Project Natter
The Last WW2 Wonder Weapon – Project Natter.
As World War II drew to a close, the Luftwaffe was faced with overwhelming Allied air superiority. In a desperate response the German engineer Erich Bachem developed the Bachem Ba 349 Natter (“Viper“), a rocket-driven vertical takeoff plane intended for interceptor duties. The Natter was ahead of its time, making history on 1 March 1945 with the first vertical takeoff of a manned rocket-powered aircraft – though the experiment proved fatal for test pilot Lothar Sieber.