Show Blonde Aviatrix Arranged Suicide Plane Project for German Victory Hanna Wanna Reitsch's Plan Still Incomplete When Nazi Defeat Ended World War mar II By PAULINE FREDERICK Foreign Correspondent GERMANY Never before in history has so much much of how a war began and how bow it was fought come to light so q quicklY tafter that wars war's end as is happening today in Germany There is not alone the incredible tale that is unfolding in the green-cur- green courtroom here in But a thousand other chapters are being revealed all over this torn country that will eventually complete complete com- com complete the piece f One of these is the story of how the Germans toyed with the idea 1 of developing suicide planes to repel repel re- re pel an invasion fleet in 1943 when I their dreams of world conquest had I come to an end in hi Russia This tale I their lives in some kind of of a mani man- man i propelled flying bomb that would destroy and sink at a ratio of one vessel per flying bomb all the larger naval craft that were so imI important important im im- im- im I port nt in protecting and covering an invasion force Reitsch from the beginning was to be the chief test pilot for such a craft In the death of a thousand of their number th the squadron hoped to save the lives of many thousands But plans had not progressed very far when insuperable obstacles were encountered First Reitsch ReUsch went to authorities and there was met with the impression that the idea was fantastic and the result of hallucinations of people tired of life who were looking for a martyrs martyr's end in the pages of German history She had no better success at the theair theair theair air ministry Then she took the matter mat mat- matter ter to the aeronautical research council After Alter the experts examined the idea they decided it was ble The plan was to install a 2000 f pound torpedo bomb-torpedo in the nose of ofa ofa a plane which would be steered into the water at a certain angle The r k J Iw I- I w v L DIDN'T LIKE IT Adolf Adolf Hitler didn't like Hanna idea for Cor suicide planes He thought it was wasfi r fi German un but finally consented I to have the plans developed impact with the water would kill the pilot instantly and allow the bomb to tear loose from the plane and continue under the keel of the vessel where it would explode with witha a time fuse that would be set in motion upon impact with the water Hitler Lukewarm to Plan Then on February 28 1944 Reitsch ReUsch had a three-hour three conference with Hitler at Berchtesgaden to convince him that he should accept the plan and name the proper leadership The aviatrix had long been convinced con con- vin vinced ed undoubtedly for personal as aswell aswell aswell well as professional reasons that Goering was not the man for his job lob to say nothing of this one Hitler didn't like the self-sacrificing self idea t 4 47 h. h i r F i s q J t F YS y 1 f r. r 45 i S F rl ir IT WAS HIS FAULT Hanna Reitsch lays the failure of the suicide plane project to Hermann lIermann Goering The ex-chief ex of the ex luft f is shown here as he talked to Allied war correspondents in a detent detention tion lion camp His facial expressions were dubbed his injured innocence act t J Q has bas just come to light in intelligence intelligence intelli intelli- g gy gence ence reports released at Frankfurt y and nd the star of the piece is a blonde Ii aviatrix named Hanna Reitsch I Here is the Story B By 1943 a lot of people in Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many including Reitsch had become become become be be- come convinced that only extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary extra extra- ordinary measures could bring the war to a successful end for Ger Ger- many They decided that if any plan for invasion of the continent could be foe destroyed at the beginning Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many could then be safe enough in I. I its continental fortress so that the ther I r Allies would be ready to make peace Therefore a small group of men banded together a suicide squadron who were willing to give of the project because he thought it was un Hun Also he refused refused refused re re- re- re fused to believe that Germanys Germany's situation situation situation situ situ- was so precarious and demanded demanded demanded de de- de- de such unusual measures Hitler finally did say that plans would be developed so that when he hega ga gave ve the order they could be put into operation but until such time as he chose to speak he didn't want to be bothered with the idea any more Meanwhile 70 or 80 men carefully carefully carefully care care- fully s selected had signed the pledge I hereby volunteer as a pilot of the manned glider I Iam Iam Iam am convinced that this action will end with my death I Written Exclusively For Features Tests on a to tobe tobe tobe be launched from the back of a Dormer Dornier Dornier Dor- Dor nier mer in flight were completed in April 1944 When it became apparent apparent apparent ent however th that t production in any quantity could not begin for months it was decided that the V V V-l 1 buzz bomb should be altered sufficiently to take care of the project Perilous Test Flights A pilots pilot's compartment was installed installed installed in in- stalled in the V V-l and other small modifications made and then it was was was' tested There was a high fatality rate among the test pilots but Reitsch came through and and was convinced convinced convinced con con- vinced that this was the weapon that could be used The particular danger in testing these planes was in hi landing them whether as gliders or with a power unit because of the speed and angle at which they came in Ship targets were simulated simulated simulated simu simu- by colored smoke bombs on the ground and dives and approaches approaches approaches ap ap- ap- ap were made to test angles and necessary speeds An intricate aiming device was developed The most important thing that had to be bedone bedone bedone done carefully and accurately was to determine the distance from the ship that the V V-I was supposed to enter the water The size and weight of the ship had to be judged exact exact- ly By a sliding scale on the apparatus before him the pilot was able to select his proper angle and maintain maintain maintain main main- main main- tain it correctly until his plane entered entered entered en en- the water The dive toward the water at a speed probably greater great great- er than miles an hour was to disintegrate the V V-l and give the necessary impetus to the torpedo to continue on through the water until it reached a certain position when the time fuse would automatically set off But the Nazi suicide squad never got into action Even the technical development was not fully complete when the war ended to say nothing of production that would have put the weapon into action Reitsch lays the failure to get the project into operation as well as all other failures of German air power to Goering She says that the spirit with which Goering had infused the was detrimental tal to our project was well known to all of us We needed strong leadership leadership lead lead- tempered with an idealism that matched our own Most of all we needed a leader who saw the present military situation March 1944 in the same degree of precariousness precariousness precariousness as we ourselves saw it I j r y y y f r 4 r jg yN hA l d 4 ry 47 a Hanna Hanna Reitsch describes herself herself herself her her- self as follows Five feet 4 4 inches tall weighs about pounds has blonde hail haiJ with a permanent blue eyes white teeth and a small round face with witha a scar down the center of her nose a well-proportioned well figure is 33 years old and not considered beautiful ul She was a test pilot of German military aircraft and flew the V V-l buzz bomb plane She holds records for flying gliders and other other other oth oth- er types of planes But more than that she was in the bunker under under under un un- der the with Hitler and his entourage during the last days of Berlin and was slated to be a participant in the mass suicide plan worked out by Hitler to be put into effect when the Russians reached the bunker Reitsch However in the early morning hours of April 30 1945 the Fuehrer ordered her and Lt Gen Ritter von Greim who had succeeded succeeded succeeded suc suc- Goering as head of the to leave to accomplish two missions One was to get help to Berlin The other other other oth oth- er was to prevent Heinrich Himmler Himmler Himm Himm- ler whom Hitler had just heard had contacted the Allies to make makepeace makepeace makepeace peace terms from succeeding him as Fuehrer Reitsch was Von Greims Greim's personal pilot As far as is known at this time Hanna Reitsch flew the last plane out of Berlin before it capitulated Because of the conditions of the besieged city at the time she says it is fantastic for anyone to believe believe believe be be- lieve that another plane could have safely spirited Hitler out so that he might be living today |