Directly after the fall of Germany in World War II, the occupying Allies were to discover many strange projects that had been seemingly abandoned overnight - and perhaps none stranger was a little factory in Bavaria - more a barn, really - that contained four incomplete craft of a design that baffles us even today.

The stillborn vessels appear to be sailboats - though that name hardly does justice to the design, which owes more to aeronautics than to traditional ideas of wood and canvas. According to the paperwork remnants, the 32 foot craft may have been the design of Wilhelm Emil “Willy” Messerschmitt, though he always denied any connection to Projekt Fledermaus (The Bat Project).

The particulars are fascinating. The vessel’s structure made entirely of aluminum alloy, with a skin of water-proofed fabric, much like a zeppelin. The “sail” was in fact more akin to an airplane wing, including flaps and aerodynamic control surfaces. The hull was a streamlined torpedo, obviously designed for minimal drag, but perhaps the most interesting feature was the outrigger, akin to those found on certain sailing canoes native to the South Pacific. This streamlined bulb served as the “keel” or ballast, and was always maintained to windward, no matter what the course sailed, by virtue of a clever geometry that permitted tacking into the wind by reversing direction of the entire vessel. It is beyond the scope of this article to explain the maneuver in detail, but suffice to say that modern computer analysis has suggested the vessel was capable of sustained speeds of 30 knots over the open ocean.

The Fledermaus was designed to be sailed by a crew of one, who piloted the vessel beneath a bubble canopy reminiscent of a fighter airplane. Accommodations are minimal, and even today we ponder what might have been the mission of this strange aquatic bat. Designed for ultimate speed over the sea, powered by the wind, the craft is too small to carry even minimal armaments, let alone missiles or bombs. The Allies surmise that perhaps the vessel was designed to carry a high level courier, in the event of a complete breakdown in normal communication channels, and even the supply of oil.

There is evidence that there was a fifth vessel, and perhaps one bat was actually sent on a mission - but whatever vital cargo this ship may have carried, and to what destination, remains a mystery.

I don´t sympathize with the nazis, but i´m very impressed by their forward thinking. They where very far ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to technology. If they had been able to get more materials and some more time at the very end of the war, we all would be speaking german now. I had no idea they were developing and building aluminium-proas 1944-45. Very nice picture!

Johannes.

I read that they were built to transport the Reich’s holly relics (e.g. the ark of the covenant), whose supernatural powers interfere with the electrical systems of internal combustion engines.  As a result they were not equipped with radios, lights or any other electronic devices.  Thank you for bringing this lost history back into the light.  ; )

Is this for real?

Sorry, I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s for real or not. It’s about the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

Thanks for reminding me of this, Chris. The research into Nazi occult interests, especially into supernatural “weapons of power” is well documented and even widely distributed thanks to certain Hollywood films. A difficult subject to investigate because all government spokesmen flatly deny the existence of any such weapons.

Was the Fledermaus built to require no electrical power for the reason of the nature of its mysterious cargo? A fascinating question. My source has released more drawings of this enigmatic vehicle - I will post as soon as I can clean them enough to get a good scan.

Note: Die Fledermaus is a work of fiction. No resemblance to persons either living or dead is intended.

Note: Die Fledermaus is a work of fiction. No resemblance to persons either living or dead is intended.

Considering WW2 Stealth fighter and the late WW2 U-boats i would not be surprised by a advanced WW2 alloy proa. I would be a very efficient getaway capsule for high ranking officers and SS-leaders.

I love this concept. I want to build a model to see what could be done along this lines.

Cheers
Johannes

Real or not it’s an interesting concept, do question the use of magnesium in a salt water environment.

Skip.

What a surprising article! Very fascinating.
As Russel said; No matter whether it is for real or not, it is a cool story. Not just the design, it also comes with a cool branding name… I suppose there are no pictures of the actual design? I mean, the posted picture is by Michael, so I’ guessing it is an artist’s interpretation.
Thanks.
Peter

+1 on the magnesium/aluminum structure being a liability in salt water.  Didn’t Herreshoff build an aluminum framed/bronze skinned boat at some point?  It started dissolving as soon as it was splashed.  Maybe with enough zincs…

It is intriguing to think about a laminated wood skin on frame version.  The radial symmetry of the zeppelin hulls might make it possible to make all of the laminated longitudinal ribs on a single mold, with CNCed ring frames. 

