German Experimental Aircraft

[chronister]

Hi folks. I'm looking for more info on this unusual plane built in Munich around 1942. Have you seen any more photos, drawings, newsreels, or any other info? I have been trying to track this down for a long time, so I really appreciate any leads. Thank you!

 

[ODonovan]

Adalbert Schmid 1942 manned ornithopter

LINK


-Irish

 

[Tkdog]

1942. So after they had begun irrevocably losing the war. They are building ornithopters. Yet people on the internet still argue that somehow, against evidence like this, they were technologically more advanced. They could do interesting things...because they didn't have the sense to NOT to do interesting things. Thank goodness.

 

[chronister]

Thanks for the link. Has anyone seen any more technical detail than what is on that web site? I would like to build a scale model. Even some more photos would be helpful. Thank you.

 

[swampyankee]

Sometimes I wonder if the German technological leadership wanted to end the war quicker. Certainly, some of the more outré projects did more to shorten the war than help German victory[1].

When you're losing, running up technological blind alleys (ornithopters) and bleading-edge projects is not the smartest decision.


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[1] German victory in ww2 would have been an unmitigated disaster for everyone except the Germans.

 

[GrauGeist]

1942. So after they had begun irrevocably losing the war. They are building ornithopters. Yet people on the internet still argue that somehow, against evidence like this, they were technologically more advanced. They could do interesting things...because they didn't have the sense to NOT to do interesting things. Thank goodness.

Germany was still very much in the fight in 1942 and it would be another year before there was a shift in the balance of power.

Now if we're talking 1944, then yes...stop all the weird stuff and stay focused on the jets and the tried & proven hardware.

 

[Graeme]

They are building ornithopters.

And making wallpaper. As late as 1943 they were manufacturing 13,000 tons of it.