Bachem Ba 349
| Bachem Ba 349 snake | |
|---|---|
|
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| Type: | Object protection hunters |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 1, 1945 |
| Production time: |
1944 to 1945 |
| Number of pieces: |
30th |
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The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a German disposable rocket aircraft that was under development during World War II and that took off vertically . It was developed in the final phase of the war in 1944/45 by the manufacturer Bachem as part of the Jäger emergency program as Project Natter and was intended as an interceptor .
history
background
In the precarious situation of 1944, the German Air Force was looking for possible solutions to defend against the allied bomber offensive . On the one hand, there was a lack of pilots and aircraft, and on the other hand, suitable, safe airfields were already scarce. Therefore, the Air Ministry demanded in a tender to the German aviation industry to develop a simple, offer large numbers "wear hunter" who could be flown to a short briefing time by non-pilots. The most important aspect in the considerations was that the aircraft should reach a great height in a short time under visual conditions in order to combat incoming bomber formations.
The submitted designs were viewed for the first time in the summer of 1944. In addition to well-known companies such as Messerschmitt , Junkers , Heinkel and others, there was also the hitherto unknown Erich Bachem . After the SS had taken over the complete development of all V-weapons , Erich Bachem was their first choice, to the surprise of the other applicants. Finally, in addition to Heinrich Himmler , Armaments Minister Albert Speer , who felt he was being ignored, was won over to Bachem's design.
Bachem saw pure object protection by means of a manned rocket as the task of the adder. The adder should be stationed near important industrial facilities and only start when enemy machines are sighted. The design was described as a hybrid between manned missile, controlled flak salvo and aircraft. The aircraft was designed as a lost device and no reuse was planned; originally a ramming attack was supposed to take place after the missiles had fired.
testing
In the basement of Ummendorf Castle near Biberach an der Riss , scientific employees of the Technical University of Aachen worked on the calculations for the snake under the direction of Wilhelm Fucks . The largest and most powerful analog computer at the time was used for this. The calculated values were examined with models in very small wind tunnels for the high-speed range. Almost at the same time, the Schmidding launch aid missiles were tested on the site of the Bachem works in Waldsee, which were built in spring 1942 .
The German Aviation Research Institute (DVL) in Braunschweig carried out the aerodynamic tests. Speeds of over Mach 0.95 were tested in the wind tunnel , which did not reveal any negative effects on stability. In addition, various tail unit variants were developed and tested.
Initially, the well-known test pilot and glider pilot Ludwig Hofmann was earmarked for testing. The adder had to be left by parachute . The skydiver Wilhelm Buss was commissioned to complete an intensive parachute training with Hofmann. Hofmann had an accident during one of the jumps and suffered a fractured skull base. He spent the next few months in the hospital. In his place, the well-known test pilot Erich Klöckner took over the testing of the machine.
After completion of the technical development work, the forwarder test with the sample machine BP-20 M1 took place in Neuburg an der Donau on November 3, 1944 . The snake received a non-retractable chassis borrowed from Klemm 35. During these tests, the adder was towed to a Heinkel He 111 using a Y-shaped rope . Erich Klöckner flew the test. After the He 111 had brought its load to an altitude of 3,000 meters without any problems, the test program began in tethered flight. As Klöckner later reported, the adder had good flight characteristics at speeds over 200 km / h. Only the center of gravity or an unsuitable fastening of the suspension ropes caused difficulties. At the end of these test flights in the towing vehicle, Klöckner jumped out of the vehicle, which also succeeded without any complaints or problems after the canopy was blown off.
On February 14, 1945, the only free flight attempt with the unpowered BP-20 M8 took place. The M8 was placed on a launch vehicle and towed by a He 111 up to 5,500 m above ground and released there. Hans Zübert was at the wheel after Erich Klöckner refused this flight. This test flight was successful and proved the functionality of the new flight control even in free flight. After this attempt, Zübert left the wheelless machine with the parachute.
By the end of February, the unmanned rocket-propelled steep take-off tests (started on December 18, 1944) at the Heuberg military training area near Stetten on the kalten Markt, as well as a test of the planned bow armament, had ended. Essentially, the launch attempts were empty engine-less cells that were launched with the help of the Schmidding solid rocket.
The conditions on the Heuberg had proven to be excellent for Bachem, as it was only 50 km from the Waldsee plant.
World's first vertical launch of a manned rocket aircraft
The first and only manned vertical take-off with an adder - the M23 - on March 1, 1945 on the Ochsenkopf was fatal for test pilot Lothar Sieber . Shortly after take-off, the machine is said to have "flown down to earth at high speed instead of high and exploded on impact".
The first evaluations had shown that the cause of the accident was that the canopy opened unintentionally and the pilot's head hit the bulkhead in such a way that he passed out. In later investigations it was also found that the small thrusters used to stabilize the take-off process could throw the machine several degrees off course. Incorrect adjustment of the additional launch rockets was also a possible cause of the accident.
