When I first learned that Classic (Now Chevron) Publishing was going to do a book on German helicopter development, I almost could not believe it. I had not know that much about this subject, mainly because so little has been actually published. This is unusual considering that Germany was at the very forefront of helicopter design from the early 30's. (Remember the famous footage of Hanna Reitsch's famous flights in the indoor Deutschlandhalle). Most people do not know that Germany (though in small numbers) were just introducing helicopters into operational service as the war ended. After the war the story of German helicopters all but vanisished. But this is about to change with the release of Steve Coates' - Helicopters of the Third Reich.

Steve has spent the majority of the last 25 years researching archives across Europe and the USA and interviewing surviving engineers, pilots and family members of those associated with the different German helicopter programs. The book is not just a great reference, but is an excellent read as well. Steve has taken many first-hand interviews to paint a very human picture of what it was like to experience this time period through the words of those who actually lived it.

The result is the most definitive work on the subject ever published. My hat goes of to Steve for writing and to Classic for publishing such a fine reference.

The book is divided into 21 chapters and starts out with an overview of the different types of rotor configurations being researched by Germany during the period of 1930 till 1945. From there the book examines Germany's (specifically Henrich Fockes) interest in the Cierva autogyro and how it lead to the World's first functional helicopter (The Focke Wulf FW-61). Later chapters cover the development of Anton Flettner's intermeshing rotor design (which ultimately lead to the development of the Flettner Fl-282). German helicopter development was not limited to Professor Focke and Anton Flettner, the book also covers the development work of mostly unknown helicopter pioneers, Walter Riesler, Bruno Nagler and Fredrich von Doblhoff.

Later chapters cover both Focke (with the FA-223 and Fa-330) and Flettner (with the Fl-282) as they both struggle to get their designs accepted for production by the RLM, and covers the German test units who worked to explore the different ways that helicopters could be incorporated into the German armed services. Ultimately this led to the deployment of the first Helicopter unit Transportstaffel 40 at the end of the war.

The story does not end here, there is a chapter on the exotic rotor designs that never left the drawing board. These include the Focke Achgelis Fa-269 Convertaplane (Same concept as the V-22 Osprey), The ramjet powered Focke Wulf Triebflugel and the Heinkel Lerche and Waspe circular winged VTOL projects.

The book finally ends with the allied capture and examination of all the German rotor craft programs after the war. Included are some truly remarkable color photos taken after the war of captured German helicopters by US helicopter pioneer Richard Prewitt of the Kellett Aircraft Co.

As with all the Classic publications, this book can probably be considered as the definitive history of the subject. It will prove a fascinating read to anyone interested in the history of helicopter development and of a very little know portion of the German aviation industry during the second World War.

Highly recommended.
Gary Webster

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that has well over 150,000 visitors a month, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.

Back to the Book Index

Back to the Main Page