Kris Hendrix, Researcher at the Royal Air Force #Museum, tells the fascinating story of the #Heinkel He 162 'People's Fighter'. It was a last-ditch wonder weapon jet fighter created by the Nazi war machine to turn the tide of the #SecondWorldWar and destroy the Allied bomber fleet. It was designed to be as simple as possible: to be produced by unskilled slave labour in abandoned caves and flown by Hitlerjugend boys with only minimal glider training. Luckily for all sides, it arrived too late to

The Heinkel He 177 heavy bomber was doomed from the very start. Conceptual problems and incompatible design elements gave it a terrible reputation. It was often named the "Luftwaffenfeuerzeug XX," or "The Air Force Lighter," for its constant engine fires. It was also nicknamed the "The Flaming Coffin," the "One Way Bomber," and the "Volcano" for the many accidents pilots had while flying it. During World War II, it only saw limited service with the Luftwaffe. Most of the crashes the He 177 suffe

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Coming along… 27 Dec and 9 Feb on the He 162 Volksjäger restoration at IWM Duxford. #ww2 #wwii #ww2history #heinkel #warbirds | Daniel J Wheatcroft