Wrecked Japanese Emily flying boat

Plane Wrecks

When the war is over, what planes didn't get recycled; littered the battlefields to decay slowly. A reminder of the harsh past.

Betty Bombers litter the Pacific Jungle

Japanese bomber plane on the jungle floor

Japanese Bomber plane on the jungle floor

Engine from a bomber plane rusting on the jungle floor

RAF early mustang on the North African Desert

Japanese bomber in a shallow lagoon

American B-29's on a scrapheap

Aircraft Graveyard

After the war, there were thousands of aircraft left but no wars to fight. Most of them were scrapped and melted down to produce other goods. The ones lucky enough to survive can be seen in museums everywhere.

 Junked American Piston engine fighter planes

Japanese aircraft Graveyard

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin Parasite Fighter

The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin was a parasite fighter developed by the United States during the 1950's. Parasite fighters have all but disappeared today due to the difficulty in deploying them. They were designed to piggy-back on the mothership (usually a bomber). It was to unhook and defend the mothership if it were to be attacked and hook back up using a trapeze mechanism. It was surely a strange if not cute little airplane.

XF-85 goblin docking using a trapeze

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XF-85 Goblin Trapeze Hook

Williams Platform (WASP)

The Williams platform was the pinnacle of personalized aviation concocted by the US military. Even though it was impractical due to the risk of being shot the moment anyone sees you, its legacy lives on! Its engine is still used in cruise missiles today.

Silver Wings of the YB-35 and YB-49

 The flying-wing configuration we see on today's stealth aircraft like the B-2 spirit had been perfected more than half a century ago by pioneering innovators like Jack Northrop. He was instrumental in the development of the YB-35 and the jet powered YB-49 which were the most cutting-edge designs in aviation.

It is interesting to note that America's flying wing bombers were developed during World War 2 as a response requirements which needed aircraft that can bomb Germany from the continental United States.

At that time, they needed a very sleek aircraft that didn't have the drag induced by extra surfaces like the tail section. So they went ahead and developed the most radical bomber design ever to take to the skies!

It was such a shame that these aircraft never saw service due to the behind-the-scenes politics at the time.

Newsreel footage of the YB-49 Taking off

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Horten Ho-229 Flying wing

Ho-229 illustration by Dragon Models

    After the success of the British De Havilland Mosquito, the Nazis weren't so content sitting idly. Herman Goering got so envious that he decided to one-up the English by developing one of the most technologically advanced aircraft to ever take to the skies! What resulted was an aircraft that looked more from science fiction than weapon from World War 2!

A Horten Flying Wing prototype being constructed

The jet powered Horten Ho 229 / Go-229 was developed by the Horten Brothers, who were renowned for designs of "flying wing" aircraft. So capable was this new aircraft design that it was said to be the only entry that could meet Herman Goering's demanding 3x1000 requirement. It was also to be constructed of wood Since by 1944 things weren't looking so good for the Nazis with the Allies advancing on all fronts and scarce resources.

The Hortens promised Herman Goering that their new fighter would deliver the decisive blow to the Allies with its unmatched speed and heavy armament. Weather in its fighter or ground-attack configurations, the Ho-229 could destroy targets with up to a ton of bombs and its 30mm heavy cannons. It was also said to have radar absorption properties that made it hard to detect due to its wooden airframe and radar absorbent paint.

The last remaining Horten Ho-229 flying wing owned by the Smithsonian Museum

Even if it was ahead of its time, lucky for the Allies the war was over before this wonderweapon could see active service. It was amazing how this sleek, wooden, jet-powered fighter managed to be controllable even before computers that stabilize today's flying wing aircraft like the B-2 Spirit. There were also supposed plans of making a strategic bomber version of it.

More Ho-229 photos