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The last hopes of the Luftwaffe
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The last hopes of the Luftwaffe
The last hopes of the Luftwaffe |
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| This article presents a synthesis of the more or less known aircraft which should have returned the dominance of the skies to the Luftwaffe, or at least resisted the Allied formations to the point of radically diminishing the bombings upon Germany. History shows that in that moment none of both objectives was still affordable, but by the light of the investigations effectuated at the end of the conflict it was possible to understand that, if the desired results were not achieved, this was by a relatively small margin. In every case these flying machines, from the economical He 162 to the elegant Ar 234 or the extravagant Ba 349, were for the Allies the starting point of many new aircraft which would cross the skies in the subsequent years. Out of the many projects which were considered by the German technicians in the last stages of the war, this article shows only those which had the possibility of becoming operational aircraft. Besides these another two projects have been considered: the Do 335 and the Ba 349. The former stagnated in the preproduction models and the latter in the stage of prototype. If the course of the war had not prevented the production of the Do 335 and the trials of the Ba 349, these would surely have given valid results. | |
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DORNIER DO-335 "PFEIL" (Arrow) The Dornier 335 was an aircraft of an extremely original concept. Its propulsion relied in two powerful piston engines coupled in tandem, of which the fore one worked as tractor and the rear one worked as propeller. This large single-seat aircraft, which had been conceived primarily as a night fighter aircraft, seemed very promising, but because of its very advanced concept it often caused distrusts which delayed its serial production until the last days of the war. It seems that certain prototypes were employed in some missions, but only for experimental purposes. Dimensions: 13.85 x 13.80 x 5 meters Speed: 763 kilometers/hour Altitude: 11,400 meters Engines: 2 x Daimler Benz 603 E1 of 1,800 horsepower each Armament: 2 x 13-millimeter machine gun + 1 x 20-millimeter cannon |
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HEINKEL HE-219 "UHU" (Owl) This excellent night fighter aircraft, probably the best one which was employed during the war, opened large gaps in the ranks of the Allied bomber aircraft throughout the German skies. Designed by following very modern concepts, it was the first aircraft in the world which had ejection seats as a series equipment. It was equipped as well with pressurized cockpit, night-tracking radar device and remote-controlled cannons installed in the foremost section. The crew comprised only two people. In the first ten days of operational use, the first He 219 managed to shoot down 25 British bomber aircraft without suffering any casualties. Dimensions: 15.55 x 18.50 x 4.11 meters Speed: 670 kilometers/hour Altitude: 12,700 meters Engines: 2 x Daimler Benz 603 A of 1,750 horsepower each Armament: 6 x 20-millimeter cannon |
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MESSERSCHMITT ME-410 "HORNISSE" (Hornet) Built to an extent of 1,160 exemplars, this twin-engine aircraft, which belonged to the family of heavy fighter aircraft developed by Messerschmitt, entered service around mid 1943. It was an aircraft of not very exceptional - albeit appreciable - characteristics which operated mainly as a heavy fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft, albeit several versions intended for different purposes were developed. An interesting feature was the installation of two 13-millimeter machine guns in remote-controlled turrets in the sides of the fuselage, intended mainly to cover the blind sectors in the forward field of vision, which rendered its armament especially effective and powerful. Dimensions: 12.47 x 16.35 x 4.27 meters Speed: 624 kilometers/hour Altitude: 7,000 meters Engines: 2 x Daimler Benz 603 A of 1,750 horsepower each Armament: 2 x 7.92-millimeter machine gun + 2 x 13-millimeter machine gun + 2 x 20-millimeter cannon + 1,000 kilograms of bombs |
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HEINKEL HE-162 "SALAMANDER" (Salamander) As a product of wit and despair, this small turbojet fighter aircraft was devised and produced within just three months. Its structure was one of the simplest: of mixed construction, but mostly made of wood, and the controls were reduced to the minimum necessary. The BMW turbojet engine was placed between the wings and above the fuselage. The cockpit, which was equipped with an ejection seat, had two 20-millimeter cannons beneath it, one at each side. Built to the extent of few exemplars (about 100), because of the war, it had little weight in the operational plan due to the precipitation of the events. Dimensions: 9.04 x 7.20 x 2.59 meters Speed: 838 kilometers/hour Altitude: 12,000 meters Engines: 1 x BMW 003 E1 with a thrust of 800 kilograms Armament: 2 x 20-millimeter cannon 
