New book from the bestselling author of “Unknown Messerschmitt” and “Unknown Sukhoi”! The only biography of the great aircraft designer, restoring the history of all Ernst Heinkel's projects, from the first airplanes that flew at the same time as the creations of the Wright brothers, to the jet fighters of World War II. Only two geniuses were awarded the highest prize in the field of aircraft engineering (analogous to the Nobel Prize) - Messerschmitt and Heinkel, whose fierce rivalry became the engine of the German aviation industry. And although the He 112 lost the competition to the legendary Messer Bf 109, many experts prefer the Heinkel fighter. His planes have repeatedly broken world speed records. His trouble-free He 111 was the main bomber of the Luftwaffe from the first to the last day of the war. His He 219 is considered the most effective night interceptor of the Reich. And the He 162 jet "Volksseger" ("people's fighter"), developed in record time, became a continuation of work begun long before the war - Heinkel is credited with creating the first rocket and jet aircraft in history, the He 176 and He 178, which flew into the air even in the summer of 1939, but were not appreciated by the leadership of the Third Reich. Being a professor of aircraft engineering himself, having become interested in Heinkel’s work during his student years, when he studied the design features of the He 111 in the MAI laboratory, the author of this book does not simply retell the biography of the great aircraft designer, who became the forerunner of the jet era, but professionally analyzes all his projects, his victories and failures, masterpieces and failures, ups and downs.