Anton Hubert
Horten
* 05.03.1838 Kempen
+ 23.10.1903 Leipzig 		Sidonie Sophie Eugenie
Kreuser
* ?
+ ?

Maximilian ("Max") Joseph Heinrich
Horten

Orientalist, Professor in Bonn, Bibliotheksrat in Breslau

* 07.05.1874 Elberfeld
+ 02.07.1945 Dietingen


Kinder mit: ? :

Walther
Horten
* 13.11.1913 Bonn
+ ?9.12.1998 Baden-Baden
Pilot und Flugzeugkonstrukteur, Fa. Nurflügel 		Reimar
Horten
* 03.12.1915 Bonn
+ 14.03.1994 Villa General Belgrano, Agrgentinien
Pilot und Flugzeugkonstrukteur, Fa. Nurflügel
oo NN 		Wolfram
Horten
* 03.03.1912 Bonn
+ 20.05.1940 nabij Duinkerke
[Tochter]
Horten
* ? 		? ?
Quellen:
- Seine eigene Seite bei Wikpedia: "Max Horten Maximilian Joseph Heinrich Horten (* 7. Mai 1874 in Elberfeld; † 2. Juli 1945 in Dietingen) war ein bedeutender deutscher Orientalist aus der Unternehmerfamilie Horten. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Werk 3 Schriften 4 Literatur 5 Einzelnachweise 6 Weblinks Leben Max Horten war Bibliotheksrat und Professor für orientalische Sprachen in Bonn. Er war der ältere Bruder der Ordensgeistlichen Titus Maria und Timotheus Maria (bürgerlich Paul) Horten, sowie Onkel des Kaufmannes Helmut Horten sowie des Politikers Alphons Horten. Max Horten studierte von 1893 bis 1898 Theologie, Philosophie und Orientalische Sprachen in Freiburg im Üechtland. Von 1898 bis 1900 unternahm er Orientreisen, nach Jerusalem, Ägypten und Syrien. Er promovierte an der École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem in Jerusalem und der Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut. Von 1900 bis 1904 absolvierte er ein Studium der Philosophie und der Orientalischen Sprachen an der Universität Bonn. 1904 erfolgte eine weitere Promotion, 1906 die Habilitation sowie der Beginn der Tätigkeit als Privatdozent an der Universität Bonn. Ab 1913 war er Titularprofessor und von 1922 bis 1929 nichtbeamteter außerordentlicher Professor in Bonn.[1] Von 1929 bis 1935 war Horten als Bibliotheksrat an der Universitätsbibliothek Breslau beschäftigt.[2] Von 1930 bis 1935 hatte er zudem an der Universität Breslau eine nichtbeamtete außerordentliche Professur.[3] Zum 1. Mai 1933 trat er in die NSDAP ein (Mitgliedsnummer 1.871.595).[4] 1935 wurde er in den Ruhestand versetzt.[1] Werk Horten gehörte mit Joseph Müller, Friedrich Heinrich Dieterici, Ignaz Goldziher und T. J. de Boer einer Generation deutscher Islamwissenschaftler an, die eine grundlegende systematische Aufarbeitung der arabischen Philosophie und Theologie versuchten. Horten hat mehrere der wichtigsten Texte arabischer Philosophie ins Deutsche übersetzt – meist jedoch nicht im Sinne heutiger textkritischer Standards.[5] Horten verfügte über indologische Kenntnisse und hat verschiedentlich Hypothesen bezüglich eines Einflusses indischen Denkens auf die arabische Philosophie und Theologie vertreten, die heute oftmals kritisch gesehen werden. Insbesondere war Horten davon ausgegangen, dass die islamische Mystik (tasawwuf) nicht genuinen, sondern indischen Ursprungs sei. Als katholischer Theologe war er auch mit der lateinischen Scholastik vertraut und legte vor diesem Hintergrund verschiedene Studien zum Verhältnis von Glaube und Vernunft im Islam vor. Schriften Zeitschrift für Assyriologie 18 (1905), 257-300; 20 (1907), 16-48; 303-357; 28 (1914), 113-146. Das Buch der Ringsteine al-Farabis, Münster : Aschendorff 1906. Die Metaphysik Avicennas: das Buch der Genesung der Seele, Leipzig 1907; Frankfurt am Main 1960 Die philosophischen Ansichten von Rázi und Tusi mit einem Anhang. Die griechischen Philosophen in der Vorstellungswelt von Rázi und Tusi, 1910 Die Philosophie des Abu Raschid (um 1068), aus dem Arabischen übersetzt und erläutert von Max Horten, Bonn : Peter Hanstein 1910. Die philosophischen Systeme der spekulativen Theologen im Islam : nach Originalquellen dargestellt, Bonn : Cohen 1912. Die Philosophie der Erleuchtung nach Suhrawardi († 1191), Halle a. S. : Niemeyer 1912. Die spekulative und positive Theologie im Islam nach Rázi und Tusi, 1912 (Digitalisat) Die Metaphysik