Don Quijote
Banned
I've read a bit about the almost-there Nazi aircraft projects, and there seem to be countless model kits of the Me 509, Ta 183 and so on (Luft 46 and Modeling Madness are good websites). How close were those that didn't actually fly, but made it to the mock-up stage, to entering even limited service such as operational testing? Just the idea of some of these fighting the Allied Air Forces over Germany in April 1945 is scary.
A few examples of those that just made it:
-Heinkel 162 Salamder: Limited service with JG1, one claimed victory (disputed).
-Dornier 335 Pfeil: Test flown, but did not see combat.
-Horten/Gotha 229: Test flown, but did not see combat.
And those that didn't:
-Ta 183: Jet fighter.
-Lippisch P.13a: Coal powered
ramjet
-Focke-Wulf Triebflugel: Three wings with a jet engine on the end of each.
A few examples of those that just made it:
-Heinkel 162 Salamder: Limited service with JG1, one claimed victory (disputed).
-Dornier 335 Pfeil: Test flown, but did not see combat.
-Horten/Gotha 229: Test flown, but did not see combat.
And those that didn't:
-Ta 183: Jet fighter.
-Lippisch P.13a: Coal powered
-Focke-Wulf Triebflugel: Three wings with a jet engine on the end of each.