alternatehistory.com

Piggy backing on my other thread that brings this subject up:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=357877

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_118
On 27 June 1936, Ernst Udet arrived at the Heinkel manufacturing company to try out the He 118. Soon after he commenced his first dive from about 13,000 feet the propeller suddenly feathered, shearing off the reduction gears, and the He 118 disintegrated around the pilot. Udet parachuted to safety. The Ju 87 repeatedly demonstrated dives at 90 degrees with no trouble, and so was officially declared winner of this contest.

After Walter Wever's death in 1936 Udet took over the Technical Branch and historically got into a feud with Wolfram von Richthofen, prompting him to leave the Development Branch to go to Spain as CoS of the Condor Legion. Right after Wever's death Udet was testing dive bombers and nearly was killed when testing the He118 as he tried to take it into a vertical dive while it was only designed for a 50 degree dive. What if Udet had been killed instead of successfully bailing out? I assume that ensures the Ju87 gets the contract after the disaster with Udet's death involving the He118.

Who would replace him or would Wilhelm Wimmer stay at the T-Amt? Would Goering find someone else to appoint that he could control, especially considering he wanted to sideline Milch? Assuming Richthofen then stays with the Development Office his influence on designs would remain and dive bombing wouldn't get into vogue. What other effects would this have on the Luftwaffe without Richthofen leaving and developing CAS doctrine in Spain? I imagine someone like Plocher would go instead, as that is the officer that replaced him later in Spain anyway. I don't think CAS is affected because the LW was already headed in that direction and it really was in Poland where a lot of the procedures were worked out and developed and Richthofen was not a singular genius in figuring that out. Dive bombing probably does not take hold without Udet pushing it, so that has huge impact on all sorts of projects (He177, Ju88, Me210, Do217). Maybe Richthofen's baby the Fw187 gets into production?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_187
Tank then took the design directly to Wolfram von Richthofen, chief of the development section of the Technischen Amt, the research and development arm of the RLM. Richthofen was not so convinced that bomber performance would remain superior to fighters, and gave the go-ahead for the construction of three prototypes, but on the condition that they replace the DB 600, which was in extremely short supply, with the less-powerful 515 kW (700 PS) Junkers Jumo 210.
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