des Averroes, 1912 Mystische Texte aus dem Islam : drei Gedichte des Arabi 1240, aus dem Arab. übers. und erl. von M. Horten, Bonn : Marcus und Weber 1912 (Kleine Texte für Vorlesungen und Übungen 105) Digitalisat Die Hauptlehren des Averroes nach seiner Schrift: Die Widerlegung des Gazali, Bonn 1913. Das philosophische System von Schirazi († 1640), übersetzt und erläutert, Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Orients, zwanglose Beihefte zu der Zeitschrift „Der Islam“, 2. Heft, Strassburg: Trübner 1913. Texte zu dem Streite zwischen Glauben und Wissen im Islam : die Lehre vom Propheten und der Offenbarung bei den islamischen Philosophen Farabi, Avicenna und Averroes, Bonn : Marcus und Weber 1913 Avicennas Lehre vom Regenbogen nach seinen Werk al-Shifâ, in: Meteorologische Zeitschrift 30/13, 533-544 Die kulturelle Entwicklungsfähigkeit des Islam auf geistigem Gebiete, Bonn 1915. Die islamische Geisteskultur, Leipzig : Veit & Co. 1915 Mohammedanische Glaubenslehre der Katechismen des Fudali und Sanusi, Bonn : Marcus und Weber 1916. Mohammed Abduh, sein Leben und seine theologisch-philosophische Gedankenwelt, in: Beiträge zur Kenntnis des Orients 13-14, Halle 1916 Kleine türkische Sprachlehre. Groos, Heidelberg, 1916 Die religiöse Gedankenwelt des Volkes im heutigen Islam, 1917–18 Die Philosophie des Islam in ihren Beziehungen zu den philosophischen Weltanschauungen des westlichen Orients, 1924 (Geschichte der Philosophie in Einzeldarstellungen ) Art. Falsafa, in: Enzyklopädie des Islam, Bd. 2 (1927), 49-54 Indische Strömungen in der islamischen Mystik, Teil 1: Zur Geschichte und Kritik, Heidelberg : Winter ; Harrassowitz [in Komm.] 1927 (Materialien zur Kunde des Buddhismus 12) Indische Strömungen in der islamischen Mystik, Teil 2: Lexikon wichtigster Termini der islamischen Mystik : terminologische Untersuchungen zu grundlegenden Texten islamischer Frühmystik in Persien um 900, Heidelberg : Winter ; Harrassowitz [in Komm.] 1928 (Materialien zur Kunde des Buddhismus 13) Der Islam in seinem mystisch-religiösen Erleben. 1928 (Religiöse Quellenschriften 48) Die spekulative und positive Theologie des Islam, 1967 Literatur Deutsches Biographisches Archiv (DBA), II 618,179-181;III 419,90 Wilhelm Kosch: Das katholische Deutschland : biographisch-bibliographisches Lexikon / von Wilhelm Kosch. - Augsburg : Haas & Grabherr, 1933-1938. - 3 Bde Degeners Wer ist's? : eine Sammlung von rund 18 000 Biographien mit Angaben über Herkunft, Familie, Lebenslauf, Veröffentlichungen und Werke, Lieblingsbeschäftigung, Mitgliedschaft bei Gesellschaften, Anschrift und anderen Mitteilungen von allgemeinem Interesse / begründet und herausgegeben von Herrmann A. L. Degener. - 10. Ausgabe, vollkommen neu bearb. und bedeut. erw. - Berlin : Degener, 1935 Verzeichnis der Professoren und Dozenten der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Bonn 1818–1968 / hrsg. v. Otto Wenig. - Bonn : Bouvier, 1968 Ernest Wolf-Gazo: Contextualizing Averroës within the German Hermeneutic Tradition, in: Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics 16, Averroës and the Rational Legacy in the East and the West (1996), 133-163. O. Spies: Max Horten, in: Bonner Gelehrte 8 (1970), 327-29. F. Sezgin (Hg.): Bibliographie der deutschsprachigen Arabistik und Islamkunde, Frankfurt a. M., Bd. 14, 531-38. Einzelnachweise Ekkehard Ellinger: Deutsche Orientalistik zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus 1933–1945. Deux-Mondes-Verlag, Edingen-Neckarhausen 2006, S. 493. Ekkehard Ellinger: Deutsche Orientalistik zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus 1933–1945. Deux-Mondes-Verlag, Edingen-Neckarhausen 2006, S. 132. Ekkehard Ellinger: Deutsche Orientalistik zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus 1933–1945. Deux-Mondes-Verlag, Edingen-Neckarhausen 2006, S. 160. Ekkehard Ellinger: Deutsche Orientalistik zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus 1933–1945. Deux-Mondes-Verlag, Edingen-Neckarhausen 2006, S. 36. Zur Kritik vgl. Sabine Schmidtke: Neuere Forschungen zur Mu'tazila, in: Arabica 45 (1998), 379-408, 388 und die dortige Literatur."
