As WW2 rages on Espenlaub is awarded a contract for development of war kites - Luftflugabwehrdrachen that would be deployed over factories and air bases. Espenlaub provides the Luftwaffe with several advanced designs, some of which become manned projects. They become a success and a cheaper alternative to standard barrage balloons, but remain an enigma to the Allies. Further development ensues with both powered types (Gyroflight kites) with a seat mounting launching rack for some form of solid fuel rocket and strange steerable Rollplans (Rolling Planes) of which the mysterious Flugobjekt appears towards the end of the war. The first experimental pre-war Rollplans were largely tethered like a normal kite but with added lines for steering in ways that others cannot maneuver. From these early tests Espenlaub attempts to design a remote controlled un-tethered Drache with a control antenna and wingtip internal flight controls of unknown construction. There is some speculation that the fabric to this Flugobjekt (Flight Object) may have been treated chemically to react to other chemicals pumped out of the inner structure creating propulsion heat that was expelled through a complicated wingtip nozzle and internal pressure control system. Additional sensors could have been placed on this loitering war kite and directed to fire volleys of solid fuel rockets at low-flying Allied marauders. The Flugobjekt has been called a “Vogelschreck” (Scarecrow, but literally Bird Terror!) but that is all that is firmly known about this device. Under constant Allied bombardment, Espenlaub’s company was moved into a tunnel system called MIESE I in the last year of the war and he was ordered to destroy all of his documents in the spring of 1945. The Espenlaub works had performed extensive repair work on several types of German aircraft, covertly worked with KG-200 on repairing Allied captured aircraft, developed a unique Espenlaub Jadgflugzeug fighter, researched solid fuel rockets, and deployed several types of war kites. Postwar, Espenlaub went back to designing streamlined cars and eventually back to the kite business.

Postwar photo of the Flugobjekt that caused panic: http://discaircraft.greyfalcon.us/picturesm/esp1.jpg 1969 UFO panic at Flugobjekt sight in W Germany: The Unknown "Flying Object" A strange flying object, floating above the highway rest stop at the Blombachtalbrücke, caused travelers to puzzle over whom it belonged to and what function it had. Because the wingtips of the dark kite were painted fluorescent red, it was speculated that it was a flying object of the Bundeswehr or an Autobahn patrol helicopter. Some passers-by even urged calling the police. Finally the riddle was solved, in a harmless fashion: At the other end of the kite was the constructor Gottlob Espenlaub. He had rebuilt this kite, that was used to defend against enemy planes, as a hobby project.