Fw 200 patrol bomber in flight, circa 1940s

Caption     Fw 200 patrol bomber in flight, circa 1940s ww2dbase
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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
20 Jul 2010 06:00:40 PM

Much published photo of Focke-Wulf FW 200C
Condor.
This was really a propaganda shot showing off
the new ventral gondola w/ small bomb bay.
The FW 200C was converted to meet a Japanese
specification for a long range patrol bomber
2. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
7 Dec 2010 10:14:21 AM

Focke-Wulf Fw 200C-3 Condor (SG+KS) the photo
of this aircraft has been published over the
years, and has been retouched by the censor.

Combat losses were low and many were damaged damaged in landing accidents due to the airframe's integrity.
About 260 were built, and most of the planes were used as transports. The Luftwaffe worked
with the Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic,
the longest battle of WWII from Sept 1939 to May 1945.

I/KG 40 flew the Condor on maritime patrol
from Bordeaux, France covering a 1,000 mile
area into the Atlantic. Patrols also covered area north of Norway The Condors role was in
reconnaissance, but the Condor claimed the sinking of thousands of tons of Allied shipping.
The Luftwaffe operated its bombers on
anti-shipping missions, from the Arctic Circle to the Bay of Biscay and into the Mediterranean.

The dreaded Murmansk runs to Russia, Heinkel He-111s armed with torpedos and others with bombs attacked the convoys. For Allied
sailors surviving their sinking ships, and
German Naval or Luftwaffe crews their chances of survival in the cold waters were slim.
During the war, Germany built 100,000 aircraft of all types. 2,000 were four-engine
aircraft. Total production of all types of
bombers came to 18,000 aircraft.

Did You Know...

The Luftwaffe used the first generation of
smart bombs! the remote-controlled, or
self-guided weapons.
The weapons were controlled by a joy stick, and had early television cameras in the nose so the bombardier could guided the weapon to the target.

THE FRITZ X

The Fritz X was a anti-shipping missile and had a 700 pound warhead, was radio-guided
with a three mile range.

The Fritz had a top speed of 700 mph in its
descent to the target. About 1,300 were built
and 100 were used. The Dornier Do 217 carried
the weapon and Heinkel He 177 were equiped, but never carried it into combat.
The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, never carried
the Fritz X.
The weapon sank both Italian and Allied warships. For reasons of secreacy the
Luftwaffe claimed the attacks, were made by
ordinary armor piercing bombs.

"Fritz" was a nickname, used by both the Allies and the Germans.
3. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
14 Jan 2011 08:05:38 PM

WUNDERWAFFEN / MIRACLE WEAPONS

If Germany managed to prolong the war for months or years, the Allies would have faced new weapons on the ground and in the air.
The Allies would have countered with their own Wonder Weapons.

Call it the Wizard War, or the Technology War
Hitler's secret and still suppressed weapons
are still in Government archives.
Jet-Engine, Rockets, Guided Bombs the World's
First Smart Weapons, Air-to-Air Guided Missiles, SAM's Surface to Air Missiles Wire-Guided and Homing Torpedos,

The might have been Uranium Bomb, the Dirty Bomb and A9/A10 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, to carry it. Advanced optics and night fighting equipment.

Many of these weapons were never built, the Germans flew the first jet powered aircraft
in 1939, but didn't see the need for it.
Yet such weapons are in the realm of fantasy or serious research, but one must wonder at the inventiveness of Wartime German Scientist, Engineers and Technicians.

IN THE REALM OF SCIENCE FICTION:

Sanger Sub-Orbital Bomber a project years ahead of the US Space Shuttle. Focke-Wulf
Triebflugal VTOL fighter powered by ram jets
the design never went beyond a wind tunnel model. Turbo-Prop & Supersonic jet aircraft, Airborne radar smaller and lighter, man portable wire guided missiles, sound guns.

WOUNDER PROJEKTS:

1000 Ton Tanks, Super-Artillery Guns, Snorkel, Electric Powered U-Boats with high under water speeds, Magnetic Tape, Computer
Programs, Cold Bombs, Oxygen Bombs, Fuel-Air-Bombs.

Did You Know...

Today the fuel-air-bomb, is used by both the USA and Russia.