I also like the use of a wing with an “elevator” trailing behind it.  It eliminates the need for a sheeting strut.  Also, it looks freaking cool.

Thanks, Johannes, for the link to the stealth fighter.  A plywood flying wing jet?  How cool is that?  Except for the death, destruction and genocide part….

I amended the story above to remove magnesium from the structural skeleton. Thanks to Skip and Chris for the reminder.

The orthographic views of the Fledermaus reveal some interesting design details. As said before, the craft was not intended to come about in the usual sense, but instead swapped ends and reversed direction in order to tack, a maneuver copied from certain South Pacific craft. To facilitate this operation, the rig was free to rotate 360 degrees, and there were two small keg hung rudders, one at each end of the hull. Apparently, only the current aft rudder was used to steer, via a control stick in the cockpit much like an airplane - the forward rudder being locked rigidly in place by a sliding pin.

The outrigger hull contained a daggerboard for lateral resistance, with an approximately “ogive” section, i.e.: symmetrical fore and aft but curved like a wing to provide efficient hydrodynamic “lift”. The outrigger contained a flooding compartment that we presume provided increased ballast and righting moment when required.

The wing sail was certainly the most interesting feature of the design, which preceded the solid wing rigs first used on C-Class racing catamarans by decades. We surmise the sail may have been developed as a consequence of the pilot riding within the craft, with no way to move about on deck, trim or reef, as with a usual sailboat. The wing rig was controlled entirely from within the bubble cockpit. The tailplane adjusts the angle of attack, which is maintained no matter what the course heading. Likewise, the sail camber is adjustable, and reversible, via levers and wires. The “spear” opposite the tailplane contained a lead weighted tip that counterbalanced the tail, permitting the rig to rotate freely on its bearings no matter what the angle of heel.

In planform and construction, the wing resembled a prewar glider, approaching the theoretically ideal parabolic curve. Of some concern is the lack of reefing or furling ability, however, a streamlined wing feathered into the wind shows less windage and drag than the bare mast and rigging of conventional design. Even so, one can only imagine the experience of sailing the Fledermaus through a gale as riding along with the Valkyries.

[quote author=“Luomanen” date=“1354476386"Thanks, Johannes, for the link to the stealth fighter.  A plywood flying wing jet?  How cool is that?  Except for the death, destruction and genocide part….

Hi Folks!

Just a little off topic. The Ho IX, or Go 229 as the production name would have been, was not intended to be a stealth fighter. The flying wing configuration had been chosen for aerodynamic reasons only. The designing Horten Brothers had been interviewed about this topic in Argentina at the times during the design process of the US B2 Bomber. National Geografic made the whole Story on a wrong assumption.

The Stealth Qualities of the HO IX would have been a surprising bonus if this plane has been entered service during WW II. 

Here is the full wrong story on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BbXKh6PU8c

Best regards, Michel

The wing rig was controlled entirely from within the bubble cockpit.

I wonder if any records exist of the cockpit layout.  What did the stick control?  Rudder left to right, and wing elevator forward and back?  I assume that the wing elevator acts like traveler, rotating the rig, and the flap on the main wing is the camber control.  Is that right?

Love the ballast in the tip of the spear for balance.  Nice touch.

chris

Very cool, of course, but I sorta object to being fooled until I read through the whole list of posts. I’m on record for enjoying a piece of fiction and even writing some on occasion, but when the fiction is so realistic and seems like journalism, well, I just don’t think it is all good for our epistemological life, in a world where fantasies are being increasingly passed off as fact-ish. I suppose I should have guessed this right off, because my first thought was, “Hey, this proa could have been designed in the last 20 years!” The Zeppelin hulls are a good touch 😊—Wade