, this set of small propellers is also responsible for providing thrust during level flight, which means that the aircraft is still flying. There is no complete break away from the way gyroplanes work.
Fl 185's weird multi-propeller design Fl 185 in flight The Fl 185 encountered trouble during the test flight. It would cause strong vibrations after the speed exceeded 65 kilometers per hour. Just as they were racking their brains to solve this problem, Fokker's Fw 61 successfully flew and crushed the Fl 185 in every indicator. Frettner's team was shocked and built the newly designed Fl 265 in 1938. The speed with which they introduced the new design shocked the German Aviation Ministry, and they actually issued an order for six prototypes. The Fl 265 still uses a flat-head design. A 150-horsepower engine and its cooling device are installed on the nose. It uses two main rotors installed side by side at a certain angle (double-rotor crossover helicopter, with two rotor shafts tilted outward and installed in opposite directions to rotate. To offset the torque, the rotating surfaces of the two rotors coincide, but the angle between the blades prevents them from colliding), and the vertical fin and rudder are still used to offset part of the torque. Starting with this model, Flettner's designs were also true helicopters. Fl 265 in flight. The second and third people from the left on the ground are Flettner and Udet respectively. Fl 265 in the wind tunnel test. Pay attention to its two crossed rotors. Modern crossed rotor helicopter, Kaman K-MAX 1939 In July 2007, Fl 265 performed a flight demonstration for Hitler, Goering, Milch and other senior Nazi officials at the Rechlin test site. It is said that Goering directly commented: Look at how short that thing flies, this thing is useless, we don’t need it. To demonstrate performance, the Fl 265 was once only 20 meters away from the stands. After the performance, Hitler summoned test pilot Pelia and asked, what would happen to you if the engine stalled? Can it still fly? The unprepared test pilot replied that it would be like a piano falling from the fourth floor. Although the Führer only smiled slightly at this answer, Pelia was later warned by SS personnel for threatening the Führer's safety, and therefore lost his job as a test pilot. Due to the excellent performance of the Fw 61, the performance of the Fl 265 has been subject to many criticisms, and the road to mass production is far away. The test flights of six prototypes continued until 1942. It is said that they cooperated with the engineering troops to lay communication lines and transport supplies and components under field conditions. In actual use, the machine has lifted a weight of 175 kilograms. In addition to testing and improving the performance of the long-term test flight of the Fl 265, I am afraid that the key lies in the fact that the Germans are confused about how to use this new aircraft. After all, the idea of ????helicopters is completely different from the path pursued by fixed-wing aircraft at that time to be higher, faster and with greater load. As a new product, helicopters are completely unable to compete with fixed-wing aircraft in terms of hard indicators. The advantage of helicopters in taking off and landing sites was not as obvious as it is today when compared to light fixed-wing aircraft. On the contrary, its slow speed made people doubt its survivability in complex weather and battlefield conditions. Therefore, even wise people at the time, instead of directly asserting its uselessness like Goering, had to observe and explore in practice. During the test flight of Fl 265, the enthusiasm of the German Navy was significantly higher than that of other services. Because the German Air Force has not relaxed its right to use fixed-wing aircraft, the German Navy can only find breakthroughs in emerging marginal aircraft such as helicopters. As early as 1937, after Fokker's helicopter flight was successful, the German Navy began to demonstrate the possibility of using helicopters on warships, and later even modified the light cruiser Cologne as a take-off and landing platform. However, Fokker's parallel twin-rotor design occupies a large area and is not suitable for use on ships. The smaller Fl 265 became the first choice of the German Navy. Fl 265 prepares to land on the test take-off and landing platform above the warship turret? Model seal of Fl 265 landing on the ship. In mid-1941, Fl 265 successfully delivered materials and personnel supplies to the warship. At this point, the German Navy verified the original idea. The navy appeared more and more frequently in the development of German helicopters. In the end, all German mass-produced helicopters in World War II were produced for the navy. Falk was not idle during this period. After the Fw 61 prototype flew for the first time, he immediately began to design an enlarged model of the civilian helicopter Fa 226 Hornisse. This model can seat 6 people and is very superior in terms of performance. Lufthansa was the first to place an order, and the Soviet aviation delegation that visited in 1940 was also very interested and signed an agreement to purchase two aircraft. However, with the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, civilian models lost their living space. The Fa 226 was eventually stillborn, and not even a prototype was built.
