The Second World War is a conflict that still generates debates, precisely because it defined most of the directions that the world is currently following. Another important part of the period was the rapid development of aeronautics, caused by the arms race between the belligerents.
An example of this disparity between aircraft is the emergence of the first ballistic missiles and the introduction of the jet engine while some countries like Italy and the United Kingdom still had biplanes in their inventory.
Still, the pursuit of ever more advanced designs spawned a number of peculiar models, both on the Allied and Axis sides. Let's meet five of these weird planes of World War II.
flying pancake
The Vought V-173 originates from engineer Charles H. Zimmerman's theory that aircraft with low wing proportions could fly at very low speeds. At the same time that the first helicopter projects were already emerging, Zimmerman was experimenting with the concept with model airplanes. The project caught the attention of the US Navy, which was looking for aircraft that could take off and land in the short space of an aircraft carrier.
On November 23, 1942, the Flying Panqueca (as the plane was nicknamed) flew for the first time, equipped with a pair of 80 Hp engines and a high and fixed landing gear. The model was made of canvas and wood and painted in a striking yellow color, which made the disc-shaped design even stranger.
During testing, several issues were discovered. The engine transmission box generated a lot of vibrations, the plane was too slow and the ing body acted as an aerodynamic brake at high angles of attack, which made control very difficult at certain times. Lessons learned from the V-173 gave rise to the most powerful and refined XF5U. Even so, the two planes did not leave the design phase. The only V-173 built is preserved at the Frontiers of Flight museum in Texas.
XP-54 Swoose Goose
Two years before officially entering World War II, the US Army Air Force (USAAF) issued the circular requirement R-40C, which sought a fighter aircraft that was more powerful, better armed and provided more visibility than aircraft of the time. .
In response to the request, Vultee presented its Model 84 which later became the XP-54 Swoose Goose. The configuration of the aircraft was, to say the least, eye-catching: a huge nose, with a double tail (similar to the P-38), with wings and inverted gull shape and a single engine installed in the central fuselage in a pusher configuration.
The model presented by Vultee outperformed the competitors Curtiss XP-55 Ascender and Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet. The XP-54 still featured unique features such as a movable nose and machine guns, pressurized cockpit and an inverted ejection system.
The first prototype flew on January 15, 1943, with the US already active in the conflict, but tests showed that the performance was insufficient. The Army lost interest in the aircraft and canceled funding for the project. The name Swoose Goose came from a song that spoke of an animal that was half-swan (swan) and half-goose (goose). No aircraft was preserved.
mistel set
Nazi projects are among the most controversial topics when it comes to aviation in World War II. Among the strangest designs is the Mistel, which consisted of two aircraft, a fighter and a bomber, ed by a structure, forming a powerful weapon.
System evaluations began in 1942. Basically, the idea was to turn the bottom section (the larger plane) into a huge, unmanned flying bomb for use against strategic and reinforced targets. The aircraft above (a fighter) would lead the flight.
At a certain point, the pilot in the upper section should point the set against the target, separate the planes and let the gyroscopes guide the bomber to the target. About 250 sets were manufactured by the Nazis, most of them pairing an Fw 190 or Bf 109 fighter with a Ju-88 bomber, whose frontal section was loaded with two tons of explosives. also designed other Mistel, forming sets between Ta 152, Ta 154, Me 262, Ar 234, Ju 287 and Do-217 planes.
Still, the Mistel had limited use and success. An example was the attack against a bridge over the River Oder in 1945, when the Red Army was already advancing into German territory. To stop Stalin's troops, the Lutwaffe attacked a bridge captured by the USSR, but the operation did not destroy the structure, delaying the movement by just one day.
XP-56 Black Bullet
Designed by Northrop in response to the USAAF's R-40C requirement (the same one that gave rise to the XP-54), the XP-56 was almost a flying wing, with a short fuselage that housed a radial engine, tailwheel and cockpit.
The first prototype (41-786) took off for the first time on 30/09/1943 under the command of test pilot John Myers. During the evaluations, the aircraft showed serious instability problems, especially in the yaw movement and less than a month later the first XP-56 was destroyed in a take-off accident.
The second plane (42-38353) made ten flights between March and August 1944, this time piloted by Harry Crosby. Even with corrections by Northrop engineers, the XP-56 was still a skittish plane, while performance was also low.
On the last few flights, the pilot noticed excessive fuel consumption and low maneuverability, which led to the closure of the evaluations. Dissatisfied with the plane while already investing in jet engines, the USAAF ended the project. The only remaining XP-56 is with the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, where it awaits restoration.
Blohm & Voss BV 141
Definitely a standout among Nazi 's outlandish designs, the BV 141 was developed just before the start of WWII. In 1937, the German Air Ministry (RLM) requested proposals for a single-engine reconnaissance aircraft, where visibility characteristics were a priority.
Blohm & Voss, which was most famous for its seaplanes, presented the BV 141 project, whose design was clearly very strange due to its asymmetry. A single wing housed a long fuselage with an engine, tail and empennage and a cabin installed on the right, with capacity for pilot, navigator and gunner.
Despite the design, the BV 141 proved to have good flying characteristics and after refinements, the Lutwaffe ordered 500 units. However, the arrival of the Second World War forced course changes. With only 28 units built, the RLM canceled the BV 141 in favor of the twin-engine Fw 189 Uhu. All aircraft were destroyed during the conflict.