In 1944 Patton's 3rd Army came upon an airfield with a runway 200ft wide and 11,300 ft long, and 14 feet thick at the end of the runway, was a "Ski Slope" to allow some type of aircraft to use, but what kind of aircraft?
The Ski Slope concept was later used on both post-war British and Russian aircraft carriers. Synthetic Rubber aborobing material used against sonar, no U-boats were coated with it except the snorkel.
Post-war US, British, French and Russian
submarines are coated with rubber absorbing material against sonar.

TO GAS OR NOT TO GAS, LIFE THROUGH CHEMISTRY

Chemical weapons the Germans had the lead in this technology, but such weapons were never used in combat,that strange man Adolf Hitler forbid its use,it was feared if used against the Allies it would lead to all chemical warfare.
the Germans didn't know the Allies were far behind in this technology.

WE HAVE THE BOMB, IF ONE DOESN'T GET YOU THE OTHER WILL.

Both the USA and the USSR/Russia still have nuclear weapons in their arsenals, as well as chemical weapons science must have been crazy to fool around with stuff like this.
Chemical agents that can wipe out all life on earth.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW...

The Transistor, hey I thought the Japanese had that cornered with their post-war 1950s and 1960s transistor radio. This German technology was later developed in the USA, at Bell Lab's in 1947.

We can go on and on at the technology that was developed by both the Germans and the Allies. Look at the world today where did all this start.

LIFE THROUGH CHEMISTRY:

I.G. Farbenindustrie during its time, it was the world's fouth largerst company.
Remember the no bombing policy for the
I.G. Farben facilities in Frankfurt that held patients, and other documents, to read more about I.G. Farben click to events and scroll down to Germany's surrender here at ww2db.

Listening to Brahams Symphonies, but I gotta call it a day, the coffee's cold and its way past my bedtime...
4. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
15 Jan 2011 07:02:35 PM

RACE FOR THE BOMB,AND ITS RELATED TECHNOLOGY

Both the Americans and the British worked together on the Atomic bomb project, spending
millons of dollars and the vast resources of the United States,
After Germany's defeat, the US took a number of German scientists into custody that were
working on the nuclear project or related technologies that were on the Allied most
"Wanted List" In the post-war world they would continue working on rockets,radar,jet aircraft and advanced technology programs, for both the US and Britain.

THE FRENCH:
The French also captured German Scientists,
Engineers and Technicians that were working on various programs and all equipment, data
that could be useful in their own post-war programs.
The Germans were sent to France the race for wartime German technology caused tensions between the Allies.

THE SOVIETS, IVAN WAS HERE:

The Russians had special search teams that operated in Austria, Germany and parts of Eastern Europe for wartime German technology.

German Scientists,Engineers and Technicians
were sent to the USSR along with captured
data,documents,materiel and examples of jet engines,rockets and other wartime developments.

THE NKVD ALWAYS LOOKING OVER THEIR SHOULDER:

Germans working on these programs, became useful in the post-war world, working and developing the Soviet Atomic Bomb and other wartime programs.
The teams were escorted by the KNVD and made sure nothing was over-looked.
Complete factories were dismantled and sent back to the USSR. The Russians left nothing behind that could be useful to the Allies.

HOW CLOSE WERE THE GERMANS TO THE BOMB:

As early as 1942 the Germans cracked some of the problems, some suggest a prototype reactor was assembled, in Southwest Germany
The team almost achieved a self-sustaining chain reaction, the key step to build a bomb.

NOT YOUR U.S.LITTLE BOY, BUT A DIRTY BOMB:

What is a Dirty Bomb?
(Nuclear Materiel Encased in Explosives) the Germans were never close to having an Atomic Bomb like the U.S. dropped on Japan.

The Germans could have had the world's first
tatical battlefield nuke a dirty bomb used
against the Soviet armies closing in on the
Reich.
How it would have been delivered, is another matter, this is just theoretical how all the mechanical and technical problem, are beyond this writers knowledge.
In school I had to memorize the elements from the periadic table, so I'm no expert or
academic this is just conjecture.

HOW MANY PEOPLE DID THEY NEED:

The American Manhattan Project employed the resources of the nation, and over 200,000
people to develope the project.
The Germans on the other hand, had between 100 to 200 key people so some say, but we'll never really know how many were on the project, and this doesn't include Engineers and Technicians.

