Natter - Manned Missile Of The Third Reich

[Full title: Natter - Manned Missile Of The Third Reich (Historic Step To Human Spaceflight)] Brett Gooden, Published by Brett Gooden, Rundle Mall, Australia, 2019, ISBN 978-0-646-81213-7. Illustrated, hardcover, published in English.

Cover image © by Barry Spicer & Brett Gooden, 2019.

Dr. Brett Gooden is the author of the book Project Natter (Classic Publications/Ian Allan Publishing Ltd., 2006, ISBN 1-903223-62-8), until recently the uncontested standard work about the Bachem Ba 349. A typically beautiful and comprehensive Classic Publications hardcover book of 144 pages, it seemed that this publication would, for a very long time at least, remain the last word on this non-mainstream but highly intriguing little aircraft. But it is Dr. Gooden himself who has rendered his earlier work obsolete by publishing, 13 years later, an astonishing and incomparably more exhaustive study in Natter - Manned Missile Of The Third Reich.

This must be one of the most complete single volume publications ever released about a German aircraft type. Given that the diminutive Ba 349 Natter interceptor never entered mass production and did not become fully operational, the scope of this book is even more astounding – and thus deeply satisfying. A heavy hardcover with dust jacket, sized 300 x 225 mm, Natter - Manned Missile Of The Third Reich comprises 536 pages and 870 illustrations. The production is first rate, the paper of a lavish quality, and the photo reproduction is flawless.

The detail thus contained within is extraordinary. For example, there are numerous truly splendid computer renderings that illustrate minutiae of the Ba 349's design. These renderings are not just flashy gimmicks; they are formidably illuminating. Nor are they limited to the aircraft and its many components but also extend to associated equipment such as the launch installations. Add to this a vast number of contemporary and modern drawings and innumerable black & white and colour photos, many of them rare or previously unseen, and it becomes apparent that Dr. Gooden's book is truly a treasure and likely the definitive analysis of the Natter.

Natter - Manned Missile Of The Third Reich commences with various chapters outlining the background, concepts, gestation, and design of this aircraft. I know I am repeating myself, but the amount of content even in these early chapters by means of text and illustrations is simply staggering. The narrative subsequently continues to the rather little-known trials of the Ba 349 as a glider and then illuminates the people and politics behind the project. Very extensive chapters on the actual vertical take-off trials follow, and these include, of course, the tragically ill-fated first manned launch with pilot Lothar Sieber. Dr. Gooden then describes the efforts expended to make the Natter operational; this section also contains vast information regarding launch tower function and operations.

The book then briefly discusses on the medical aspects of flying the Natter, before embarking on a description of the impact of the war's end on the further development and operations of the Ba 349. This is, fittingly, complemented by chapters on the fate of the Natters and the personnel involved as well as information on the Allied view of the programme.

The book's final 92 pages (!) are dedicated to a variety of appendices on the Natter's propulsion system, an original manual, various contemporary documents, notes by Erich Bachem, a list of Natter trials, an overview of the Luftwaffe's command structure, and a description of Natter paint schemes. An exhaustive catalogue of notes and sources is also part of this concluding section.

Throughout all of these chapters, Dr. Gooden frequently links the events of the past to the present, by either revisiting places significant to the aircraft's history or presenting surviving components and equipment. In addition, one of the most interesting aspects of the book is the repeated meticulous photo analysis, such as in establishing the identities of the individual Ba 349 aircraft seen in the photos of the manufacturing process. Moreover, Dr. Gooden sheds light on uncounted previously largely overlooked details, such as instrument panel differences, consecutively enlarged horizontal tails, the existence of tailplane antennae, differences between the ventral tail fins, and so on; all items almost universally overlooked or barely touched upon in previous publications on the Ba 349.

Dr. Gooden spent 25 years researching the Natter, and it shows. There are only very few minor points that could perhaps be debated, such as his identification of what likely is a photo deficiency as a direction finding loop antenna on what is probably the best-known Natter, the manned M23 prototype (page 187). This possible misidentification has previously been seen in other published material on the Ba 349, but this so-called "antenna" does not appear in any of the (numerous) further photos of M23, nor does it indeed appear on any other Natter. The aforementioned deficiency is likely a scratch on one of the photo reproductions, introduced many years ago; what appears as the device in question is far too thin and too small to resemble the actual standard d/f loops used by Luftwaffe aircraft at this stage of the war.

Nonetheless, given the immense scope of this publication, such observations really amount to petty nitpicking. This book is truly magnificent, and no superlative will be able to do it justice.

After The Battle Magazine: First Manned Rocket Launch

Jean Paul Pallud, After The Battle magazine no. 151, Battle of Britain International Ltd., Old Harlow, Essex, England, 2011. Magazine article, illustrated, published in English.

