1935 Original Copy of AP1404a - Hart Aeroplane, In German Hands.

An extremely rare original copy of AP1404A, “The Hart Aeroplane (2- Seater Day Bomber)” Vol1, suggested by some to have been one of only 500 ever printed, this being a 1935 reprint.

Contained withing blue card covers it covers “The constructional features and maintenance of Hart Aeroplanes with  service numbers between (and including) J9933 and K 3054.”

Covering approximately 166 pages with 60 illustrations some in fold out form, it is in excellent condition with all pages in place.

Despite its obvious rarity, this example is I believe unique. It clearly found its way in the hands of the German aircraft maker Blohm & Voss during the days of the rise of the Nazi party and that companies’ expansion from shipbuilding into aircraft design and manufacture. Known at that time as  Hamburger Flugzeugbau, the companies’ stamp appears several time, the spine with their library reference. Whether obtained by commercial of covert means there seems no doubt B&V used the information to aid their work on aircraft development.

With the rise of the Nazi Party to power in 1933, Germany began to rearm and the company became increasingly involved in the programme. Their shipyard built both civilian craft and warships for the government, including the battleship Bismarck, before manufacturing U-boats in quantity.

In 1933 Blohm & Voss was suffering a financial crisis from lack of work. Its owners, brothers Rudolf and Walther Blohm, decided to diversify into aircraft manufacture, believing that there would soon be a market for all-metal, long-range flying boats, especially with the German state airline Deutsche Lufthansa. They also felt that their experience with all-metal marine construction would prove an advantage. They formed the Hamburger Flugzeugbau that summer.

Most of the aircraft built by HFB/B&V would in fact be other companies' designs and major subassemblies, contracted under license, including tens of thousands of aircraft each for Dornier, Heinkel, Junkers and Messerschmitt. Alongside its volume manufacturing the company also maintained its own design office and workshops which continued to develop and build new types throughout the company's life. The first planes it produced were designated with the official RLM company code "Ha".

The aircraft produced by Hamburger Flugzeugbau were still commonly associated with Blohm & Voss and this was causing confusion, so in September 1937 Hamburger Flugzeugbau was renamed Abteilung Flugzeugbau der Schiffswerft Blohm & Voss and the RLM changed its company code to "BV.”

Its most significant designs were flying boats, mainly used by the Luftwaffe for maritime patrol and reconnaissance. Most numerous was the BV 138 Seedrache (initiated as the Ha 138), a twin-boom trimotor, while the BV 222 Wiking was much larger. Largest of all was the BV 238 prototype, the largest aircraft built by any of the Axis forces. Other notable types include the asymmetric BV 141, which was built in moderate numbers but did not enter production.

A truly unique piece