THE BOMB THAT NEVER WAS:

Did the Germans really develop the bomb? true
they went down the right path, but they didn't have the people, didn't have the cooperation among the ones they had, didn't have the money or the facilities needed to work on the weapon and couldn't prevent the Allies from bombing what they achived.

Those who have survived whatever the secrets and knowledge they have, will take them to their grave.
The US Government classified many German documents in 1945 that relate to many of the wartime programs, and will stay classified for 100 years...

Comments and corrections are invited, this is only for general information only...
5. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
19 Jan 2011 02:27:48 PM

OPERATION PAPERCLIP:

World War II in Europe was over, but the Political, Intelligence and Scientific war was just beginning.
The race was on among the wartime Allies,to seize the Military Technology of Nazi Germany.

THE GOOD GERMAN:

The US, British, French and the Russians rounded up and hunted down the Scientists, who willingly or by force went to work for the new order.
They were the pawns in the coming Cold War
many surrendered, on their own terms some with questionable backgrounds and some may have even commited war crimes.

IN THE INTERESTS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Thousands of Scientists, Engineers, Technicians and Specialists were sent to the US to continue their research, project
paperclip advanced post-war technology in
jet engines,swept and delta-wing, supersonic flight, missiles, rockets, optics, infra-red
explosives, acoustic weapons, microwave,sonar
radar.
Even former Nazis went to work for the OSS/CIA in Eastern Europe and the USSR they
were part of Black Operations, to gather intelligence behind the Iron Curtain, how many agents on both sides died, will never be known.

BLACK PROJECTS:

Secret aircraft design and testing continue research into black projects that are deep
buried military projects, that the public will never know.
Bases that don't exist, people that have never been or worked for Area 51 the
disinformation continues. Governments live by lies, and bamboozling abstractions.

Note*
This is for General Information only
6. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
20 Jan 2011 09:29:43 AM

FOO FIGHTERS: THE GERMAN FLYING DISK

Allied pilots reported strange objects some looked like balls of light, these mysterious craft were given the name of Foo Fighters. Did the Germans have a new secret weapon.
Call it Science fiction, Conspiracy theory,
Black magic or Evil spirits, some say yes,
others say no.
The Germans were working on a lot of secret projects some became prototypes others never
left the drawing board.

ITS WAY OVER MY HEAD:

Einstein developed an approach to science based on Quantum Theories & Mechanics... this
is way over my head, so we won't go there all I know Physics deals with the science of matter, energy, motion and force. If the Germans did have a flying disk type craft, they over came the Theortical, Mechanical and Technical problems that make's such a machine do what it does.

WUNDERWAFFEN:

Speculation of alleged Wunderwaffen is myth or reality, there is no first hand original documents about the development of such a machine designed by the Germans.

In 1953 Avro of Canada started work on the Avrocar, a circular dish shaped craft with an estimated speed of 1500mph, the project ran into to many difficulities, one German Engineer claimed such designs had been developed during the war.

I SHOT AN ARROW INTO THE AIR:

Another Avro project was the Avro Arrow, a Delta winged, Supersonic intercepter the
CF-105 used German wartime research and was capable of Mach 2 with a operating altitude of 50,000ft.
This was one of the most impressive and advanced designs of the 1950s. Policical reasons cancelled the program, it is another post-war what if...

Many German wartime documents were classified
by the US Government in 1945, and will stay
buried, for the next 100 years...
If such craft were real, its been the best kept secret of World War II.

Note*
Coined in the 1930s from the li'l Abner cartoon series.
"Where there's smoke there's foo"


General Information Only
7. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
21 Jan 2011 05:12:36 PM

PAPERCLIP, AQUARIUS, BLUEBOOK AND MAJASTIC:

Post War conspiracy theories, advanced flying
objects have been described over and over.
Secret projects, black programs, personnel in
above top secret groups, such as Paperclip,
Aquarius, Bluebook and Majastic what do they
investigate or protect, and who continues to
maintain the secrets today.

NON PERSONS:

Persons who claimed they have information about such black projects, the powers that be resort to disinformation of all personnel records, government contacts it becomes next to impossible for the person to verify, his or her knowledge. More likely we'll never really know everything.

