Rocket Fighter

Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II / the Violent Century: Weapons Book #20

by William Green

Book

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, World War II

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1971

About the author

Adapted from Wikipedia:
William Green (1927 – 2 January 2010) was an aviation and military author, following service with Britain's Royal Air Force, where he wrote for the Air Training Corps Gazette (later to be become the Air Pictorial).
Green was Technical Director to the RAF Flying Review, and then Editorial Director when it became Flying Review International. In 1971 he and Gordon Swanborough jointly created the monthly Air International, of which he remained Managing Editor until late 1990.
Green edited numerous editions of Observers book of Aircraft and spent most of his adult life doing research and writing on aircraft and aviation. His work Warplanes of the Third Reich is seen as a classic aviation publication. Along with Gordon Swanborough, he also wrote several books for Salamander Books including The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Worlds Commercial Aircraft, Illustrated Anatomy of the World's Fighters and Flying Colours.

Reviews

[Ben Fowlkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to know what it was like to be a Nazi fighter pilot flying an experimental jet during the last stages of WW II? Yes, you do.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1970, 'Rocket Fighter' looks at the history of aviations brief flirtation with rocket engines as a power source for military aircraft. The book concentrates mainly on the Me 163, as it was the only rocket powered military aircraft to enter service, but other types are also covered including the dual power types of the 1950s. Additional details are given of the incident in Germany when a test pilot was dissolved by a leak of highly corrosive fuel, and there are some excellent details of test aircraft developed in the USA and the USSR. A very interesting book about a bizarre blind alley in the development of military aircraft.

[Thomas Kanyak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ME 163B, the most amazing fighter interceptor of all time. 279 built, with 25% flying in combat by the time their bases were over run by the allies in April 1945. Given another year of development with rocket armament instead of cannon, probably could of been a threat to the allied bombing campaign. While overly technical, a good over view of the development of the rocket fighter by Germany, Russia the US and Britain from the mid 1930's to 1950, when Britain finally abandoned the last attempt to develop a point defence rocket powered interceptor. To be clear, a rocket motor is completely different from a jet motor.

[Ruppert Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating review of one of Nazi Germany's most fascinating fighter aircraft, the Messerschmitt M-163.

It was as, if not more, dangerous to its pilots as it was to WWII allied bombers it was conceived and designed to shoot down. And it was but one of a long list of incredibly advanced, innovative weapons Germany hoped would stave off defeat.

Sadly for Germany, it killed some very brave, patriotic men. But just as fortunately for the rest of the world it was far too little, far too late.

[John E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good overview of the technical history of the use of rocket power for airplanes from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. Concentrates on Nazi Germany's efforts with the ME163, but does cover the efforts undertaken by the United States, the Soviet Union, Japan, and Britain. After just over a decade it was found that rockets did not work well for airplanes. Lots of pictures and line drawing helped keep the story moving and the jargon in check.