Iron Cross

"Dear head of state, the new aircraft will implement the four principles of heavy armor, heavy firepower, high speed, and easy production." Dornier said, "This is an aircraft with great potential. In response to the current problems, we have proposed A targeted renovation plan has been formulated and the relevant design modifications are expected to be completed within 3 months.”

West Sichuan Company is a seaplane manufacturer and lacks experience in landing gear and land-based aircraft design. Therefore, Zidian has some very low-level problems: including the "Strength Wind" model trapezoidal anti-center monoplane layout that will be used on land-based aircraft. This creates a blind spot in the field of view during takeoff and landing; the main landing gear struts are too long, the retraction and retraction mechanism is too complex, the wheelbase is too wide and the rudder is too small, which brings many hidden dangers to landings. However, these problems did not pose any challenges to Dornier. The German side quickly came up with an improvement plan to improve the front lower vision and landing gear design.

Of course, the planned changes by DFK Design Bureau are not limited to these. In the eyes of German designers, the structural strength of Japanese aircraft has always been problematic. Although Zidian's performance in this aspect is acceptable, the first thing the Germans got was to consider strengthening the structure. And there is also a practical necessity - when the carrier is transformed into an aircraft, the structural strength must be strengthened to enable ejection and take-off.

"For production reasons, most of the accessories of the new aircraft, including landing gear, radios, etc., can be used in common with existing mainstream fighter jets. The total number of parts is expected to be no more than 45,000. The producibility is excellent, and the cost is only higher than that of the Bf-109. 15-20%. "Mr. Dornier is particularly interested in productivity. The simpler the production, the lower the cost and the greater the value for large-scale promotion.

Speer nodded in approval, so that after mass production, the price level will basically not exceed the Bf-219.

"The target of our comparison is the currently more successful Bf-219. According to the design concept, although the wing load of the new aircraft will be larger than that of the Bf-219, its air combat performance will be far greater due to its more powerful power and automatic flap design. More than the Bf-219."

Although Messerschmitt is also further tapping the potential of the Bf-219, the size of the body and engine diameter are there after all, and there is not much room for tapping the potential. Now it can only consider installing the MW-50 system to use emergency power to improve combat response. It is expected that the speed will be increased by 20-25 kilometers per hour after this modification. All companies have seen the vast market for this aircraft. The reason why they compete for the Gale project is simply that they feel that the Gale is better and easier to succeed.

The new model finally declared by DFK Design Bureau was designated as Do-412. After joint research by the three parties, high technical indicators were determined: the design weight of the empty aircraft is 3,000 kilograms (carrier-based aircraft plus more than 100 kilograms), and the maximum land speed is 697 kilometers per hour. , a carrier-based aircraft with a speed of 684 kilometers per hour (calculated with a 2,300-horsepower engine), a maximum range of 1,700 kilometers, equipped with 4 MG213 cannons (240 rounds of ammunition), a maximum climb speed of 1,800 meters per minute, and a range after adding auxiliary fuel tanks. It can roughly exceed 2500 kilometers.

Mr. Dornier was furious. He set a target that in the airspace below 6,000 meters, the Do-412 must have the best dogfighting capabilities and maneuverability, and the strongest comprehensive performance such as range, firepower, and armor. It must be able to compete with Ta-412. 152 or Me-262 can be used in high and low configurations to defeat Gale or other similar projects and perfectly replace the current Bf-219.

Do-412 also attaches great importance to protective performance. The internal fuel tank is fully bulletproof and has an automatic fire extinguishing device. In addition to bulletproof glass in front of the driver, a 13mm thick bulletproof steel plate is installed behind it. Since this thickness exceeded the thickness of conventional bulletproof steel plates for German aircraft, Mr. Dornier interestingly asked his subordinates to buy one from the manufacturer of armor steel for Tiger tanks. When his subordinates came back and spread their hands, they said that Tiger armor steel was the thinnest. It also had 25mm, which did not meet the requirements. However, in the maintenance shop, I came across a batch of Sherman tanks being converted into engineering tanks. The removed top armor happened to be 13mm, so I happily cut a piece back, not even half a mark. pay. Test results show that it can basically defend against American 12.7mm aviation machine gun bullets at a distance of 300 meters. Then according to technical statistics, the DFK Design Bureau also reinforced the tail wing with ballistic steel plates.

