ABSTRACT
Helicopters World War II saw the first operational employment of helicopters, albeit in a very limited sense. The lack of lightweight materials and the primitive power plants of the period severely limited the payload and performance of these early helicopters. Nonetheless, Germany and the Allies actively tested prototypes throughout the war and the German Navy actually employed two helicopters operationally in the Aegean Sea during the early months of 1944. Al though the U.S. and Royal Navies conducted an operational test and evaluation of a Sikorski proto type, no Allied helicopters saw operational employ ment in the European theater.
