Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring instructed the German aircraft machine industry with what is called the ‘3-1000’ objective. Goring needed a plane that could transport 1000kg of bombs (2,200 lb), with a scope of 1000 km (620 miles) and speed of 1000 km/h (620 mph).
The Horten Brothers had been experimenting with flying wing designs in lightweight gliders since the 1930’s. They believed the low-drag of the gliders could be the base for work that would meet Goring’s requests. The wings of the prototype H.IX plane were produced using two carbon infused plywood boards, stuck to each other with a sawdust, resin and charcoal blend.
In 1943, 500,000 Reich Marks was awarded to Horten to assemble and fly a few models of the all-wing and jet-propelled Horten H IX. Subsequently, Horten flew a glider version in March of 1944 but these flying machine did not resemble any current plane being used in the Second World War.
Though Goring was very much inspired with the plane, due to production difficulties and problems mating the engines to the airframe, he transferred the design and build from the Hortens to the German aviation organization Gothaer Waggonfabrik. This later (and remains) the main source of confusion between the Ho 229 and Go 229 designations.
At Goth, the plan experienced a few noteworthy upgrades and modifications but the outcome was the H.IX V2, which was first flown on 2nd February, 1945. The H.IX V2 reportedly displayed very good handling qualities, with only moderate lateral instability (a typical deficiency of tailless aircraft). While the second flight was equally successful, the undercarriage was damaged by a heavy landing caused by Ziller deploying the brake parachute too early during his landing approach. There are reports that during one of these test flights, the H.IX V2 undertook a simulated dog-fight with a Me 262 where the H.IX V2 outperformed the Me 262.
Two weeks later, on 18 February 1945, disaster struck during the third test flight. Ziller took off without any problems to perform a series of flight tests. After about 45 minutes, at an altitude of around 800 m, one of the Jumo 004 turbojet engines developed a problem, caught fire and stopped. Ziller was seen to put the aircraft into a dive and pull up several times in an attempt to restart the engine and save the precious prototype. Ziller undertook a series of four complete turns at 20° angle of bank. Ziller did not use his radio or eject from the aircraft. He may already have been unconscious as a result of the fumes from the burning engine. The aircraft crashed just outside the boundary of the airfield. Ziller was thrown from the aircraft on impact and died from his injuries two weeks later. The prototype aircraft was completely destroyed.
Despite this setback, the project continued with sustained energy. On 12 March 1945, nearly a week after the U.S. Army had launched Operation Lumberjack to cross the Rhine River, the Ho 229 was included in the ‘Jäger-Notprogramm’ (Emergency Fighter Program) for accelerated production of inexpensive ‘wonder weapons’. The prototype workshop was moved to the Gothaer Waggonfabrik (Gotha) in Friedrichroda, western Thuringia where, In the same month, work commenced on the third prototype, the Ho 229 V3.
The V3 was larger than previous prototypes, the shape being modified in various areas, and it was meant to be a template for the pre-production series Ho 229 A-0 day fighters, of which 20 machines had been ordered. The V3 was meant to be powered by two Jumo 004C engines, with 10% greater thrust each than the earlier Jumo 004B production engine used for the Me 262A and Ar 234B, and could carry two MK 108 30 mm cannons in the wing roots. Work had also started on the two-seat Ho 229 V4 and Ho 229 V5 night-fighter prototypes, the Ho 229 V6 armament test prototype, and the Ho 229 V7 two-seat trainer.
During the final stages of the war, the U.S. military initiated Operation Paperclip, an effort to capture advanced German weapons research, and keep it out of the hands of advancing Soviet troops. A Horten glider and the Ho 229 V3, which was undergoing final assembly, were secured for sending to the United States for evaluation. On the way, the Ho 229 spent a brief time at RAE Farnborough in the UK during which it was considered whether British jet engines could be fitted, but the mountings were found to be incompatible with the early British turbojets, which used larger-diameter centrifugal compressors as opposed to the slimmer axial-flow turbojets the Germans had developed. The Americans were just starting to create their own axial-compressor turbojets before the war's end, such as the Westinghouse J30, with a thrust level only approaching the BMW 003's full output.
The only surviving Ho 229 airframe, the V3 and indeed, the only surviving World War II-era German jet prototype still in existence was, until very recently, at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's restoration facility in Suitland, Maryland, USA. In December 2011, the National Air and Space Museum moved the Ho 229 into the active restoration area of the Garber Restoration Facility and it is now almost fully restoration and on public display.
Models of the Horten ‘flying wing’ started with the PM 1/72 version (Single and twin seat) manufactured in Turkey. This very simple kit kit has subsequently appeared in IPC, Pioneer2, MPC, Matchbox and Revell packaging. The first Revell issue was extremely short lived and now almost impossible to find outside the collector’s market as Revell then decided to introduce their own, more complex kit - but initially labelled it as the Goth Go 229 before realising their error, changing it to the Horten IX/Go 229. A third change a few years ago labelled the kit simply as the Horton Go 229 and so it goes?
There are kits in 1/48th, 1/32nd and several flying models from 1/20 up to 1/6th if you have a mortgage agreed with your model shop. For the purposes of this article I will deal with the original PM and final Revell issues and make what comparisons and build options I can....