The literature also gives a completely different presentation of the accident development. Accordingly, the cause is said to have been a jammed Schmidding start-up rocket, which Sieber tried to shake off by violent flight maneuvers after a radio command. The hood would have been thrown off by Sieber because he wanted to jump off with the reserve parachute, but this was prohibited by radio. Instead, Sieber should stabilize the machine again with the braking parachute. This failed because the braking parachute in the stern could not be opened due to the jammed start-up rocket. Sieber probably lost his bearings in the low-lying clouds. This put the machine on its back and flew flatter. The pilot wrongly interpreted the increase in speed as a descent and evidently pulled the elevator, which made the situation worse and ultimately led to an irreversible dive. The real cause of the accident should be covered up in order to avoid an otherwise overhaul of the construction. Even pictures are said to have been retouched to hide the fact that the adder was equipped with a FuG-16 radio. This version, however, seems very unlikely, since triggering the rescue parachute at high speed would have torn the machine with a high probability and with a flight of only a few seconds there would hardly have been time for such maneuvers and radio calls.
All the speculations will never be cleared up. What is certain is that the airframe had never been tested with a Walter engine in normal flight at top speed (to research rudder flutter, etc.), although this would have been possible after a towing under a He 111. Up until then, even the steep take-off attempts had mostly been made with an empty cell and without the Walter engine.
A total of 30 copies of the Natter were built, 18 of which were used for unmanned tests, two crashed (one during the glider test), six were burned after the end of the war and four were captured by the US Americans.
Launch ramps
The failed test flight and the approaching end of the war prevented the adder from being used in the war. At Kirchheim unter Teck , three starting points were built for the planned Crocus Operation , which have been preserved in good condition and are freely accessible.
construction
The Natter was a vertically launched rocket aircraft that was equipped with a liquid propellant Walter HWK 109-509 and four Schmidding solid launch rockets arranged in two pairs on the side of the fuselage . Due to this construction, it could take off quickly and regardless of location without the infrastructure otherwise required for aircraft, as only one launch pad was required for use. In addition, due to the simplified use (no take-off and landing phase), non-pilots should also be able to be used, who should only learn to steer and aim in the air in a short briefing. The wings had no control flaps, the main spar was passed between the tanks for T and C-material . For the first time in aviation history, in addition to the conventional rudder, tailerons were used, with the raised horizontal stabilizer taking over both the roll control and the pitch control of the "adder".
The body of the adder was mostly made of plywood because wood was very light and easy to work with; in addition, it was the only raw material still available in sufficient quantities. The fuselage was originally divided into three separable assemblies, namely the nose section with rocket battery and windshield, center section with wings and tanks, and the tail section with engine and tail unit. After the start, the adder should quickly reach the operational level, catch up with the bomber units and attack the enemy with a single volley of unguided missiles. After take-off, the pilot was supported by a radio-guided autopilot from the Askania works and only took over control immediately before the attack on the targets. The originally planned ramming attack after the rocket battery was shot down had been abandoned in the course of development because the launch of the on-board missiles shifted the center of gravity so far back that the aircraft was no longer airworthy. A normal landing was not planned from the start. The focus was on model B , here too the pilot was supposed to "dismantle" the machine after the attack and leave the driver's seat with the parachute. The tail section of the aircraft with the rocket engine was parachuted back to earth to reuse the engine , while the middle and nose sections were lost. The destruction of the tail section during the parachute landing was also planned to protect the engine on impact.
Technical specifications
Bachem Ba 349 A
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Dimensions
- Span: 3.60 m
- Wing depth: 1.0 m
- Length: 6.10 m
- Height (in flight): 2.25 m
- Wing area: 3.6 m²
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Crowds
- maximum take-off weight: 2,200 kg
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Engine
- a rocket engine Walter HWK 109-509 A-2 (adjustable between 150 and 1,700 kp, 1.47 to 16.671 kN) with a burn time of 70 s
- four start-up rockets (ejectable) Schmidding 109-533 (each with 1,200 kp, 11.768 kN) with a burn time of 10 s (the first model machines only had two additional rockets)
- Fuel: 600 kg, of which T-material: 365 (435) l, C-material: 165 (190) l.
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Services (calculated values)
- Top speed:
- 1,000 km / h
- 800 km / h near the ground
- Climbing speed: ~ 200 m / s (calculated at an altitude of 12 km)
- Initial climb speed: 36.58 m / s
- Service ceiling: 14,000 m
- Action radius: 40 km at an altitude of 12,000 m
- Top speed:
- Armament (alternative)
- 33 unguided 55 mm rockets R4M "Orkan"
- 24 unguided 73 mm RZ 73 rockets
Bachem Ba 349 B
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Engine
- a rocket engine Walter HWK 109-509 D-1 (2000 kp, 19.6 kN)
The flight time increased with the new engine from 2 minutes to approx. 4.30 minutes. No structural changes compared to the A version. Just a successful start.
