Clint Eastwood, WWII, and Helicopters

[aReformedPatriot]

I'm watching an old Clint Eastwood movied called "Where Eagles Dare." It's pretty awful if you ask me. But there are a couple of scenes in the movie where there exists a helicopter. I am not too sure, but I don't think the Nazi's had helicopters or that helicopter's were even suitable for use in WWII. Am I mistaken?

[kiwimac]

Here Wikipedia is your friend.

In 1931 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1931), Soviet aeronautical engineers Boris Yuriev and Alexei Cheremukhin began experiments with the TsAGI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TsAGI) 1-EA helicopter, the earliest known single lifting rotor helicopter (which had forward and aft anti-torque rotors). It reached an altitude of 605 meters (1,984 ft) on August 14, 1932 with Cheremukhin at the controls. The German Focke-Wulf Fw 61 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_61) was the first production fully controllable helicopter that had its first flight in 1936 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936). The FW-61 broke all world records in 1937. Nazi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism) Germany used the helicopter in combat during WWII (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWII) in small numbers. Models such the Flettner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flettner) FL 282 Kolibri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flettner_Fl_282) were used in the Mediterranean Sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea).
Mass production of the military version of the Sikorsky XR-4 began in May 1942 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1942) for the United States Army (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army) and was used over Burma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma) for rescue duties (http://www.helis.com/stories/burma45.php). It was also used by the Royal Air Force (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force), the first British military unit to be equipped with helicopters being the Helicopter Training School, formed in January 1945 at RAF Andover (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Andover) with nine Sikorsky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_R-4)

Source: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter)

Flettner FL 282

Specifications (Fl 282)

http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/4401-bilder/hubschrauber-dateien/fl282-1.jpg

Picture Source (http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/4401-bilder/hubschrauber.htm)
General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Length: 21 ft 6.25 in (6.65 m)
Main rotor diameter: 39 ft 2 in (11.96 m)
Height: 7 ft 2.5 in (2.20 m)
Main rotor area: 2,418.6 ft² (224.69 m²)
Empty: 1,676 lb (760 kg)
Loaded: lb ( kg)
Maximum takeoff: 2,205 lb (1000 kg)
Powerplant: 1x Bramo Sh 14A 7-Cylinder radial piston engine, 160 hp (119 kW)
Performance

Maximum speed: 93 mph (150 km/h)
Range: 106 miles (170 km)
Service ceiling: 10,825 ft (3300 m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Main rotor loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m&sup2:)
Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

[aReformedPatriot]

Well how about that. :)

[MrJim]

Yeah, I never knew and thought I was pretty well versed on WW2.

[kiwimac]

I do have an advantage. I help moderate a WW2 Aircraft site.

Kiwimac

[MrJim]

I do have an advantage. I help moderate a WW2 Aircraft site.

Kiwimac

Coool, though the P51 was probably the superior plane I'll always think Corsairs rule.

<<former marine-Pappy Boyington fan>>