- Nurflügel ZU DEN SÖHNEN: "History Reimar Horten, an aerodynamic genius We owe our success to Dr. Reimar Horten who is considered the father of the flying wing. He was with us from the beginning and we have named our company HORTEN Aircraft® in his honor. Before and during the Second World War Reimar Horten and his brother Walther were considered the top secret "men of hope" of the German Luftwaffe. For the first time we have built a viable company in order to market the flying wing. Four different flying wing designs were in mass production by the end of the war. After the war ended the Allies prohibited further flying wing development in Germany. But the United States continued research of its own with Northrop`s flying wings. Years later NorthropGrumman built the well known B-2 bomber. Decades ahead of his time Reimar Horten guided us in the design and the construction of the PUL 9 and the PUL 10. His dream was to make the flying wing available to the public. With this in mind he encouraged the Italian company NIKE Aeronautica to join us. Its owner, Dr. Giampiero Fabbri is part of our team. This is the story of Dr. Horten, an aerodynamic genius who was so far ahead of his time that for decades the world was not ready for his revolutionary designs. But as you will see it reads like a Hollywood story, one from which you may benefit from the happy ending. Walter Horten, his most important companion Most of the ideas for tailless aircraft were Reimar Horten`s. His brother Walter was a gifted negotiator who secured support from the German Air Ministry. We wish to acknoledge Walter`s efforts which were instrumental in making possible the many years of research and developement of the Horten flying wings. Reimar Horten died at the age of 78 in Argentina in 1993. We believe that he knew that one day HORTEN Aircraft® would fulfill his dream and we are confident that his vision will be his eternal legacy. The years Before World War II Workshop in the dining room The Horten Brothers, Reimar (born December 03, 1915) and Walther (born November 13, 1913) were the two sons of Professor Dr. Max Horten who was an instructor of Oriental Culture at the University of Bonn. The early 20th century was an exciting time for aviation, as almost everything was new. The aviation world was open to new ideas on how to build a flying machine. At the age of 14, Reimar Horten was convinced that the most efficent aircraft would be all wing and this set the course for his life`s work. The brothers were blessed with parents who always supported their efforts. Their activities began in Bonn, Germany about 1930 and were carried out in their Venusbergweg family home. Prize: 600 Reichsmark at the Rhön glider contest Their first man carrying flying wing was named the H I. In1934 it received a prize of 600 Reichsmark at the Rhön glider contest. The next glider, the H II was completed in 1935. The flight tests proved that the bell shaped lift distribution was the key to safe flight. A demonstration flight of a motorized version in 1936 attracted the attention of the "Reichsluftfahrtministerium". Even though during this flight the propeller shaft broke and the propeller fell off, Walther Horten made a safe landing right in front of the hanger. Impressed by this, Major Dinort gave the order to build three powered H II`s in the hangars of the Fliegerhorst in Lippstadt. Hanna Reitsch tests the H II Germany`s legendary test pilot Hanna Reitsch stated after flying the H II on November 12, 1938; „There was no possible control movement which could bring the H II into a spin or even cause it to tip over on one wing. With the stick pulled all the way back and to the right the airplane rotates slightly in front and descends but accelerates to no faster speed than 90 km/h. This is very useful during flying in the cluods when the instruments are frozen." The "New York Times" reports Before the war the H II was demonstarted