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.