During the waning months of World War II, American troops stumbled upon a remarkable find: a top-secret German facility with an advanced batwing-shaped jet fighter — the Horten 229. This revolutionary aircraft was so ahead of its time that it could have potentially changed the course of the war had Nazi engineers had more time to perfect it.
Now, National Geographic is bringing this intriguing piece of history to life through a documentary that follows a team of historians and engineers as they attempt to rebuild this incredible aircraft. From recreating original design documents to piecing together evidence found on the airfield, viewers will get an up-close look at the challenges and successes in resurrecting this complex project.
The Horten 229 was truly one of a kind due to its distinct aerodynamic shape, which allowed for far greater speed than other fighters from the era. It was also far more agile and boasted advanced avionics systems that would make it virtually invisible to radar detection. With all these features in place, the Horten 229 could potentially have turned the tide against Allied forces if deployed in large numbers.
To truly appreciate how amazing this feat of engineering was, watch National Geographic’s documentary “Rebuilding The Horten 229” and immerse yourself in WWII history like never before! From discovering original documents buried deep beneath rubble to fabricating wings from scratch, follow along as experts bring this mysterious jet back to life and explore what could have been if WWII had taken a different turn.