at many air shows in which it was put into nose dives of up to 450 km/hr. In 1938 the New York Times published an article with a full page picture of the H II and the headline "Flying wing over Berlin". Shortly thereafter the US company Northrop was awarded a contract to develop flying wings. The first plastic (composite) airplane In 1935 Dynamit Nobel AG in Troisdorf sponsored the construction of the H Va. It was the first plastic (composite) aircraft in the world. It resulted in a number of patents which later led to the first parts being made using sandwich construction. In 1937 the construction of a new H IVb was ordered with conventional materials. This plane was the first flying wing to solve the "Mitteneffekt" problem (the "Mitteneffekt" describes a loss of lift along the longitudenal axis through the center of the airframe.) In 1938 the H III with a 20 m wingspan was constructed as a high performance glider for the Rhön contest. Luftwaffe finances 10 gliders In spite of a tragic crash of an H II after flying into a thunderstorm during a Rhön contest people were impressed by the performance of the flying wing. The University of Berlin gave them use of a workshop to continue flying wing developement. They were given all the funds they needed to build ten H IIIb`s. In 1939, Heiz Scheidhauer, one of their test pilots, earned the Golden Performance Glider Award for soaring 340 kilometers. The War Years (1939-1945) Soaring with 400 kg ammunition Walter Horten spent the first six months of the war as fighter pilot on the western front, flying a Me 109 in Fighter Squadron No. 26. Reimar Horten was also trained as an Me 109 pilot, but later in August 1940, transferred to the glider pilot school in Braunschweig.There, Five Ho III b's and two Ho II's were modified to carry ammunition during Operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of England. Flight tests showed that when the H IIIb was loaded with 400 kg of munition, which gave it a gross weight of 750 kg, it not only retained its stable flying characteristics, it would even soar in thermals. High performance Sailplane with 20 m wingspan When operation Sea Lion was cancelled, the construction of the high performance H IV sailplane began. This glider featured an unusual but comfortable kneeling position for the pilot. In August 1941 the H IV was measured with a glide ratio of 32 to 1, very impressive in those days. (Later after the war in July 1952 Rudolf Opitz entered an H IV in an American gliding contest, where he won first place.) Walter Horten was eventually assigned to the headquaters of the "Luftfahrtministerium" where he was put in charge of single engine airplanes. In 1941 the Special Command "L In 3" was established in Minden/Westfalen under the command of Reimar Horten. There he was ordered to built six additional H III`s. Foundation of the special command "L In 3" The third „Luftwaffen" Inspection ordered an H VII flying wing as a trainer for fighter pilots. The Special Command „L In 3" employed thirty additional aeronautal specialists and moved to Göttingen. At the same time Reimar Horten continued his studies of aerodynamics and later earned his doctorate under the famous Prof. Prandl. In February 1943, Prof. Prantl saw a presentation of the H III d in Göttingen and called the Horten flying wings „ a significant part of the entire aircraft developement". Horten wins bid "3x1000" Reichsmarschall Göring wanted the developement of an aircraft with 1,000 km/hr airspeed, 1,000 km range and the ability to carry a bomb load of 1,000 kg. This was the H IX project. The importance of flying wings was proven by the fact that famous factories like Messerschmitt, BMW, Heinkel und Focke-Wulff incorporated the Horten ideas into their own flying wing designs. Göring commands maiden flight within 6 months In 1943 Walter Horten was transfered to Göttingen to work with his brother. He took over the command of "L In 3" which was renamed Luftwaffenkommando IX. After a presentation in 1943, Göring gave the order to