The technology of civilian helicopters can also be used for military purposes. Although the Fa 226 unfortunately died young, its military version, the Fa223 Dragon (Drache), was completed with the support of the military. It was the king of helicopters during World War II. The king of World War II helicopters, the Fa 223 Dragon. In September 1936, the German Aviation Ministry issued an order for three transport helicopters to Fokker, requiring that the new design should be able to transport a load of 700 kilograms. In September 1939, the first prototype of the Fa 223 was manufactured and completed its first flight in 1940. The aircraft also adopts a parallel twin-rotor layout, and its engine is a 1,000-horsepower BMW engine installed in the middle of the fuselage. The nose adopts a fully transparent greenhouse design similar to that of a German bomber, providing the driver with a better view. The aircraft's first few test flights were plagued by vibrations caused by an unbalanced propeller drive shaft and engine reliability, but once those issues were resolved it began to thrive. The nose and weapon installation methods of the Fa 223 are similar to those of the bombers of the time. The Fa 223 was simply born specifically to set records. Its actual transportation weight reaches 1 ton. At this time, it can also rise to an altitude of 2,440 meters and fly at a speed of 121 kilometers per hour. Its flight altitude record of 7,090 meters was held for 14 years before it was broken, and its speed record of 180 kilometers per hour was also held for 8 years. Due to its abundant power, this aircraft is easier to fly than the Fw 61. Even the most conservative person can see that this aircraft has practical value. The German Navy is also very optimistic about the Fa 223. Although the aircraft is large and not suitable for shipboard use, its load and speed can completely replace the existing torpedo boats. Modifications of the Fa 223 to be built include: the anti-submarine Fa 223A carrying depth bombs, the reconnaissance Fa 223B with auxiliary fuel tanks, the search and rescue Fa 223C with an external winch, the Fa 223D to provide supplies for mountain troops, and the Fa 223D with two Training type Fa 223E with control system. In addition, there is a more ambitious design that combines two Fa 223s to form a conjoined four-propeller heavy helicopter Fa 223Z. This plan turned out to be more than just a fantasy on paper. At the end of the war, the Allies found a partially completed central link in Ochsenhausen. However, this helicopter with extremely superior performance has not yet been successfully mass-produced, but the German military services cannot be blamed for this matter - in fact, they all very much hope to mass-produce this model, even if it uses its basic transportation function, it can solve the problem of front-line ground troops It's a big problem, so all this can only be said to be this way. Fa 223 in flight First, the Fokker Archiglis factory was visited by a group of British bombers in June 1942. The production line was completely destroyed, and most of the helicopters produced were burned. They rebuilt the factory in Laupheim, but it was again destroyed by an air raid in July 1944. Even so, the German army did not completely give up its plan to mass-produce the aircraft. The third production line was to be built near Berlin-Tempelhof Airport. However, Germany was defeated and surrendered six months later, and this production line was never completed. Less than 20 finished Fa 223s were produced during the war, all bearing the V-shaped serial numbers of the prototypes. Even so, these prototypes still attracted attention at the time, including providing supplies to mountain troops, lifting artillery and ammunition, lifting aircraft bodies and wreckage, mountain rescue, etc. The raid on the Gran Sasso Mountains to rescue Mussolini was also planned to use the Fa 223, but it was abandoned due to a temporary engine failure of the mobilized aircraft. The Fa 223 is supplying the mountain troops and lifting artillery for the mountain troops. It is hard to imagine that this is the scene of World War II. On February 26, 1945, a factory-fresh Fa 223 flew from Tempelhof under the control of three pilots. The airport flew to Danzig, Poland, to perform a secret mission (this mission was directly ordered by Hitler, and the content is still unknown). Due to lack of fuel, bad weather, and the need to avoid Soviet-controlled areas, the aircraft had to make multiple detours. When it was about to approach the target, it was discovered that Danzig had been occupied by the Soviet army, and the aircraft returned immediately. ***The flight lasted 16 hours and 25 minutes, covering a distance of 1,675 kilometers, setting a world record at the time (completed in multiple stages and multiple days). At the end of the war, two Fa 223s were captured by the US military. Due to limited shipping space, one of them chose to fly autonomously to an air force base in the UK for temporary storage. On September 6, 1945, the aircraft became the first helicopter to fly across the English Channel. After the war, France developed a developmental version of the Fa 223 with the help of the German original factory, but only three were produced.