Hoffman thought about it in his mind. The performance of Zidian modification has been relatively outstanding in history. Now Do-412's indicators are even more advantageous. If it can be produced, of course it will be crushed against the F6F, and it will be even better against the F8F. The Allies had almost no comparable aircraft before 1945. As for when carrier-based aircraft stronger than the F8F came out, it was estimated that they would have completely switched to jet aircraft for combat. The only concern is whether the Do-412 can be successfully put on the ship. If it can be put on the ship, it will indeed be superior to the Gale - the size and weight are slightly smaller than the Gale, which will help increase the number of passengers.

But he will not speak out about these concerns now. He cannot predict whether the Do-412 can be perfectly put on the ship. At least the American F6F\\F8F equipped with R-2800 engines are very successful carrier-based aircraft. In theory, the Do-412 It should be OK too. Carrier-based aircraft are very urgent aircraft. Historically, the F6F was not put into battle until September. Now, due to the pressing situation, he predicts that Americans will adopt F6F in large quantities after June, and the F8F is estimated to be used on a large scale in the autumn of 1944. . Although the performance of the Bf-219 after installing the MW-50 system is significantly better than that of the F4F, it may still be slightly inferior to the F6F. It can only be made up for by the pilot's skills. In order to maintain its advantage, the new generation of carrier-based aircraft must be launched as soon as possible. Mount your horse.

"Mr. Dornier, your initiative to establish a joint design bureau has laid a solid foundation for axis cooperation. I hope I can have the opportunity to observe the test flight of the new aircraft."

"This is our honor. It is estimated that it will be no later than April 15th..."

"That would be great. If you have any difficulties, please communicate with Speer. If he can't solve it, you can come to me directly." Hoffman explained while shaking hands with several designers.

"Thank you very much. Can I take a photo with you?"

"Of course." Japan's chief designer Shizuo Kikuhara was also among the group of people taking the group photo, and Hoffman quickly recognized him. While shaking hands with him warmly, he asked with special concern: "Are you used to living in Germany? "

"This is my first time coming to Germany. I feel..." Shizuo Kikuhara was very nervous. In Japan, not to mention the prime minister, even the chief of the aviation headquarters drank to them. How could they be treated like this now? He was flattered and replied: "It's very good! Whether it's life or work, it's like coming to heaven."

"That's good. I hope the cooperation between the three countries will bear fruit. The previous aircraft have proven the huge potential of cooperation."

"Dear Head of State, we will do our best to ensure that you will not be disappointed."

After the Zidian project ended, Hoffmann asked Speer, still wanting to know more: "Is there anything more?"

"There is another project... that you personally designed."

"I designed it?" Hoffman was stunned. He couldn't remember that he had designed an airplane. "Don't be kidding me!"

"Really!" Speer replied seriously, "Do you still remember the picture you drew during the first aviation rearmament case? The designers under Dr. Tank have already produced the prototype, but It can’t fly yet, I can only show you the model.”

It was Hans Multhoff who reported to everyone. Although Tan Ke held the title of chief designer, the specific work was completed by the design team led by Multhoff, and Tan Ke played more of a technical advisor. He was unwilling to take credit for Mo's subordinates and decided to let Multhoff report directly. The latter had never seen such a big scene and was very nervous at first, but after talking about the design ideas and specific performance of the aircraft, his nervousness finally relaxed completely.

"According to the Führer's drawings and our initial design, this new aircraft was determined to be a single-jet engine fighter, and we nicknamed him 'Crow'."

From a traditional perspective, the Crow's appearance is indeed not very good-looking. It has a low and short fuselage. The air inlet located under the cockpit extends to the rear and is connected to the engine. It looks like a stubby arrow. The cockpit is equal to the entire ride. On the engine head. Hoffman knew the inside story: early jet engines had inlets that were too long and would cause a lot of power loss, so this was the shape they had to take. The wings used by the Crow are very thin, with a 40-degree sweep angle, and a mid-wing configuration. Since Germany now has no shortage of metal, they are all made of aluminum alloy. Historically, the wing ribs of the Ta-183 were made of multi-layer gluing. It is made of wood and the skin is also made of laminated wood, which has an impact on performance.

Hoffman immediately found the problem: "Mr. Dornier just told me that the mid-monoplane configuration is not only unfavorable for production, but also greatly damages the pilot's downward vision during landing, so he changed it to a lower wing configuration in the Do-412 project. single wing."

Multhof answered cautiously: "Dear Head of State, this statement makes sense, but the low-wing layout is less maneuverable than the mid-wing layout. His new model has automatic flaps, and the Crow does not have automatic flaps." , after comprehensive weighing..."

"To what extent will mobility be affected?"

"The ability to fight in close quarters will be relatively poor."