make unpowered test flighs of the H IX within 6 months. Project operates under top secrecy The group was divided into several teams that could operate independently in case some of them were discovered by the Allies. The high speed flight project was transfered to Bad Hersfeld where one H VIII was built just before the war ended. The test flight group was transfered to the Wasserkuppe (Rhön). The developement and construction of the H VI was transfered to the Eudenbach Aegidienberg Airport near Bonn, where two planes were finished. One of them was confiscated by the United States and thourougly meassured by the Northrop company but never flown. The Special Comand IX remained top secret and independent from the Luftwaffe, under Göring until the end of the war. Mass production of the H IX starts The so called H IX V-1 had its maiden flight as scheduled on March 1st 1944 as an unpowered glider with impressive flight results. The H IX V-2 was finished 9 months later with two Jumo-004B-turbines. The test flights proved the concept. In the early summer of 1944 the Gothaer Waggonfabrik received the order for 40 H IX`s (sometimes named the Ho 229). Fighter impresses during flight demonstration The twin engine fighter H VII, with the center section built by the Peschke company, made its maiden flight in May 1944. Later a flight demonstration of the plane impressed the German aviation authorities, including Göring. It demonstrated extraordinarly stable and forgiving flight characteristics of swept back wings. The H VII V-1 also maintained good control after the failure of one of its engines in flight. In November 1944 flight tests of a glider called the H XIII with the wings swept back 60 degrees began in in Bad Hersfeld. These tests provided data for a proposed super sonic delta wing aircraft. Horten wins design competition for long range bomber In the Autumn of 1944 the German aircraft industry was ordered to design a long range bomber which could carry a 4,000 kg bomb load 13,000 kilometers. Horten won the design competition, beating Junkers and Messerschmitt with a six engine long distance bomber, the H XVIII. Horten`s concept promised a 60 percent greater range than the designs of his competitors. The time schedule was daring: The first plane with a 40 m wingspan was to be built in 6 months with support from the Junkers company only. Situation at end of World War When the Allies came in April of 1945 the drawings were already completed and the construction nearly half finished. At the same time, assembly line production of 50 H IIIe`s was alredy in progress in the Klemm company. At the Gut Tierstein company in Rottweil the production of 10 H IVb`s was also in full swing. At the Peschke company the production of 20 H VII`s had just commenced and at the Gothaer Waggon company the first 3 of 40 H IX`s were completed. There was a total of 120 different flying wings about to be built. The mass production was running just as the Allies invaded and terminated all airplane construction. Dr. Reimar Horten had built a total of 44 different airplanes, most of which were successfully flown. After The War Destruction of the flying wings Just prior to the Allied invasion the destruction of all flying wings and related plans was ordered. Most of the airplanes which were not destroyed were confiscated by the United States. The Horten brothers ignored the order and tried to hide all available plans in their parents house in Bonn. In March 1946 a special group from the Allies discovered and confiscated the documents. Horten supports english company Later, the Horten brothers were obliged to assist the Royal Air Force in Göttingen for a short time, to support developement of civil airliners. Reimar Horten applied for the mathematics exam in March of 1946 and earned his doctorate at the University of Bonn. He wanted to wait for more favorable times befoe continuing with flying wing development. These hopes were lost in 1947 when a rule extended the prohibition for Germans to participate in any aircraft