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BACHEM BA-349 "NATTER" (Viper) The Bachem 349, even without having passed the stage of prototype, is a project which deserves to be remembered. It was a rocket-propelled contraption which was launched from a vertical launching ramp. At the arrival of enemy bomber aircraft, the thrust of the rocket engine would make it to reach an adequate point nearby to the target, from where the pilot would fire a burst of deadly air-to-air rockets, before starting the descent. During the descent the propulsor and the cockpit would detach from each other, and each of them would land tied to a parachute. However, in the first manned test the aircraft disintegrated and the project was abandoned. Dimensions: 6.02 x 3.99 x 2.24 meters Speed: 997 kilometers/hour Altitude: 9,800 meters Engines: 1 x Walter HWK 509 C1 with a thrust of 2,000 kilograms Armament: 24 x 73-millimeter Hs 217 Föhn rocket or 33 x 55-millimeter R4M rocket |
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ARADO AR-234 "BLITZ" (Lightning) The Arado 234, the first operational turbojet bomber aircraft in the world, entered service almost at the same time than the Me 262, but unlike this one it was an aircraft specifically designed for bombing, instead of being a modified fighter aircraft. It was an aircraft of excellent performance, which soon revealed to be devoid of the basic defects which had caused many other prototypes to be dead before having been born. Besides bombing missions, it was employed for medium and long range photographic reconnaissance missions. Its high speed and the installation of two backwards-shooting fast-firing cannons granted enough protection against the Allied fighter aircraft. Dimensions: 12.65 x 14.10 x 4.30 meters Speed: 742 kilometers/hour Altitude: 10,000 meters Engines: 2 x Junkers Jumo 004 B with a thrust of 900 kilograms each Armament: 2 x 20-millimeter cannons + 1,500 kilograms of bombs |
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MESSERSCHMITT ME-163 "KOMET" (Comet) As the first fighter aircraft in the world which was propelled by a rocket engine, the small Me 163 saw the light in May 1944. Being a product of extremely advanced technical conceptions, at the end of the war it was still in the stage of being perfected, but due to the increasing hardness of the bombings it took part in operations as well, achieving notable results at the expense of the Allied bomber aircraft. The method of employment was the following: at the arrival of the aggressors, the Me 163 took off and gained altitude. Then they rushed against the target and finally glided to land. Because of their high speed, it was practically impossible to shoot them down from the attacking aircraft. Dimensions: 5.70 x 9.30 x 2.50 meters Speed: 900 kilometers/hour Altitude: 12,000 meters Engines: 1 x Walter HWK 509 A2 with a thrust of 1,500 kilograms Armament: 2 x 20-millimeter cannon |
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MESSERSCHMITT ME-262 "SCHWALBE" (Swallow) The Messerschmitt 262 was the first turbojet fighter aircraft in the history of aviation which entered operational service in significant amounts. Unfortunately, the scarcity of materials, the insufficient tuning of its engines and its wrong employment in the battlefield (being used as a fighter-bomber aircraft instead of a pure fighter aircraft) greatly handicapped this magnificent aircraft. Despite this, the damage which it would manage to inflict to the Allied formations would be truly remarkable. From the basic fighter version a fighter-bomber, a night fighter and a reconnaissance aircraft were derived, with a total of 1,430 exemplars built. Dimensions: 10.60 x 12.65 x 3.85 meters Speed: 866 kilometers/hour Altitude: 11,450 meters Engines: 2 x Junkers Jumo 109-004 B1 with a thrust of 900 kilograms each Armament: 4 x 30-millimeter cannon + 500 kilograms of bombs |
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SECOND WORLD WAR
:: Battle of Britain :: Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1940 :: Divisions of the Waffen SS :: Assault means of the Regia Marina :: Japanese fleet group in Pearl Harbor :: Anti-submarine hunt :: Offensive and defensive armament of the U-Boote :: Battle of the Atlantic 1942 :: Soviet and German forces in Stalingrad :: Battle of the Atlantic 1943 :: The aces of the submarine war :: Actions of pirate ships :: The weapons of espionage :: Ranks of the Waffen SS :: The special tanks of the D Day :: The secret weapons of the Third Reich :: The suicide weapons of Japan :: The last hopes of the Luftwaffe :: Panzerschreck and Panzerfaust ::
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