During World War II, Nazi Germany developed many missiles and precision-guided munition systems.
These included the first cruise missile, the first short-range ballistic missile, the first guided surface-to-air missiles, and the first anti-ship missiles.
Organizations
edit- Peenemünde rocket test site
People involved
editModels
editSurface-to-surface missiles
editThe V1, which may be seen as the first cruise missile, was used operationally against London and Antwerp. The V-2 ballistic missile was used operationally against London, Antwerp, and other targets. The Rheinbote was fired against Antwerp.
Surface-to-air missiles
editGermany developed a number of surface-to-air missile systems, none of which was used operationally:
- Enzian (Gentian)[4]
- Rheintochter (Rhine Daughter)[5] - (an air-to-air variant was also planned)[6]
- Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling (Butterfly) - radio-controlled (an air-to-air variant was also planned)[7]
- Wasserfall (Waterfall)[8]
- Feuerlilie (Fire Lily)[9]
Air-to-air missiles
editAs with the surface-to-air missiles above, these were never used operationally:
- Henschel Hs 298
- Ruhrstahl X-4 (actively wire-guided; anti-tank variants of this were also designed, such as the X-7)[10][11]
Anti-ship missiles
editAnti-ship missiles were used operationally against allied shipping in 1943, notably in the Mediterranean Sea, guided by the Funkgerät FuG 203 Kehl series of MCLOS radio guidance systems aboard the deploying aircraft:
- Fritz X armored, anti-ship gravity PGM
- Henschel Hs 293 air-to-ship, rocket-boosted gliding guided bomb
Air-to-surface weapons
editThe Mistel composite aircraft configuration was used (with almost no effects) on the front lines both on western and eastern front. This system was composed by a bomber filled with explosive, coupled to a fighter plane: the pilot in the fighter plane flew the two coupled airplanes up to near the target, then he disconnected the aircraft and commanded the bomber to crash onto the target by radio control.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Fiesler Fi103 (V1) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK) Archived 2004-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ V2 (Assembly 4) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK)
- ^ Rheinmetall Borsig Rheinbote - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK)
- ^ Holzbrau-Kissing Enzian (Gentian Violet) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK) Archived 2004-01-30 at the Wayback Machine; Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 8, p.849, "Enzian".
- ^ Fitzsimons, Volume 20, p.2212, "Rheintochter".
- ^ Rheinmetall Borsig Rheintochter (Daughter of the Rhein) R1 - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK)
- ^ Henschel Hs117 Schmettering (Butterfly) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK) Archived 2004-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ EMW C2 Wasserfall
- ^ Feuerlilie (Fire Lily) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK) Archived 2004-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, general editor. The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus Publishing Company, 1978), Volume 24, pp. 2602-2603, "X-4, Ruhrstahl".
- ^ Fitzsimons, p. 2603, "X-7, Ruhrstahl".