Memorial and replicas
Since 1980 there has been a large memorial stone with a stylized model of an adder near the launch site at the Ochsenkopf on the grounds of the Heuberg military training area. Immediately next to it, the concreted area of the launch site, which was used for testing the simplified wooden launch vehicle, has been preserved. The launch point from which the test machines were shot down with the aid of a metal launching frame, on the other hand, is a bit away from the memorial stone.
Replicas of the snake can be seen in the Deutsches Museum in Munich and in the Stetten military history collection on the kalten Markt . The replica there was made in 2006/2007.
Preserved machines
- An original and restored adder is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington, DC .
- Another unrestored adder is in the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility of the Smithsonian Institution .
reception
The story of the first manned rocket flight with an adder was the focus of the Stetten Summer Theater 2007. The play Der Luftikus or the secret action natter was performed in front of the historic Stetten town hall and was a great success with a total of over 5,000 visitors. The piece by Franz Xaver Ott essentially revolves around the first rocket launch, Lothar Sieber and the fatal outcome of the attempt. The original replica of the Bachem Ba 349, which can be viewed in the Stetten Military History Collection on the kalten Markt, was shown as a prop.
The snake also served as a template for the first-person shooter Return to Castle Wolfenstein occurring Cobra . Finding them is the aim of one of the missions in the game. At the end of the last level , the player flees from Germany to Malta by plane. This flight performance would not have been possible with the Natter, which was designed as a short-range interceptor.
In 2011, Philip Schneider and Oliver Gortat (Vision Unlimited), in collaboration with Lieutenant Marcus Klotz from the Military History Collection, created a film documentary interspersed with feature film sequences. The first publication took place in 2011. Shortly thereafter, in 2012, it was broadcast in Germany on the ZDF television channel. The playing time is 48 minutes.
See also
literature
- OV: Bachem BP 20 “Natter” , in: Luftfahrt international , No. 10, July / August 1975, pp. 1443–1482.
- Horst Lommel: The world's first manned rocket launch - Natter secret operation . 2nd Edition. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-613-01862-4 .
- Horst Lommel: The manned BA 349 "Natter" bullet . VDM, Zweibrücken 2000, ISBN 3-925480-39-0 .
- Roger Ford: The German Secret Weapons of World War II . Nebel-Verlag, Eggolsheim 2003, ISBN 3-89555-087-6
- Horst Lommel: DFS secret projects . 1st edition. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-613-02072-6 .
- Brett Gooden: Project Natter: Last of the Wonder Weapons (English). Classic Publications, Burgess Hill 2006, ISBN 1-903223-62-8 .
- Botho Stüwe: Peenemünde-West - The Air Force's test site for secret remote controlled weapons and their development history . Weltbild, Augsburg, 1998, ISBN 3-8289-0294-4 .
- Martin Ludwig Hofmann: Ludwig Hofmann. The life of a German aviation pioneer. Sutton-Verlag, Erfurt 2007, ISBN 978-3-86680-236-0 .
- Wolfgang WE Samuel: Watson's Whizzers. Operation Lusty and the Race for Nazi Aviation Technology. Schiffer Military History, Atglen 2010, ISBN 978-0-7643-3517-4 .
- Project Natter - Hitler's last miracle weapon . Documentation, ZDF 2014
Web links
- ZDFinfo TV doc. NATTER (only available in Germany)
- BA349.de: Project for the reconstruction of the Bachem Ba 349 Natter
- Secret project Bachem "Natter" In: one day
- FliegerWeb.com: Bachem Ba 349 Natter
Individual evidence
- ↑ Achim Schnurrer: Bachem "Natter" secret project: Hell ride on the wooden rocket. In: Spiegel Online . March 1, 2010, accessed November 25, 2017 .
- ^ Karl R. Pawlas: Bachem BP 20 Natter . In: Aviation Lexicon, article identifier 3103-100-3. P. 1445.
- ^ Martin Ludwig Hofmann: Ludwig Hofmann. The life of a German aviation pioneer. Erfurt 2007, pp. 66–68.
- ↑ Wolfgang WE Samuel: Watson's Whizzers. Operation Lusty and the Race for Nazi Aviation Technology. Schiffer Military History Atglen 2010, pp. 107–111.
- ^ Karl R. Pawlas: Bachem BP 20 Natter . In: Aviation Lexicon, article identifier 3103-100-3. P. 1452.
- ^ The manned anti-aircraft missile, Bachem Ba 349 . In: Classics of Aviation 1/03, p. 28.
- ↑ Great interest in film documentation. Retrieved March 24, 2011 .
- ^ Natter: The Documentary. Internet Movie Database , accessed May 22, 2015 .
- ↑ Bachem BA 349 "Natter" | ZDF Enterprises. Retrieved October 28, 2019 .
- ↑ Great interest in film documentation. Südkurier, March 11, 2011, accessed on October 28, 2019 .
- ^ Project Natter (2010) - IMDb. Retrieved October 28, 2019 .