
First Manned Rocket Launch
Then and Now
Jean Paul Pallud(Author)
Pen & Sword Books Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 6. August 2024
Book
Hardback
168 pages
978-1-0361-0128-2 (ISBN)
Description
Well before Yuri Gagarin or Alan Shepard, Lothar Sieber became the first man to take off vertically from the ground under rocket power on March 1, 1945\. The plane crashed after flying for 55 seconds and he was killed. The launch marked a milestone on the road to spaceflight, even though it remained virtually unknown to the general public for more than half a century.
But the Natter was a weapon of war born out in the closing months of World War II when Germany was desperately looking for 'wonder weapons' to fight the inevitable defeat.
A vertical take-off rocket fighter, the Natter would reach the Allied bomber altitude in seconds, then the pilot would get within firing distance of a bomber, and fire all 24 rockets into the nose in a single shot. Its fuel running out, the pilot will then glide the plane at high speed to a lower altitude, at which point he will trigger the plane to break up, a large parachute opening at the rear, popping off the nose and the pilot with it. The pilot and the tail with the Walter rocket engine would land under their separate parachutes, while the disposable nose, fuselage and wings were to crash to the ground.
The Natter is unquestionably an exciting aircraft but it is safe to assume that it would have been a failure as a bomber interceptor.
But the Natter was a weapon of war born out in the closing months of World War II when Germany was desperately looking for 'wonder weapons' to fight the inevitable defeat.
A vertical take-off rocket fighter, the Natter would reach the Allied bomber altitude in seconds, then the pilot would get within firing distance of a bomber, and fire all 24 rockets into the nose in a single shot. Its fuel running out, the pilot will then glide the plane at high speed to a lower altitude, at which point he will trigger the plane to break up, a large parachute opening at the rear, popping off the nose and the pilot with it. The pilot and the tail with the Walter rocket engine would land under their separate parachutes, while the disposable nose, fuselage and wings were to crash to the ground.
The Natter is unquestionably an exciting aircraft but it is safe to assume that it would have been a failure as a bomber interceptor.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Barnsley
United Kingdom
Illustrations
160 mono illustrations; 160 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 248 mm
Width: 177 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
850 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0361-0128-2 (9781036101282)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jean Paul Pallud was born in Annecy in south-eastern France and graduated from Grenoble University as a Physicist Engineer. Author of several books in English and French, he is also a long-time contributor to After the Battle.
Married to Marie-Francois he lives near his home town in the picturesque Alps.
Married to Marie-Francois he lives near his home town in the picturesque Alps.