[WorkingClassFilth]

"Actually, most of the German achievements you enumerate are either prototypes or copies of other devices, mostly American."

How so?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some Nazi worshipping revisionist, but, prototypes are inventions and derivations are inventions also.

Who invented radio? Marconi or Tesla?

The point is that American strengths laid in the industrial capacity behind the armed forces. In the realm of stretching the envelope, the Germans led the way.

Perhaps the greatest goal of the post war situation was to cature or recruit German technical minds.

[elbucko]

Perhaps the greatest goal of the post war situation was to capture or recruit German technical minds.

Perhaps. Oh the Krauts aren't dumb. They're great toy makers. But I know my history of technology (I am an engineer) and many of the contraptions you list were built upon other technology not, necessarily German. Many of these technological improvements were the result of metallurgy that made otherwise impossible designs, possible. Such as 24St Aluminum and the cantilever wing.

The real story is the productive might of the United states:

WW2 Aircraft Production Numbers

Country 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
UK 7940 15049 20094 23672 26263 26461 12070
US 2141 6086 19433 47836 85898 96318 46001
USSR 10382 10565 15735 25436 34900 40300 20900 (I don't believe these figures for the Russians.
Germany 8295 10826 12401 15409 24807 40593 7540
Japan 4467 4768 5088 8861 16693 28180 8263

When the US goes from producing 2141 aircraft in 1939 to 46,001 in 1945, that's pretty impressive. And the planes weren't junk that the Germans were producing in 1944. BTW ask Gunther Rahl if he wanted to fly a 1944-45 Folke Wulfe? I've asked him. He didn't like the joke.

[graycamel]

Who invented radio? Marconi or Tesla?

Neither one, it was Mahlon Loomis. He gave up after a series of bad luck (fires, recession) and went into dentistry.