SPECULATION:

As a personal note, when the US Air Force retired ths SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest manned aircraft in the world what took its place? as I've said before, somebody is always working on something...somewhere.

AURORA, I GET AROUND:

The official story was the SR-71 was retired
because sophisticated reconnaissance (spy) satellites made it redundant.
If Aurora exists its a hypersonic aircraft
capable of Mach 6 to altitudes of fifty miles
and can cover one mile a second! this is only
speculation...

I thank the ww2db for allowing me to present my views, senarios, conjecture and gaze into my crystal ball from time to time.
8. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
23 Jan 2011 04:18:05 PM

GERMAN SECRET WEAPONS THAT WE KNOW OF...

FUNF,VIER,DREI,ZWEI,EINS...FEVER!...

FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE...FIRE...

The V2 was the world's first operational ballistic missile, the first man-made object to break the sound barrier, and the first to achieve sub-orbital space flight.

MORE BANG FOR THE REICHMARK:

The V2 program was a expensive project that was developed by Nazi Germany the V2 cost about 100,000 reichmarks each to build, but after production started unit cost dropped to 50,000 for each missile. That's German
efficiency for you...

Total production was 5,200, and 3,225 were launched the Germans could launch 350 V2s
per-week within 100 per-day given enough supply of rockets.

MORE DIED IN ITS CONSTRUCTION,THEN DEPLOYMENT

Tens of thousands died as forced labor they died from over work, starvation, exhaustion
starvation and disease.
Thousands were shot or hung for trying to sabotage the building the V2.
About 2700 people were killed by V2 attacks
hitting London, some rockets went off course
and exploded outside of London.

THE GOOD GERMAN:

How many of the Scientists, Engineers and
Specialists knew what was going on von Braun even requested the SS to provide the forced labor all he wanted was the rocket, and how
about the number of lives would it take.
There will always be dark sides to any human endeavor that are later buried for the National Interest of Victorious Nations, at the end of World War II.

I'LL SURRENDER, BUT I'VE GOT THE SECRETS:

After WWII the US Army hunted or captured the
personnel who worked on the V2 project and
investigated those who could have committed war crimes, assocated with the Nazi party.

Others that fell into Allied hands, came with a card up their sleeve, documents, data,
blueprints and how the V2 worked this was the ticket for many of them, and many set their own demands.
Allied Government wanted their knowledge in weapons development, many of the files would be buried and classified.
Years later some Germans were investigated for wartime activities, some fearing trial, signed agreements to voluntary leave the country, renounce their citizenship, and return to Germany.
Many will take what was done during the war to their graves.

STOP THE V2:

After launch it was invulnerable the speed and trajectory as it dropped from altitudes of 100-110km (62-80 miles) reached speeds of
5760km/h (3,850mph)
The Allies planned to bomb the factories,but where were the launch sites. The problem was the sites were mobile, and you had to know where they were.

SHOOT AND SCOOT:

The Germans used mobile sites, and the V2 could be launched anywhere in forests, roads
streets the launch teams were very fast in
getting the V2 fueled and launched.
During its operation, no V2 battery was ever caught on the ground preparing to launch, by Allied fighters.
After the V2 was launched within 20 seconds it was out of reach, its flight time to London from the Hague was 3 minutes!

FEEDING THE WEAPON:

The fuel for the V2, consumed about 1/3 of
Germany's fuel alcohol production.

Did You Know...
To distil the fuel alcohol required 30 tons of potatoes, at a time when food was in short supply, 30 tons of potatoes could feed a lot of people.

Fuel for one weapon: 3810kg (8400lb) of 75%
ethanol plus 25% water.
4910kg (10,800lb) of liquid oxygen.

Range: 320km (220 miles)

Flight Altitudes: 88km (55mil) maximum to
206km (128mil) if launched vertically

Speed: 5760km/h (3850mph)

Warhead: 980kg (3200lb) of Amadol

Launch: Mobile

Weight: 12,500kg (28,000lb)
Length: 45ft 11 inches
Diameter: 5ft 5 inches

Guidance System: Gyroscopes, and other instruments for engine, vanes at exhaust to guide, deflect thrust from engine.

