Luftwaffe 1946

What if World War II in Europe hadn't ended in May 1945? What if the German regime had not only survived, but actually increased its industrial output of war machines? How might history have been different?

We can only speculate on how different the world might look today if the war had lasted a few years longer, but it is a fact that the German aircraft industry had numerous advanced designs on the drawing boards, and in some instances, actually flying at war's end. In recent years, many of these designs have been made available as plastic scale models. More are appearing almost monthly as the various kit manufacturers, both mainstream and cottage, take advantage of the growing number of hobbyists interested in scale model kits of these remarkable designs.

It is true that many of these proposals would never have flown, having aerodynamic faults that would have necessitated an inordinate amount of testing time, time that the Reich didn't have. Some of the designs were nothing more than doodles sketched on the back of a cocktail napkin, but they were sufficient to illustrate the advanced state of the thinking of German aeronautical engineers of that time. However, it is also true that many more of their designs were so advanced and sound that they would be right at home in today's air forces.

Here is a listing of my personal collection of these "what-if" aircraft; which, had they been mass produced, might have had a significant effect on the outcome of the war.