# Drawings of Planes from WWII's German Luftwaffe **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021 "2004-05-07T15:38:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Starguard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Starguard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starguard)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021/1 "2004-05-07T15:38:29Z")
I was surfing around on the net a while back and came across some pretty interesting drawings of planes the luftwaffe were planning on building [Look here](http://www.luft46.com/luftart.html) at some of these designs. Does anyone here know if any of these planes were actually built and used? ---
**Author:** ![Starguard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Starguard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starguard)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021/2 "2004-05-07T15:41:02Z")
Lets try this again shall we [http://www.luft46.com/luftart.html](http://www.luft46.com/luftart.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021/3 "2004-05-07T16:01:19Z")
Some are real designs, most never flew…some of the odd asymmetrical designs are real ones, though. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021/4 "2004-05-07T16:43:20Z")
The totally lopsided prop-plane in the picture credited to Ronnie Olsthoon was a real aircraft. I only recognise one other design (the one with the piggy-back jet engine)and I don’t know if any were built/flew. They did build some weird stuff tho’ [Me 163](http://www.sml.lr.tudelft.nl/~home/rob/me163.htm) Fuelled by stuff (two types of “stoff” IIRC) that would dissolve the pilot. The Germans were a bit short of pilots towards the end of WWII. ---
**Author:** ![Starguard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Starguard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starguard)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021/5 "2004-05-07T18:38:54Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > The totally lopsided prop-plane in the picture credited to Ronnie Olsthoon was a real aircraft. I only recognise one other design (the one with the piggy-back jet engine)and I don’t know if any were built/flew. They did build some weird stuff tho’ > > [Me 163](http://www.sml.lr.tudelft.nl/~home/rob/me163.htm) > > Fuelled by stuff (two types of “stoff” IIRC) that would dissolve the pilot. > > The Germans were a bit short of pilots towards the end of WWII. Wasn’t the fuel called “T-stoff”. I think I read somewhere once that it was highly explosive and any exposure to air would ignite it. I think it was almost “if not more” lethan than nitro glycerine :eek: ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021/6 "2004-05-07T19:15:41Z")
I read Luftwaffe and lopsided and knew it had to be the [BV 141](http://www.geocities.com/asymmetrics/bv141.htm). I find it strange that the page includes a pic of a “crash landed” one as, from what I’ve read, it was actually a good design. It looks strange and unsafe. But, it’s aerodynamically sound. The designer was never able to convince people of that and few were ever made. AFAIK The Luftwaffe was only in the preliminary stages of building a flying wing. The prototypes were made out of wood. You may also be interested in the [Natter](http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/aircraft/WWII/natter/info/info.htm) The Japanese airforce built and successfully used the Bakka, a human-guided missile. It was hooked onto a standard fighter and dropped at cruising altitude. The pilot, who had minimal training and may have been coerced into the mission, would ignite the rocket engine and have a few minutes to find a target. Then, he just aimed the Bakka, and the huge explosive cone in the tip, down. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021/7 "2004-05-07T23:24:38Z")
A weird one that is not on the luft 46 list is the [Dornier 335](http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/profile/d335top.htm) . I was always interested by that plane. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drawings-of-planes-from-wwiis-german-luftwaffe/244021/8 "2004-05-07T23:36:04Z")
Luft 46’s [“Prototypes”](http://www.luft46.com/prototyp/prototyp.html) page lists at least some of the designs that actually made it to the prototype stage. In addition, the [Ruhrstahl X-4](http://www.luft46.com/missile/x-4.html) made it to the prototype stage, as well. Few, if any of them, however, saw combat. (After all…then they wouldn’t be on an _unbuilt_ Luftwaffe designs site, would they? 😉 )