Manufacturer: Mittelwerk GmbH. / Developed by the Army Research Center Test Facilities
Peenemunde.

RED SUN:

The Germans shipped to Japan 12, V2 rockets by submarines, the boats left France in August 1944 However, the fate of the cargo personnel and submarines remains unknown.

CHILLING WHAT IF...

The Germans were working on the V2, to carry
chemical weapons/nerve agents However, the
the plan was never carried out, as far as known.

Another program was lauching a V2 from a
U-Boat, tests were carried out, but these were under test conditions. The program was never developed.

SEEDS OF THE FUTURE:

After WWII the Allies searched for German Technology top on the list was the V2, and its design team.
Both the USA and the USSR would continue to develop this system for the next 50 years in
ballistic weapons, and ICBMs and develop the
technology for modern space exploration.

BACK IN THE USSR:

Train loads of V2s, parts, tons of documents,
date, blueprints, along with this treasure were German Scientists,Engineers,Technicians and Specialists bound for Mother Russia.

Testing continued at Kapuslin Yar, and other locations in the USSR.
The Russian version, was the R-1 a duplicate
of the V2 larger versions were built and tested the R-2 and the R-5.

FOR THE GERMANS IT WAS, GO WEST YOUNG MAN, GO WEST:

American intelligence teams searched for and captured personnel who worked on the V2 rocket program.
Tons of material, date, blueprints and the
V2s were shipped back to the USA, facilities
were sent up for continued testing and development.

Many of the Germans given the choice of working for the US, or USSR took Horace Greely's advice: Go West Young Man, Go West.

The race for space was on who would be the first, to explore space...

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

USAF Air Museum Dayton, Ohio USA
National Air & Space Museum, Wash. D.C. USA
Fort Bliss, Texas, USA. Saw this V2, when stationed at Bliss in 1966
Imperial War Museum, England
Musee de l'Armee, France
Netherlands
Australian War Museum
Deutsches Museum Munich, Germany
Peenemunde, Germany



Horace Greely:
19th Century newspaper editor.
9. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
28 Jan 2011 01:35:50 PM

HIGH SPEED FLIGHT:

Dr. Alexander Lippisch designed the P.13a,
experimental ram-jet powered delta wing
aircraft. Design studies completed in 1944
However, a wind tunnel model was tested and
was capable of speeds to Mach 2.6! the aircraft had extraordinary stability and held promise as a interceptor.

Armament was not fitted to the P.13a the craft was too small to carry the MK 103 30mm cannon However, the airframe could have carried two large-caliber machine guns, but no tests were ever carried out.
Performance:
Maximum speed 1,665km/h or 1,025mph
Range 1,000km or 621 miles.

SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME:

In 1939 the Lippisch design team was transfered to Messerschmitt, to work on high-speed flight aircraft designed around rocket engines, prototype DFS 194 research led the way to the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet.

HYBRID JET/ROCKET:

At the end of the war, the DM-1 test glider, the only prototype was found by US troops.
The Lippisch team working under Operation Paperclip, was sent to the USA to continue
work, the DM-1 was said to have been test flown many lessons learned were put into research aircraft of the 1950s.

POST WAR DEVELOPMENT:

Convair designed the delta wing XF-92 test
aircraft, this research led to the development of the F-102 Delta Dagger the
F-106 Delta Dart and the B-58 Hustler
10. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
29 Jan 2011 11:32:46 AM

Another interesting design concept during WWII, was the Blohm & Voss, Flugzeugbau GmbH
Bv-194, submitted in March 1944 for a
single-seat, multi-role aircraft, powered by
both turbojet and radial engine.

HYBRID JET ENGINE/PROPELLER DRIVEN ENGINE

Blohm & Voss built a mockup for this unusual
asymmetric design, the aircraft was not accepted by the Luftwaffe, and the project was cancelled. The Bv 194 was intended to be a high performance ground attack multi role aircraft.

Powered by Jumo 004 or BMW 003 jet engines that were located in a nacelle beneath the pilots cockpit, that was placed to the right of the main fuselage with one BMW 801 propeller driven, air-cooled radial engine the tail was also asymmetrical in design.