Czechoslovakia also assembled two aircraft using parts collected from warehouses and wreckage. The Fa 223's parallel twin rotor design failed to become mainstream after the war, but we can still see this layout on some later helicopters. The Mi-10 helicopter with a maximum takeoff weight of more than 100 tons. In addition, Fokker also modified the DFS 230 assault glider, removing the wings and installing unpowered propellers on the fuselage. This model is called the Fa 225 assault rotorcraft. The aircraft can fly at a speed of 190 kilometers per hour under the tow of a Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft, and the landing distance is only 18 meters. Due to the slow towing speed and Germany's loss of airborne combat capabilities, mass production was not possible, and the aircraft that were produced were also destroyed by air raids. The Fa 225 modified by the DFS assault glider. The Fa 225 in the transport aircraft towing test. In 1943, Fokker further launched the Fa 284, an enlarged version of the Fa 223. The length of the aircraft was increased by one-half and was powered by two BMW engines with 1,600 horsepower each. Indicators have improved across the board. Due to the high technical risks of developing a new aircraft, this design was eventually replaced by the Fa 223Z plan for a conjoined heavy-duty helicopter. Now we turn our attention back to Flettner. Due to its smaller size, Flettner's helicopter was more suitable for use in narrower venues, so the German Navy put forward requirements for further improvement of the design. In 1939, the Ministry of Aviation placed an order for 20 improved helicopters from Flettner. This model made its first successful flight on October 30, 1941. This was the most famous German helicopter in World War II, the Fl 282 Hummingbird (Kolibri). The Fl 282 has a modern appearance. The Fl 282 fuselage adopts a steel tube frame and is equipped with a 170-horsepower engine to drive two tilt-mounted double-blade rotors. The cockpit is fully transparent and uses a novel tricycle landing gear. This helicopter is very close to the mainstream post-war helicopters in appearance and visual effects, but like other Flettner designs, this aircraft does not have the anti-torque tail rotor of modern helicopters. Instead, it uses counter-rotating crossed twin rotors and a larger vertical rotor. The tail and rudder balance the fuselage. The original Fl 282A-1 was a single-seat design. The first two prototypes had a closed cockpit, and all subsequent aircraft produced had an open cockpit. The aircraft is positioned as a reconnaissance helicopter of the Navy. It can be used on shipboard or land base, and undertakes a series of tasks such as reconnaissance, anti-submarine, and supply. Starting in 1940, the light cruiser Cologne modified the Fl 282's take-off and landing platform and began to carry the aircraft for maritime duties. After the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, the helicopter-equipped Cologne participated in shelling and patrol missions across the Baltic Sea until the end of the project in 1942. This may be the earliest ship-based helicopter put into actual combat. The Fl 282 has undergone extensive combat testing in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, including reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, communications, search and rescue, and ship and submarine replenishment. The Fl 282 U-boat unit practicing taking off and landing on the ship also requires helicopters for reconnaissance needs. Therefore, the Fl 282A-2 or Fl 282U is a model specially designed for submarines. Its characteristic is that the rotor and fuselage can be quickly disassembled and folded, and stored in a special waterproof container on the submarine. This model was eventually replaced by the simpler design of the Fokker Archiglis and existed only on paper. As the war progressed, the Luftwaffe also began to get involved in the design of the Fl 282. Based on its own experience, the Air Force believes that single-seat helicopters have great limitations in use and need to add an observer to cooperate. The resulting model is the two-seat Fl 282B-2. Later use found that this two-seat aircraft was very effective in performing artillery calibration missions. The early fully enclosed cockpit Fl 282 adopted a variety of different cockpit shape designs. Although both the Navy and the Air Force placed large orders for Flettner, and Flettner has repeatedly made production plans of hundreds of aircraft, this may be due to actual Due to production capacity limitations, the number of Fl 282s finally delivered was very small (the numbers from different sources are not consistent, but the total number does not exceed 20). In the second half of 1944, Flettner began trying to add weapons to the Fl 282 and conduct ground attack tests. At the end of the war, most of the remaining Fl 282s were centralized and integrated into the 40th Transport Air Force (Transportstaffel 40, TS/40), the only helicopter unit of the Luftwaffe. The department also mixed 3 Fa 223 Dragons.
