The inter-service rivalry was also a huge setback for the Germans, the Nazi's seemed incapable of agreeing on anything. The rivalries between manufacturers led to issues as well. For example the HE-219 Uhu, a superb aircraft in its role and quite the looker too was built in insufficeint numbers partially hindered by the squabbling in the upper echolons of Nazi leadership 'due to political rivalries between
Josef Kammhuber, commander of the German night fighter forces,
Ernst Heinkel, the manufacturer, and
Erhard Milch, responsible for aircraft construction in the
Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM — the German Aviation Ministry)' According to wikipedia.
Other bits include.
The RLM rejected the design in August 1940 as too complex and risky. Lusser quickly offered four versions of the fighter with various
wingspans and
engines in order to balance the performance and risk. At the same time, he offered the
P.1056 dedicated night fighter with four
20 mm cannons in the wings and
fuselage. The RLM rejected all of these on the same grounds in 1941. Heinkel was furious and fired Lusser on the spot.
. Heinkel was sure he had a winner and sent the design off to the RLM in January 1942 while he funded the first
prototype himself. Nevertheless, the RLM again rejected the He 219 in favour of new Ju 88- and Me 210-based designs.
When Kammhuber saw the prototype on the 19th, he was so impressed he immediately ordered it into production over Milch's objections. Milch — who had rejected the He 219 in January — was enraged.
Milch repeatedly tried to have the He 219 program killed and in the process, Kammhuber was removed from office. Production ceased for a time but was restarted because the new
Junkers Ju 388s were taking too long to get into service.
And thats just the construction of a single aircraft....