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Title: ROCKET FIGHTER by William Green ISBN: 0-345-21441-2 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 12 January, 1970 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $1.50

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Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (3 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Information and Photos
Comment: This is the best book on the subject of Rocket Propelled aircraft in World War 2 I've ever seen. Loads of info and superb photos and diagrams are execellent to say the least. The basic stuff like the Me-163 are covered, as well as some very interesting, not so well-known aircraft. If your interested in the subject, than this book is not to miss. It may be hard to find a copy though cause its old and its one of the more rare volumes in the Ballentines Ilustrated History Of World War 2 series.

Also reccomended: 'German Secret Weapons', 'Allied Secret Weapons'. Both titles are in the series, and they cover many interesting weaponry you won't find anywhere else.

Rating: 4
Summary: Very interesting look into a unique aspect of aviation.
Comment: Apparently now a rare book, but still in a small class of books about this unique and amazing piece of aviation history. Although the Me 163 has since been well covered with better photographs and drawings, the Bachem 349 has still yet to be shown better. In particular, the Russian rocket fighter is shown in the only source I have ever found. A good history of the early work with rocket propelled aircraft. Biplanes with rockets!

It is hard to imagine any form of flight, much less aerial combat, which could be more startling and unique than a rocket fighter. The incredible danger and high fatality rate the test and operational pilots accepted to fly these aircraft is best understood by their comments; there was nothing better.

Rating: 4
Summary:

Interesting account of wartime rocket fighter research

Comment: Rocket Fighter by William Green is book number twenty in the weapons series of Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War Two. It chronicles the wartime programs of Germany, the Soviet Union, and America to develop fighter aircraft which use a rocket engine as the prime mover. The development teams face extremely difficult design and construction problems in a time when manned atmospheric rocket flight was entirely unexplored, and mnanufacturing techniques were inadequate or did not exist. The account of failures and successes is an exciting story of learning and innovation. Though commercial and military aviation was ultimately revolutionized by turbojets, and not rocket research, which today remains inactive, the aircraft were still major technical accomplishments. That the aircraft with their poorly understood principles were made flyable at all was something of a miracle, resulting from the vision, ambition, and ingenuity of their designers.

The book follows the concept from its first serious consideration prior to World War II through the independent wartime efforts of the three countries mentioned, to Germany's desperate deployment of the Me 163/263. In addion to the better known projects, the author also describes some obscure lines of research, including miniature semi-expendable rocket aircraft in which the pilot lay prone. The results of the limited post-war Soviet and British efforts are also covered. A good memory is needed to follow the activities of the teams and the numerous prototypes as they are created, branch to new lines of development, or are shelved. This book is primarily a historical account, and technical details are not discussed in great depth.

In addition to testing and design work, the reader is told of political elements which had an effect on the progress of the work. Exigencies of war either cause the research to be delayed, or force the dangerous new means of propulsion to be pushed into production before it is ready. With test flights as the only means of evaluation, many brave pioneers are lost in horrific crashes and rocket fuel accidents.

This book is the story of the craft which now only appear in museums. The writing of this Ballantine series is excellent and each book presents its topic in an interesting, thorough and concice format. Those who want to learn about the work which produced this short-lived but spectacular aviation development, will find this enjoyable reading.