Based in Rangsdorf, the unit was engaged in artillery observation missions and was eventually destroyed by Soviet fighter jets and anti-aircraft guns. It is said that a small number of Fl 282s tried to fly into the encirclement during the Battle of Berlin. After Germany's defeat, one remaining aircraft of this type was captured by the Soviet Union, and the other two fell into the hands of the US military. In 1944, Anton Flettner posed for a photo in front of the Fl 282. The final order for the German Navy's submarine observation aircraft was the Fa 330 Bachstelze of Fokker Archiglis. At that time, German submarines had been driven out of the coastal waters of Britain and the United States, and their main area of ??activity shifted to the mid-Atlantic. Since the hull of a submarine is much lower than that of a surface ship, there is a greater need for an aircraft to increase the field of vision in order to detect farther targets. However, the capacity of the submarine itself is very limited, and it cannot carry too much aviation supplies. Therefore, Flettner's helicopter and Arado's small folding seaplane Ar 231 were eliminated due to their large space and complex structure. Fokker's Fa 330 is an extremely simplified single-person design, with the driver sitting directly on the steel tube frame. The original design had a 60-horsepower engine driving a single rotor but no tail rotor. The designer quickly discovered that this design had problems with maneuverability, so the engine was removed from the final design and instead the submarine was towed and flown by a rope. Later, the unwilling designer came up with a design with an engine. This helicopter used a single rotor and an anti-torque propeller structure at the tail. It was named Fa 336, but it never left the drawing board. The Fa 330 uses a three-blade propeller. Since it has no power, the aircraft is actually a tractor-type rotorcraft. Strictly speaking, it can no longer be called a helicopter. Two people can assemble the Fa 330 on the submarine deck. The submarine pulls it forward through a 150-meter-long rope. The propeller rotates under the impact of the oncoming airflow and takes the driver 120 meters into the air. At this time, the observation distance is 25 nautical miles, which is five times the observation distance on the submarine control tower. When not in use, the Fa 330 can be disassembled and stored in two watertight compartments at the rear of the submarine control tower. The entire recovery process takes 20 minutes, which is relatively time-consuming. Fa 330 uses the submarine control tower as an operating platform. After the successful test flight of Fa 330, it was unanimously recognized by the German Navy and Air Force. The Navy was satisfied with its applicability, and the Air Force was also happy to use a kite to eliminate the Navy's coveting of fixed-wing aircraft. Therefore, in 1942, the Fokker Archie Gris received an order for 100 aircraft. Since then, the number of orders has increased to about 500 aircraft, and the German Air Force has also generously undertaken the work of pilot training. However, the U-boat war failed faster than the Germans expected, and Allied anti-submarine ships and anti-submarine aircraft began to suppress German submarines. The biggest problem for the U-boat now is not to find the target, but not to be discovered by the opponent. Even if it is discovered, it must be able to dive quickly to avoid it. Obviously, it is impossible to dive quickly with a kite behind the ship. Although the submarine can cut off the tow cable in an emergency, and the Fa 330's rotor rotation can ensure that the pilot falls to the water safely, the man is basically destined to never be recovered. Due to the above contradictions, the Fa 330 quickly withdrew from the Atlantic battlefield. The Monsoon boat group operating in the southern Indian Ocean where conditions are relatively relaxed has undoubtedly used the Fa 330 in actual combat. At least one ship was sunk by a submarine guided by the Fa 330 after being discovered. Submarines that have been confirmed to have carried Fa 330 include U-177, U-181 and U-852. U-boat towing Fa 330 at sea. The final production of Fa 330 reached about 200, which was the most produced helicopter in Germany during World War II (if shamelessly counted as a helicopter). Because the U-boats were completely defeated in the later stages of the war, a large number of Fa 330s were preserved. Currently, there are physical objects of the aircraft in local museums in Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. A Fa 330 preserved in the UK. The above is the main helicopter developed and used by Germany in World War II. In addition, there are some relatively unimportant designs that cannot be listed one by one due to space limitations. But there are two models worth talking about. The first is the NR55/54 series built by Austrian Bruno Nagler in 1940-44; the other is the Helio fly series by Austrian Paul Baumgart.
Both helicopters are single-person aircraft. The NR 54 weighs about 40 kilograms and the driver uses a sitting position. The Helio fly includes three models, two backpack types and one sitting type. These two types of single-person helicopters had a certain impact on American single-person aircraft research after the war. NR 54 Helio fly type 1 during testing in 1941. In addition, Fokker Archiglis also had an unfinished project, the Fa 269 vertical take-off and landing fighter, which may be one of the earliest vertical take-off and landing fighters designed in the world. The aircraft adopts a mid-wing structure, with a BMW engine installed in the middle of the fuselage, which drives a three-blade propeller on the trailing edge of the wing through an extended shaft. When taking off and landing, the propeller rotates downward to provide lift, and after reaching a certain height, it turns horizontally to provide thrust for normal flight. The aircraft is equipped with two 30mm aerial cannons and is expected to have a maximum level flight speed of 570 kilometers per hour. Fa 269 take-off and landing status Fa 269 level flight status side view shows the different status of the propeller. By 1944, the aircraft had completed wind tunnel testing and a full-scale model had been built. The main subsystems were also tested, but everything ended in an air raid. . It is worth noting that the Fa 269 is not a so-called doomsday design. The design of the aircraft began in 1941, when the Third Reich was at its peak. Reminiscent of the fact that Heinrich Fokker was expelled from his company for neglecting the military authorities, and later came up with this design, I can only say that maybe people eventually become something they hate as they grow up. ?German helicopter development came to an abrupt end at the end of World War II, and their leadership in design and application was quickly surpassed and quickly forgotten by history. Now, except for a few history buffs, it may be difficult for most people to imagine that there were so many helicopters flying around in the skies during World War II.