The Heinkel He 162 "Salamander" — also known as the Volksjäger (People's Fighter) — was one of the most audacious engineering achievements of the Second World War: a single-engine jet fighter designed, built, and flown in under 90 days, constructed largely of wood due to wartime aluminium shortages. This collection brings together 12 original German-language primary source documents covering the He 162 A variant, its armament systems, and a series of rare technical and flight performance reports from the final months of the war.

Definitive Collection with Free Lifetime Updates: This is a living collection that we continuously expand and refine. As we acquire additional He 162 documentation, technical bulletins, or variant-specific materials, we update this collection and provide free lifetime updates to all purchasers. Your one-time purchase guarantees access to all future additions and improvements to this collection.

Historical Note

Conceived in September 1944 under an emergency RLM specification demanding a 750 km/h jet fighter producible by semi-skilled labour, the He 162 was Heinkel's response to Germany's desperate strategic situation. The prototype flew on 6 December 1944 — just 69 days after design approval — powered by a BMW 109-003 axial-flow turbojet mounted dorsally above the fuselage. The aircraft's wooden construction, bonded with the notoriously brittle Tego-Film adhesive, contributed to several early structural failures, including the fatal crash of the V2 prototype during a public demonstration at Vienna-Schwechat.

Despite its rushed development, the He 162 A-2 demonstrated extraordinary performance: a maximum speed of 890–905 km/h at 6,000 metres, making it one of the fastest aircraft of the war. Its handling characteristics, however, were treacherous. Engineers at Rechlin enlarged the tail fins by 30% to address directional instability, and Heinkel added distinctive 9-inch downward-angled wingtips — the so-called "Lippisch ears" — to counter a dangerous tip-stall tendency without redesigning the wing. Post-war evaluation flights by pilots including Eric "Winkle" Brown at Farnborough confirmed the aircraft's extreme control sensitivity: deflecting the rudders beyond three-quarter travel risked catastrophic tail failure.

Approximately 320 He 162s were completed before the war's end, with JG 1 operating the type operationally from March 1945. Surviving examples are held at the RAF Museum Cosford, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris.

Manuals Included in This Collection

Variant A — Aircraft Handbooks (2 documents)

• He 162 A Aircraft Handbook — He 162 A Aircraft Construction Description, Baubeschreibung (German Language)
• He 162 A Flight Manual — He 162 A Flight Operating Instructions Manual, Bedienungsvorschrift Fl (German Language)

Non-Variant Manuals — Aircraft Handbook (1 document)

• He 162 Aircraft Handbook — He 162 Aircraft Construction Description, Baubeschreibung (German Language)

Non-Variant Manuals — Armament (4 documents)

• MK 108 Aircraft Machine Cannon — Flugzeugmaschinenkanone Mk 108 (German Language)
• MG 131-/151 D 3 AL Heavy Machine Gun Weapon Manual — MG 131-151 D 3 AL Waffen-Handbuch 1941 (German Language)
• MG 151 and MG 151/20 Aircraft Cannon Weapon Manual — MG 151 und 151/20 Waffen-Handbuch (German Language)
• Revi 16B Reflex Gunsight Manual — Waffen-Handbuch (German Language)

Non-Variant Manuals — Technical Reports & Certificates (5 documents)

• He 162 Jet Fighter Test Flight and Production Status Report — Aktenvermerk Nr. 11/45 - Besuch GdJ und Kdo. Nowotny (German Language)
• He 162 Jet Fighter Development Report with HeS 11 Engine — 162 Strahljäger mit HeS 11 - Bericht 109/44 (German Language)
• He 162 Jet Fighter Flight Performance Report with Jumo 004 Engine — He 162 Flugleistungen mit Jumo 004 - Bericht Nr. 2 (German Language)
• He 162 V1 Aircraft Accident Investigation Report — Unfall des Flugzeuges 8-162 V1 - Aktenvermerk Nr. 1 (German Language)
• Heinkel P 1073 Jet Fighter Project Development Report — P 1073 Strahljäger - Bericht 105/44 (German Language)

This collection spans the He 162's operational documentation, armament systems, and internal engineering reports from 1944–1945, providing an unparalleled primary-source archive of Germany's emergency jet fighter programme.

Engineering Norms and Standards

The He 162 was developed under RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) emergency specifications issued in September 1944, with an unprecedented 90-day design-to-flight mandate. Engineering standards reflected wartime material constraints: primary structure used spruce and birch plywood bonded with Tego-Film phenolic adhesive, with aluminium reserved for the engine nacelle and critical load-bearing fittings. The BMW 109-003E-1/E-2 powerplant produced approximately 800 kg (1,760 lbs) of static thrust from an axial-flow compressor design. Performance specifications called for a maximum speed of 790 km/h at sea level and 890–905 km/h at 6,000 metres, with a combat endurance of 30 minutes at low altitude. Take-off roll requirements of 1,350–1,470 metres reflected the aircraft's poor lift coefficient at rotation. Armament was standardised around the 30mm MK 108 cannon, with provisions for MG 151/20 installations in some variants. The dorsal engine mounting — unique among production jet fighters — necessitated the first operational deployment of an ejection seat in Luftwaffe service.

Format and Delivery

All documents are delivered as high-resolution PDF files, optimised for both screen reading and printing. Files are organised by document type and variant for straightforward navigation. Instant download upon purchase — no shipping, no waiting.

Disclaimer

All documents in this collection are historical primary sources provided for research, archival, and educational reference only. These materials reflect engineering and operational standards of their era and should not be used as guidance for any current aviation activity. Trade names, designations, and markings are used for historical identification purposes only. Copyright © Sicuro Publishing.