German WWII Aviator Pressure Suits

[Dynoman]

Reading another thread on the Natter led me to think that this may be an interesting topic of discussion. German pressure suits designed during WWII for high altitude aircraft. Draeger was a leading manufacturer of pressure suits, beginning with underwater pressure suits for divers. Here are a few wartime Draeger suits. A link to Under the Waves, above the Clouds. http://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/2103/1/lunen_diss.pdf

 

[Dynoman]

Horten flying wing pilot wearing pressure suit.

 

[ArmchairSamurai]

Very interesting link, thank you

 

[klem]

Development of Sub-Stratosphere Pressure Suits in the German Air Force.(Air technical sevice command report. 11-08-1945)

 

[riggerrob]

Draeger got their start building breathing apparatus for German coal-miners. Later they also got into the business of making diving equipment.
A Natter pilot would need to pre-breath pure oxygen for half an hour before each flight to avoid getting "bent" during his rapid ascent. Divers and pilots get "bent" when the nitrogen in their blood bubbles out. It is painful and can do long term damage that can end a diving career. At the top of his arc, he would still need to breath oxygen or compressed air to remain conscious.

They would need to pre-breath oxygen or wear pressure suits.

 

[Nik]

"A Natter pilot would need to pre-breath pure oxygen for a half {hour ?} before each flight to avoid getting "bent" during his rapid ascent. "

Uh-huh. Given those Natters were intended for 'Point Defence', with severely limited cross-range, I can sorta visualise their crews sat in their suits, helmets open, wearing 'hospital' masks, just waiting for the alert to sound, yet again, yet again...

Yes, they might sip a little ersatz coffee and listen to the official radio channel, but smoking would be strictly prohibited...

 

[archipeppe]

Draeger got their start building breathing apparatus for German coal-miners. Later they also got into the business of making diving equipment.
A Natter pilot would need to pre-breath pure oxygen for a half before each flight to avoid getting "bent" during his rapid ascent. Divers and pilots get "bent" when the nitrogen in their blood bubbles out. It is painful and can do long term damage that can end a diving career. At the top of his arc, he would still need to breath oxygen or compressed air to remain conscious.

It is silly.
How much accelerated the Natter during launch?
More than actual spacecraft?

Astronauts breathe pure oxygen only before accomplish an EVA and never before launch.

Natter was undoubtely fast, but reached very quickly is terminal velocity and wasn't at all intended to reach the Stratosphere. A Draeger suit was more realistic for a stratospheric bomber or, even better, manned A9/A10 and Silbervogel.

 

[Larshaas2108]

wow this is awesome, i knew about the Dräger pressure suit for the horten 229 but i thought that was a one off thing.
very cool there is an entire line of them.
what is the model of the test pilot of the horten 229? the suit itself looks a bit different from the model 229.

 

[edwest4]

In the book Nurflügel by Reimar Horten and Peter F. Selinger, there is a photo of a pilot in the H IX V-1 wearing a höhendruckanzug or high pressure suit on page 139. Other photos show the helmet but there is a missing piece that attaches to the front as seen on the Model 229, above. In the book Suiting up for Space by Lloyd Mallan, he states that the Germans had developed pressure suits for regular use above 40,000 feet.

 

[!Mark]

In the book Nurflügel by Reimar Horten and Peter F. Selinger, there is a photo of a pilot in the H IX V-1 wearing a höhendruckanzug or high pressure suit on page 139. Other photos show the helmet but there is a missing piece that attaches to the front as seen on the Model 229, above. In the book Suiting up for Space by Lloyd Mallan, he states that the Germans had developed pressure suits for regular use above 40,000 feet.

If that's impressive for Germany during WW2, how impressive is the pressurized suit that Mario Pezzi used to reach an altitude of 15655 metres (about 51361 feet) on May 8th 1937?
And what kind of Luft46 wunderwaffen electric boogaloo is the pressurized cabin that he used on October 22nd 1938, instead of the suit, to reach 17083 (about 56046 feet)?

See this post of mine for reference:

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/space-suit-prototypes-like-grumman-moon-suit-republic-etc.5714/post-560042

I'm not mad at you of course, I'm criticizing people who take things out of context and make them seem like alien technology when in fact they are part of the natural evolution of things.

 

[Dynoman]

in fact they are part of the natural evolution of things.

Here is a translation by the USAAF in August 1945 of the Draeger Works suit development. Document is referenced above in #4.