![]() ![]() No matter what it is, it’s not the reader’s job to make excuses for the writer and publisher! It is either arrogance to think an author or editor don’t have to look stuff up, or ignorance to not realize that they’d better! Or laziness. The Scheuch-Schlepper (tractor) is a contraption derived from an agricultural machine named after its maker, Scheuch. And using the term Scheuschlepper (translated here as “shy tug” -what the heck could that possibly mean?) is a case of the blind leading the blind. Or why call a particular propellant C-Stoff (substance C) in a photo caption but Z-Stoff in the text? Only the former is listed in the Index and what complicates matters is that both, and a dozen more, actually exist in the aerospace world. On the one hand it sounds pedantic to use this particular example, on the other hand it is probably indicative of bigger issues: ask yourself how serious can a book about German rocket science be that can’t even get Wernher von Braun’s name spelled right one single time? (There are countless cases of problems with foreign words and names.) If we divide the possible audience for a book such as this into experts and novices, the former will only have to take a quick look at it to know that this claim is unsupportable, and the latter will internalize bits that are just “off” enough to raise flags or, in the case of several minor matters such as spellings (or nomenclature, specs), outright wrong. If this sounds like a large topic, it is, and a very great deal has been published in this field especially in recent years.īy advertising this book as “providing unrivalled insight into the aircraft that made Germany an almost indomitable enemy,” the publisher paints itself into a corner. Not many went beyond the design stage and fewer still became operational. All told, Germany produced on the order of 200 designs using either jet propulsion, rockets, or a mixture of piston and jet engines. Using 11 machines as examples, well-known aviation author Treadwell highlights German efforts during World War II to explore new mechanisms for propulsion and discuss them in the context of all the other required innovations in regards to everything from tire rubber to airframes to fuel, not to mention piloting skills. Rocket and Jet Aircraft of the Third ReichĬonsider this relatively slim volume a quick overview and you won’t be disappointed by the level of magnification-although there are several other things to be disappointed by.
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