industry related business. He attempted unsuccessfully to secure employment with the British company FAIREY which was developing a supersonic delta plane. While the comany management appreciated his efforts, the hostile atmosphere of the personnel towards Germans prevented effective cooperation. Horten continues work in Argentinia In April 1948 Reimar Horten emigrated to Cordoba (Argentina), where he was allowed to continue his work on flying wings. Walter Horten remained in Germany where he joined the new "Luftwaffe". Reimar Horten`s first project in Argentina was the I. Ae. 34 (H XV a), a two seat glider designed for the Aeronautical Institute. Bad conditions for aircraft production During the construction of the first two planes he encountered many problems. Sometimes there was a lack of the basic materials such as plywood and glue. The substandard quality of the glue led to the loss of several wooden airplanes over the years. Most of the problems were in material procurement. Another factor was the insufficient skills of the employees as described in Horten`s words: "when an area doesn`t bond together properly (because of insufficient glue) it was hard to convince people that a thick nail does not replace a glue joint". Horten was forced to adjust his developements according to the material situation which was a considerable restraint for him. But that was not all. There was the bureaucratic structure of the Argentinian government and the internal organisation of the "Institutes Aerotecnico" to which he belonged. In his own words: "The prototypes suffered a special fate: once a plane flew, the public relations office,'Relaciones Publicas' sent it somewhere to a village in the country. There the planes, which were initially consructed for flight, were displayed outside until grass grew from the wings. Then they were ripe for the salvage departement which also belonged to the institute. Often only the second or third plane served its intended purpose." Flying wing glider first cross the Andes In 1950 Reimar Horten became director and member of the board of the newly established Soaring Institute in La Cruz, appointed by Brigadier General C. Ojeda. During that time several flying wing gliders were built and tested. In 1952 the first of four two seat gliders, the I. Ae. 41 (H XVc) was built. In October 1956 the German test pilot Heinz Scheidhauer was the first to cross the Andes with this glider and to land in Chile. The advanced hang glider the HXa "Alita", to be foot launched, was built and successfully tested during the first years of his term in office. Development of Jet delta In 1953, the single seat jet delta, the I. Ae. 37 was built and successfully tested as a glider. Tests in a super sonic wind tunnel with the two seat version, the I. Ae. 48 showed that a maximum speed of mach 2.2 and a minimum speed of 155 km/hr could be reached. In 1959, when the production of the first two planes had just started, the project was suddently canceled by the governement because of funding problems. Demand for transportation aircraft However, Reimar Hortens`s main assignment was to solve a transportation problem in Argentina. Oranges rotted by the ton in the provinces while Buenes Aires turned to orange imports. Because there were no adequate roads, transportation by truck was impossible. Also fish could not be transported from Mar del Plata to Bahia Blanca. As a possible solution, Horten designed the I. Ae. 38 transportation aircraft with a 32 m wingspan. It was to fulfill the following requirements: Useful load, minimum 10 tons Minimum range, 1,000 km Operation out of unpaved air strips Loading and unloading from the rear Unsteady political situation Next a new minister took control and reduced the funding. Consequently the development of this all metal plane slowed down and it took 8 years to build it. More political compromises were demanded. Underpowered engines had to be purchased from an Argentinien company in an effort to boost national prestige. The airplane had only 