Heinkel-178
The first stages of aircraft gas-turbine developments in Germany date from about 1935. In this year the following two projects were initiated.
Von Ohain, a student at Gottingen, working under Professor Pohl, made preliminary design studies of gas-turbine propulsion systems utilizing a radial compressor and a radial turbine. Heinkel took over the project, with von Ohain in charge, in 1936. This project was the forerunner of the Heinkel-Hirth 011.
Herbert Wagner made design studies of several gas-turbine propulsion systems utilizing an axial compressor forJunkers-Magdeburg. Both turbojet and turboprop were considered, but the turbojet received the preference due to its application to high-speed fighters.
The first turbojet airplane to fly under its own power was the Heinkel-178, with an HeS3 jet engine. The flight took place on 27 August 1939.
In general, the German jet-propulsion program was aimed at a quick victory. The turbojet units in their first 4-year program were frozen too quickly with the idea of a short war. The longer range program had chief emphasis on long-range transport which they had visualized as one of their chief postwar problems. The German freezing of their first turbojet units and the prolongation of the war enabled greater American facilities for mass production, superior materials and manufacturing technique to overtake their development in turbojets.
