In fact first VTOL designs existed almost 15 years earlier in Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Triebfl%C3%BCgel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fo

In fact first VTOL designs existed almost 15 years earlier in Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Triebfl%C3%BCgel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Triebfl%C3%BCgel Also vertical Start was already tested with real designs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachem_Ba_349 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachem_Ba_349 even when it ended badly