Cover image © by Battle of Britain International Ltd., 2011.

After The Battle is a military history magazine, specializing in an in-depth "then and now" approach to the topics covered. It is published quarterly by Battle of Britain International Ltd. in England, and its focus lies on World War II. I have been an avid reader of the magazine (and the same publisher's books) for over two decades, primarily because After the Battle is not afraid to publish lengthy and extremely comprehensive articles - something that has unfortunately become anachronistic for most publications in our day and age. The research applied in compiling the articles is immaculate, and the extensive photographic content is often stunning, not least due to the fascinating then and now comparisons.

Every so often, After The Battle publishes articles on topics relevant for those with an interest in German aviation and aerospace history of the period. Prime examples are, perhaps, The V-Weapons (ATB no. 6, 1974), The Peenemünde Rocket Centre (ATB no. 74, 1991), Nordhausen (ATB no. 101, 1998), or Dulag Luft (ATB no. 106, 1999). All back issues of the magazine remain available through the publisher's website.

First Manned Rocket Launch, Jean Paul Pallud's 20-page article in After The Battle no. 151, is a heavily illustrated account of the Bachem Ba 349 Natter rocket-powered point-defence interceptor program. The text of the article begins with a description of the state of the air war over Germany at the inception of the program. It then chronicles the development, construction, and testing of the Ba 349, Lothar Sieber's ill-fated first manned flight, and the effort to transport parts of Bachem's workforce and complete Ba 349 aircraft out of the reach of advancing enemy troops.

As is typical for After The Battle, Pallud's article is expertly researched and comprehensive, even if one takes into account that the publication of Brett Gooden's requisite milestone work on the Ba 349, Projekt Natter - Last Of The Wonder Weapons (Classic Publications, 2006) has set a very high standard. What makes Pallud's First Manned Rocket Launch particularly interesting, however, is the fact that the numerous historic black & white pictures are augmented by colour photos of the very same locations as they look today.

These current-day comparisons include, for example, the main production hall of the former Bachem plant (now used by Hymer, a motorhome manufacturer). This is significant, as the building was scheduled for demolition at the time the modern photographs were taken. Other comparisons include the Heuberg launch site of the first manned flight, the crash site of Lothar Sieber's Ba 349, the sites where the later, modified pole launch towers were erected, or the meadow in Sankt Leonhard, Austria, where dispersed Ba 349s were captured by US forces. Moreover, images of the excavation of the remaining wreckage of Ba 349 M23 (Sieber's aircraft) in 1998 are also included.

All in all, After The Battle no. 151 is quite indispensable for any serious student of German late-war high performance aircraft.

Der erste bemannte Raketenstart der Welt (Geheimaktion Natter)

Horst Lommel, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 1998, ISBN 3-613-01862-4. Illustrated, hardcover, published in German.

Cover image © by Motorbuch Verlag, 1998.

When it was originally published, this book was an overdue and welcome study on the relatively little-known but nevertheless highly intriguing Bachem Ba 349 Natter rocket-powered manned interceptor program of late-war Germany. Due to the desperate nature of the Ba 349 idea (so representative of many contemporary German programs), the small number of aircraft built, and the failure to achieve actual combat operations with the Ba 349, the information published up to then was scarce at best, and no combined study of all available facts existed: Moreover, much of what was available had been copied and reprinted countless times, regardless of many uncertainties and obvious errors.

This book, then, went a long way towards rectifying this situation. On 204 pages, it contained a wealth of pictures, drawings and facsimile documents, making it worth acquiring even though it was only available in German. The author's research answered many open questions and the Ba 349 is unquestionably a very exciting and visionary aircraft in technical terms, even to people indifferent to late-war German projects. Also, the fact that several dozen Ba 349s were built and actually launched clearly sets this aircraft apart from mere "paper projects". Lommel's book covered this aspect in great detail, along with the world's first vertical manned rocket launch by Lothar Sieber in March 1945. Further chapters portrayed the development of the Ba 349, testing of the aircraft as a glider in various configurations, manufacturing, armament, the vertical launch concept, planned combat operations, surviving aircraft. Included were numerous outstanding pictures of the Natter, particularly the photos of the manned glider prototypes on pages 29 and 39.

Even so, there remained questions. For example, no explanation was given on why the well-known series of pictures of the M52 prototype being readied for launch (p. 63 to 66) shows the aircraft with a significantly enlarged horizontal stabilizer.

In spite of this, Lommel's pioneering work would only be eclipsed in 2006, when Classic Publications released Brett Gooden's landmark work, Projekt Natter - Last Of The Wonder Weapons.