Hoffman laughed: "The speed of the jet is very fast, and there is very little time to even aim and shoot, let alone close combat, so I think your concerns may not be serious. Of course, this is just a layman's suggestion. You can Think about it again.”

Multhoff looked a little embarrassed, but he continued to introduce: The Crow's firepower equipment is almost the same as that of the Me-262. It also has four 20mm MG213 cannons. However, due to its smaller size, the R4M rocket can only carry 24 The single-engine Crow is lighter than the Me-262, with an empty weight of about 2,600 kilograms and a full weight of only 4,000 kilograms. It is expected to have a maximum speed of 970 kilometers per hour, a maximum range of about 1,000 kilometers, and a maximum ceiling of 14,000 meters. .

The indicators of the Crow are still on the drawing board, because the HeS-011 engine to be used has not yet been successfully developed. The engine launched by Heinkel is expected to have a thrust of 12.5 kilonewtons. For the time being, it can only use the Jumo-004C with a thrust of 10 kilonewtons. Engine verification, and then the designers talked about the key differences and performance characteristics of the two engines, and believed that the wait was completely worth it.

Compared with the Me-262, the Raven has many advantages, including small size and light weight - both of which make it much cheaper than the Me-262, and has better speed and ceiling. It can be called a second-generation jet They are excellent representatives of the aircraft. The Ministry of Armament has given them the code name of Ta-183, but the finalization time is estimated to be at least one year. Hoffman smiled and expressed his approval. He knew that the Ta-183 project could not be promoted too hastily.

At the end of the project introduction, as various data introductions became more and more professional, everyone began to feel confused. Seeing that Hoffman had entered a state of absent-mindedness, Keitel used the excuse that the head of state had other work arrangements. The report meeting was stopped, hoping that Multhoff would invite the head of state to come and watch during the test flight, and the latter happily agreed.

On the way back, Speer added: "Dr. Tank was touched by the DFK Joint Design Bureau just now. Considering that Mr. Horikoshi Jiro will not be able to come to Germany until April, plus the Japanese Kawasaki Company's early contact with them, , considering that Wolff Company has never been involved in the field of carrier-based aircraft, he formally applied to the Ministry of Armament on behalf of the company, and was willing to give up the application for the carrier-based fighter project and instead develop a new project.”

"What's the new project?"

"Kawasaki Company has designed a fighter jet for the Japanese Army, codenamed Type 5 fighter (Ki-100). It is also positioned with a liquid-cooled engine and undertakes high-altitude interception missions. The progress is much slower than ours. Dr. Tan Ke hopes to strengthen its efforts and invest in Ta- 152 technology research and development, Kawasaki has promised to send a technical team to Germany early next month.”

"Will this help us?" Hoffman asked doubtfully. He didn't think there was anything particularly strong about Type 5 warfare. If he had to cooperate with the Japanese Army to develop aircraft, he might as well study Type 4 warfare (Hayate). . .

"He didn't say it clearly. In short, he nodded and approved. Japan couldn't ask for it. However, the condition he proposed was to allocate the design team of the Italian Maggi company to him."

At this point, Hoffman finally realized: Macchi's technical team is led by the famous Italian aircraft designer Mario Castotti (who designed the MC-200\\MC-202\\MC-205) and has strong design capabilities. Dr. Tan Ke’s intention is probably not to fight Type 5, but to recruit two technical teams to join in to speed up the design process of Ta-152. The demand for talents overwhelms the demand for projects.

He smiled and nodded: "Totally agree."

So the WAK Joint Design Bureau was immediately established - taking the initials of the three companies Wolff, Markey, and Kawasaki, and then the rest included Messerschmitt, Italian Reggiani (designed Re-2001\\Re- 2005) and Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation later formed the MRM Joint Design Bureau, but they did not start until April.

At the same time, Horikoshi also worked part-time to improve various defects of the 96 ship battle, such as the easily broken landing gear. A three-person team was gradually formed during the work: Horikoshi, the overall designer, Sone, the structural calculation expert, and Masaka, the weapon instrumentation expert. Later, landing gear expert Kato Sadahiko also joined the team. Horikoshi has formed the habit of collective work in his previous designs. According to him, "people should use their capabilities and bid farewell to piecemealism." Among the three assistants in the team, Sone is responsible for careful calculations to reduce weight, Masanaka is responsible for solving the coordination of the cannon and the fuselage, and Kato is Horikoshi. "Retracting and retracting the landing gear is good for air combat performance. Give me a veteran." "This sentence was taken from Hattori, which shows that Horikoshi did not come without preparation when building this group.