How Two Brothers "Impossible" Jet Design Terrified the Allies and Changed Aviation Forever

How did two brothers in a collapsing Nazi Germany build a jet so advanced that it looked like it fell from the future? Discover the unbelievable story of the Horten Ho 229 — the world’s first stealth jet — and how two visionary glider builders created a flying wing that terrified Allied intelligence and changed the course of aviation forever. In this documentary, we explore how Reimar and Walter Horten defied the limits of 1940s technology to design a tailless, radar-evading aircraft powered by jet engines — decades before stealth became reality. From the ruins of the Third Reich to modern stealth bombers like the B-2 Spirit, this is the forgotten origin of invisible flight. Learn about: ✓ How two brothers built the world’s first flying wing using wood and glue ✓ Why the Horten’s shape made it almost invisible to Allied radar ✓ The fatal test flight that proved — and doomed — their invention ✓ How captured Horten blueprints inspired Cold War aircraft design ✓ The connection between the Ho 229 and America’s stealth revolution ✓ What the Smithsonian discovered when engineers rebuilt the aircraft in the 2000s Featuring rare archival research, engineering analysis, and untold details from declassified reports that reveal how the Allies’ most feared secret weapon never made it into battle — but changed aviation forever. SOURCES Primary Historical Documents: – Luftwaffe project files (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, 1943–45) – Allied Technical Intelligence reports, 1945–47 – Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum restoration archives – Operation Paperclip debrief reports on captured jet technology Published Research: – “Horten Ho 229: Spirit of Thuringia” by David Myhra – “German Jet Genesis” by Walter Schick and Ingolf Meyer – Smithsonian Channel: Nazi Secret Weapons Revealed – Declassified radar tests (Northrop Grumman collaboration, 2008) #ww2 #worldwar2 #historydocumentary