Dornier Do 335 "The Beast"

[Scout]

No probs scout, the more details the better.
The henschel Hs219 tank buster is another of my faves.
Any of these left?

Dan

Not that I know of.

Interesting plane. As is the Stuka 'Panzer Knacker' ....and the much later 'Warthog' for that matter.
I really like the ugly and slow Warthog for some reason.
Gotta love the sound of it firing (just have to try not thinking of it firing depleted uranium....)!

[Scout]

Wow, i knew the do 335 was a fairly big aircraft for a fighter but i didn't realise it was that big!...

Yep, pretty big.
Especially considering, that the Arado is a bomber (flew mostly as recce plane), the comparison/difference in size to the heavy fighter plane of the Dornier is staggering.

I wont say, that the Dornier dwarfes the Arado, but parked right next to each other, its remarkable to compare the size of the heavy fighter to the relatively lithe elegant Arado. For a bomber the latter is small(ish) IMO.

[Scout]

A few more details of the Dornier 'push-pull' fighter:

[Thanatos]

Indeed. One of my top favourite planes as well. Incredibly beautiful and so alien for its time.
When I saw it on my first visit there, I simply could not get over how sleek, elegant and advanced for it time the plane was.
That glass cockpit (imagine the view from there!!), the periscope and it being a jet to boot!
That would put the fear of God into Allied pilots seeing that thing whizz by without a chance to intercept.

A periscope! It has an effing periscope, LOL!















Thanks a bunch.
Yes, it is - the idea of launching it from a sub as en 'eye in the sky' was not a bad idea at all IMO.
As this thread shows, the Germans sure were not timid in regards to thinking outside the box.

The Udvar is a fantastic place to go to experience aviation technology. The museum will blow you away, if you are an aviation nutter.

Highlights (to me) are also the fuselage of the sole surviving Heinkel 219 'UHU' and the sad remains of a rare Horten III sail plane.

The latter admittedly not looking like much, but the significance of any design from the hands of the Horten brothers simply can not be overestimated IMO (last pic shows the Horten brothers, Reimar and Walter).





Speaking of Horten designs; the The Smithsonian has a Horten H IX V3 (RLM designation Ho 229) on the short list for resto/display.

Now, THAT will be a thing to behold!!!

When that goes on the floor for display, 'Ill be back!!' (the latter with a slight Austrian accent).

Check out the fabulous pics/slide of it here:
Horten H IX V3 | National Air and Space Museum

Linky-poo
hortenwings

Oooops, post a little bit longer than planned, sorry if I went overboard/out on a tangent, but I find the planes in question fascinating and it a subject close to my heart

What a fantastic collection of airframes mate. Super
The Horten components are super cool. The Germans were at the pinnacle of out of the box designs for the late war era I feel. If the war went 18 months longer the sky's over Europe would have been a dangerous place for Allied Airmen for sure. How much of Soviet and US aircraft development in the late 40's early 50's was based on German technology, quite a bit.
The He 219 was the twin tail boom in the back ground behind the 335 I couldn't make out.

Cheers again Scout

[Gunny Hartmann]

Yep, pretty big.
Especially considering, that the Arado is a bomber (flew mostly as recce plane), the comparison/difference in size to the heavy fighter plane of the Dornier is staggering.

I wont say, that the Dornier dwarfes the Arado, but parked right next to each other, its remarkable to compare the size of the heavy fighter to the relatively lithe elegant Arado. For a bomber the latter is small(ish) IMO.

The Dornier is only 6 feet shorter in length than the Boeing model 247 airliner of the same era, that has a crew of 3 and carried 10 passengers!!! that's a bloody big fighter!...

[Scout]

What a fantastic collection of airframes mate. Super
The Horten components are super cool. The Germans were at the pinnacle of out of the box designs for the late war era I feel. If the war went 18 months longer the sky's over Europe would have been a dangerous place for Allied Airmen for sure. How much of Soviet and US aircraft development in the late 40's early 50's was based on German technology, quite a bit.
The He 219 was the twin tail boom in the back ground behind the 335 I couldn't make out.

Cheers again Scout

Thanks.
I agree, the war went on for longer and had the Germans had the raw materials, the air space over Europe would have been .....lets say interesting for Allied pilots.
Yeah, later all-wing/tailless airplanes owes a great debt to the Horten 'nurflügel' designs.
The HE 219 has an interesting story, as it came from Denmark.
Other planes at a big airfield there were destroyed by the Allies after the War.
Ive read horror accounts of how planes like the fantastic long nosed high altitude interceptor Kurt Tank Focke Wulfs first had only their props taken off - then later in order to prevent others from using them, personnel simply bulldozed the planes together in a heap at the airfield HOWL!

[SHINDENKAI]

No probs scout, the more details the better.
The henschel Hs219 tank buster is another of my faves.
Any of these left?

Dan

What you mean is a Hs-129 low attitude bomber/assault fighter.

That's another interesting aircraft with lots of variations.

I think the Junker Ju-88 has the most variations.

Cheers!
Taka

[Thanatos]

Thanks.
I agree, the war went on for longer and had the Germans had the raw materials, the air space over Europe would have been .....lets say interesting for Allied pilots.
Yeah, later all-wing/tailless airplanes owes a great debt to the Horten 'nurflügel' designs.
The HE 219 has an interesting story, as it came from Denmark.
Other planes at a big airfield there were destroyed by the Allies after the War.
Ive read horror accounts of how planes like the fantastic long nosed high altitude interceptor Kurt Tank Focke Wulfs first had only their props taken off - then later in order to prevent others from using them, personnel simply bulldozed the planes together in a heap at the airfield HOWL!

Something to stir you blood Scout



Ta 152.......The D9 on steroids.

[SHINDENKAI]

Ah, Ta-152...another "Too Little, Too Late" Fighter.

I think it's a well balanced fighter, long body and wings. Concentrated forward firing weapons.

Nice!

Cheers!
Taka

[Thanatos]

Hi Taka-san
It was a most magnificent high altitude fighter and a beautiful design.
The 190 series are my Fav. WW2 design and the best all round single seater of the war I believe.
Cheers mate

Dave