43% of the power for which the aircraft was designed. In 1960 the plane was demonstrated to President Frondizi. He was especially impressed by its slow flight characteristics. But the project was canceled because of a modification of the national transportation plan and additional funding cuts. The plane was finally destroyed. Horten teaches aeronautical engineering Reimar Horten then resigned from the Institute and started a new career as a professor of aeronautical engineering in the College of Cordoba. There he worked until his retirement in 1979. More information on flying wings can be found in the following books: Nurflügel, die Geschichte der Horten-Flugzeuge 1933-1960 from Reimar Horten und Peter F. Selinger H.Weishaupt Verlag (Graz), ISBN 3-900310-09-2 Flying wings, Die historische Entwicklung der Nurflügel-Flugzeuge der Welt from Rudolf Storck Bernard & Graefe Verlag (Bonn), ISBN 3-7637-6242-6 The Horten brothers and their all wing aircraft from David Myhra Schiffer-Verlag. ISBN 0-7643-0441-0 "
- Wikipedia ZU DEN SÖHNEN: "Gebroeders Horten Horten H IX Horten H IX Horten IX De gebroeders Reimar (Bonn, 2 maart 1915 - Villa General Belgrano, 14 maart 1994) en Walter Horten (Bonn, 13 november 1913 - Baden-Baden, 9 december 1998) waren Duitse piloten en pioniers bij de ontwikkeling van de vliegende vleugel. Alhoewel ze weinig tot geen opleiding in de luchtvaarttechniek hadden, ontwikkelden ze in de jaren '40 een aantal geavanceerde vliegtuigen, waaronder 's werelds eerste vliegende vleugel met straalaandrijving, de Horten Ho 229. Een derde broer, Wolfram (Bonn, 3 maart 1912 - nabij Duinkerke, 20 mei 1940) werd in de Tweede Wereldoorlog in de omgeving van Duinkerke in een Heinkel 111 neergeschoten. Inhoud 1 Jeugd 2 Tweede Wereldoorlog 3 Na de Tweede Wereldoorlog 4 Bronnen Jeugd Het verdrag van Versailles verbood Duitsland een luchtmacht te hebben. Er bestonden wel vliegclubs waar geïnteresseerden konden zweefvliegen onder de supervisie van veteranen uit de Eerste Wereldoorlog. De Hortens waren als tieners lid van een zweefvliegclub. De in de zweefvliegclub opgedane ervaring, gecombineerd met een bewondering voor de Duitse vliegtuigontwerper Alexander Lippisch, leidden tot voor die tijd eigenzinnige ontwerpen. Hun eerste zweefvliegtuig vloog in 1933, toen de broers lid van de Hitlerjugend waren. De zweefvliegtuigen van de Hortens waren uiterst eenvoudig en aerodynamisch, over het algemeen bestaand uit een reusachtige staartloze vleugel met een kleine "cocon" waarin de piloot zich bevond. Het grote voordeel hun ontwerpen was de uiterst lage parasitaire weerstand van hun vliegtuigen. De toestellen waren makkelijk aan te passen aan het vliegen met hoge snelheden. Tweede Wereldoorlog Op 26 februari 1935 gaf Adolf Hitler Hermann Göring de opdracht om de Luftwaffe opnieuw op te richten, en brak daarmee het Verdrag van Versailles. Tegen 1939 namen de Hortens als piloot dienst in de Luftwaffe. Walter nam deel aan de Slag om Engeland, vloog met Adolf Galland en schoot zeven Britse vliegtuigen neer. In 1937 ontwikkelden de Hortens hun eerste gemotoriseerde vliegtuigen. De Luftwaffe was tot 1942 weinig geïnteresseerd in hun ontwerpen. Aan de ontwikkeling van de Horten H IX, een met twee straalmotoren aangedreven jager/bommenwerper werd wel enthousiaste steun gegeven; voor de bouw van de drie prototypes van de Ho 229 kregen ze 500.000 Reichmark. Het derde prototype van de Horten Ho 229 werd uitbesteed aan de Gothaer Waggonfabriken. Om deze reden werd het toestel aangeduid als Gotha Go 229. Aan het eind van de Tweede Wereldoorlog werd het onvoltooide derde prototype van de 229 door het Amerikaanse leger in beslag genomen. De romp van het toestel is in het bezit van het Smithsonian Institution te Washington D.C. Na de Tweede Wereldoorlog Na de Tweede Wereldoorlog emigreerde Reimar Horten naar Argentinië waar hij doorging met de ontwikkeling van vliegtuigen. Walter bleef in Duitsland en werkte voor de naoorlogse Duitse Luftwaffe. "


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