Viktor Schauberger and the Flying Saucers of Nazi Germany

Continued: ...Heinkel clearly did not act on the early information it got from the Repulsine research, continuing instead on the development of its own jet aircraft projects and turbojets in competition with its bitter rival Messerschmitt. However, one year later in 1941, with Schauberger working on aircraft engine liquid cooling systems for Messerschmitt, one of Heinkel’s own personnel, Flugkapitan Rudolf Schriever came up with the idea of a “Flugkreisel” (Flight Gyro) that did not rely on Schauberger’s discoid motor but on developing turbojet technology. Schriever later claimed that the inspiration for his design originated with the discus sporting event observed by him at the 1936 Nazi Olympics, but this is doubtful given that his employer Heinkel was researching the Schauberger motor the same year as Schriever’s idea came to him. Naturally, the SS responded to Schriever’s proposal by taking control of it while Schauberger continued work on perfecting the Repulsine A model at Mauthausen along with 20-30 prisoner engineers.

Schriever produced the first drawings of the Flugkreisel in 1941. Now some accounts state that the first Flugkreisel flew under jet power in June 1942 but that is highly unlikely given the fact that the only available jets for the project would be Heinkel’s HeS 8A centrifugal jets or early Junkers Jumo 004A turbojets which were not reliable enough to power such an exotic design as the Flugkreisel. The early BMW 003A jets were also discounted for this reason.
The Flugkreisel itself was a large disc-fan of 20 meters diameter with 21 rotor blades that surrounded a hemispherical cockpit. Attached to the underside of the of the disc rotor were three jet engines that spun the rotor like a helicopter for VTO. Once in the air, two other lower body jets were attached to each side allowing the disc to achieve level flight. In Schriever’s postwar drawings one can clearly see that the jets depicted are not German conventional ones for the time period. While some illustrators depict BMW 003 and Jumo 004 jet engines in place, the engines were in fact kerosene burning jet turbines of immense power which places its true first flight well into 1943 or beyond. By that time, BMW had gained knowledge of the Projekt and started internal development of their own “Flugelrad” (Winged Wheel) series of jet auto-gyros that superficially resembled the Flugkreisel but on a much reduced scale and powered by strictly BMW 003 jet engines. This is where the confusion begins on what constituted the Flugkreisel project. Postwar interpretations of the two different craft mix the programs together which has led to discrediting the Flugkreisel altogether as a real machine that flew during the war.

The SS, however, continued with “Projekt Flugkreisel” despite the early machine’s disappointing flight performance and instability at low altitude. Therefore, the SS brought in three other prominent specialists to aid in the Flugkreisel Projekt: Dr. Richard Miethe, Klaus Habermohl, and an Italian- Dr. Giuseppe Belluzzo from the Riva Del Garda facility. Six other unnamed engineers also participated in the secret project. Along with the Schriever early designs the three primary specialists produced concepts of their own within months. Habermohl proposed a large rotor disc with hemispherical cockpit on top and powered by a WalterRohr (Walter Rocket Pipe) deflector below. This design was rejected as impractical. Dr. Giuseppe Belluzzo’s designs aren’t well known but his involvement in another Italian jet disc project, his Turbo Proietti (Turbine Projectile) that would serve as circular flying artillery, later removed him from the Flugkreisel Projekt entirely. So it was left up to Dr. Richard Miethe to design the replacement disc. Dr. Miethe came up with various initial jet designs of a large diameter disc with a tear drop cabin on top and bulbous body below powered by multiple jets running along the lower body sides in a staggered formation. Other designs placed turbojets directly on the solid disc underneath while others even had the jets protruding from the rear upper disc body.
A solution needed to be found as all the jet designs were problematic at best.

Dr. Miethe found the solution when word came of Schauberger’s completion of the Repulsin B model discoid motor in 1943 and its radical vortex propulsion system that could be reasonably enlarged into a manned disc of incredible power. Work proceeded right away and by April 1944 the Miethe craft constructed in Breslau took off for flight tests over the Baltic. It was reported to Hitler on April 17, 1944 by the SS that the Miethe disc had successfully flown. So what happened to Schriever’s original Flugkreisel? Destined for the scrap heap, the disc-fan was saved by transferring it to Prag-Kbley where BMW was testing out the Flugelrad models. Georg Klein claimed to have seen the strange craft at the aerodrome in 1945 and his description of a large disc-fan powered by 5 jet engines that produced a tremendous roar proves it was there. None of the BMW Flugelrads were powered by 5 jet engines and none were located anywhere on the Flugelrads except inside the disc body, not attached to the disc rotor and lower body sides as with the Flugkreisel. It is further stated that in February 1945 the Flugkreisel attained a top speed of 1,300 mph and a climb to 45,000 ft in two minutes! The Flugelrads by comparison could barely get off the ground, were highly unstable, and made frequent “hard” landings. Only one BMW Flugelrad II V-2 (or V-3) finally achieved powered level flight in April 1945 just before all the Flugelrads and Schriever’s Flugkreisel were destroyed in the Russian advance. Miethe’s disc was at Breslau and its fate is unknown but was probably destroyed by the SS on orders from Berlin.

Postwar Schriever continued to make claims about his Flugkreisel being taken out of his hands and offered his non-patented designs to the Americans he worked for (as a delivery driver for the US Army). No one took him seriously and he died shortly thereafter. In his apartment was discovered many designs for disc aircraft including his original Flugkreisel. As for the other “Projekt Flugkreisel” specialists, their fates are known. Habermohl was captured by the Russians and forced to produce a secret disc design for the USSR which still remains unknown. Dr. Belluzzo remained in Italy, his round bomb Turbo Proietti forgotten. Dr. Miethe was offered a position as team leader of AVRO Canada’s disc development programs which he accepted.

AVRO Canada had tried to persuade Viktor Schauberger to join Miethe in producing a disc aircraft but he declined and stayed in Leonstein, Austria. The Russians and Americans had taken away all his Repulsins and documents, the US finally forcing him to sign over everything to them in 1958 after a short visit to the US. Why? Because Schauberger did not want to build a disc war machine. He only wanted his vortex technology applied to peaceful projects. The US took his work from him and sent him home heartbroken. He died shortly thereafter. It would seem that Miethe by himself could not replicate the Schauberger propulsion system so instead he resorted to designing Canadian discs powered by jets based on Henri Coanda’s lenticular disc design. Dr. Miethe left AVRO Canada for the US and produced the first US non-VTOL disc aircraft which were at one time at MacDill AB. Like Viktor Schauberger, Rudolf Schriever never had any real control over his disc design. They both died while others took credit for their ideas and work. Rob Arndt, v-2005/01/10

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