Germany's Secret Weapons of World War II includes 80 photographs and over 100 artworks of the strange, unique, and often revolutionary weapons developed in Germany during the later years of World War II. The book begins with the development of a range of innovative and sometimes bizarre aircraft types: jets, such as the Heinkel He 162 "People's Fighter"; the futuristic, spacecraft-like Gotha Go 229; rocket-powered aircraft, like the Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet"; and the Ba 349 "Natter" which was fired from a vertical launch rail. Third Reich technologists were also at the forefront of rocket and missile production. The book covers the development of the V1 cruise missile and the V2 ballistic missile, plus the manned V1s of the "Reichenberg" program. On land, the author observes how Hitler's fascination with the gargantuan led to the design and constructing of guns and tanks of overwhelming size: the 80cm railway gun "Gustav" was served by a crew of 2000, and the sectional gun designed to fire shells across the English Channel had a barrel 490ft (150m) long; while the "Maus" heavy tank weighed more than 150 tons! The book is divided into separate chapters covering jet aircraft, rocket-powered aircraft, missiles, artillery, tanks, submarines, and nuclear and biological weapons. Book jacket.