Rheinbote (rocket)

Rheinbote (right), Rhine daughter (standing left) and parts of a Rhine daughter (lying)

Rheinbote is the name of a long-range missile developed by Germany during World War II .

description

In contrast to the single-stage A4 , which used liquid oxygen and alcohol as rocket fuel, the Rheinbote rocket was a four-stage solid rocket . It was developed by the Rheinmetall company from the two-stage forerunner “ Rheintdaughter ” in 1943/44 and tested in the Rumbke rocket testing facility. The Rheinbote was able to transport an explosive charge of 25 kg over a distance of 220 km. The rocket was used in the war in November 1944 . 220 missiles were fired on Antwerp .

Technical specifications

• Length: 11.4 m
• Takeoff weight: 1.715 t
• Closing speed: 1520 m / s
• Summit height: 70 km
• Range: 220 km
• Weight warhead: 40 kg (of which explosive charge: 25 kg)

literature

• Wolfgang Gückelhorn, Detlev Paul: V2 frozen lightning bolts: Operation history of V2 from Eifel, Hunsrück and Westerwald 1944/45: a documentation , Helios, 2007, p. 43 ff. ISBN 978-3-938208-43-4 .

Web links

Commons : Rheinbote  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Rheinbote at luftarchiv.de ( Memento from August 16, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Rheinbote at germanluftwaffe.com ( Memento from October 25, 2017 in the Internet Archive )