Armament for the Bv 194 was 2x20mm cannons with 500 rounds per-gun and 2x30mm cannons with 140 rounds per-gun. The bomb-bay was in
the main fuselage and could carry mixed ordnance. Another interesting what if...

BEFORE THE BOEING V-22 OSPREY, THERE WAS THE
WESERFLUG P. 1003/1...

This (VTOL) Vertical TakeOff and Landing aircraft design studies date back to 1938 it was a conventional looking aircraft with wings and tail. Paper project that was never built, but another what if...

VERTICAL LIFT, ITS IN THE WINGS:

The difference in this design were the wings
that were hinged and could be tilted mounted on each end of the wing was a nacelle with a large diameter propeller.
The wings were mounted high on the fuselage for ground clearance, and when the wings were tilted in flight position. Power was provided by one Daimler-Benz DB 600 engine buried in the center fuselage and drove both propellers. An interesting concept years a head of its time.

TILT-ROTER CONCEPT:

The Weserflug P.1003/1 aircraft never left the drawing board but a similar design was later designed and built by the Boeing Co. in the USA, as the Boeing V-22 Osprey that started testing in 1989.
The Boeing V-22, tilt-rotor concept like any new realm of flight is troublesome in design with continued development in this field of powered flight, the aircraft in undergoing operational service and field test.
11. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
29 Jan 2011 11:18:45 PM

HITLER'S FANTASY ARSENAL:

Some of the advanced German secret weapons
like the Focke-Wulf Triebflugel were almost
preposterous, but these designs existed in
paper, or wind tunnel model, and some in
prototype development, ramjets, rockets and
other wartime secret projects.
Some studies started in the 1930s through the mid 1940s how many even heard about jet propelled and rocket aircraft, before WWII.

WHAT IF...

What would have come, if the war didn't end in 1945 and the Germans continued research
with their wounderwaffen, but the Nazis didn't prevail and the wartime designs ended
Some of the ideas were ahead of their time
and still have an effect on aircraft design and development to this day.

CONSPIRARY THEORIES, ABOUT THOSE FLYING DISKS
HITLER'S SIEGESWAFFEN PROJEKTS

German secret projects, myths, physics and
plausibly, but its an instersting what if...
maybe such a machine could have been powered by turbojets.
The exhaust were used to spin the rotor blades designed in a circular air foil, this would deflect the exhaust gases to control
the craft.

I'M GUESSING HERE:

But let's speculate more research would have been needed to develop such a craft so let's
work on it.

I'M NO ENGINEER, BUT THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT:

The design team working in Prague didn't have enough time to continue research and development the war was near its end, so what really happened to the prototype if it existed at all.
With Russian troops closing in on Prague, was the craft destroyed along with all data, documents, blueprints and what about those
with knowledge of such a program?
Back to the horizontal circular fan design, as the craft moves down the runway and picks up speed, the airflow over the circular fan/ airfoil starts to provide lift and the blades can be adjusted like those of a helicopter to control lift and angle of attack, say I'm no engineer but that's the way I see it, both pitch and yaw might be difficult, so the aerodynamics have to be overcome.

So were back to myth, conspiracy theories and who really knows, but the truth is out there...
Those who know anything, say nothing and those who don't know say everything.

Einstein said: Do not to stop questioning curiosity has its own reason for existing.

That's my story, and I'm stickin to it. Given enough time to develop and test any
problem can be overcome.

This has been speculation only, and not a definitive source of information.

I thank ww2db/editor for allowing me once again to gaze into my crystal ball.
12. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
2 Feb 2011 10:57:02 AM

MORE ABOUT THE V2:

Over 65,000 design changes were made to the
V2 from its first designs to production and
continued during deployment and operation.

Engineers were under threat of being drafted
and sent to the front, and that would be the
Russian Front.
They had to file reports and show results of
their work without pause to justify not being drafted.

WHAT GOES UP, MUST COME DOWN:

The V2 didn't have a range safety destruct
system, if the rocket had a failure, there
was no way to stop it. The Germans felt the
cost and design of such a system wasn't needed.

At one time, 900 V2s were built per month.

A wind tunnel was built for testing designs with speeds over 3,000mph that no one else in the world had.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD:

Over 5,000 V2s were built, over 3,000 were launched.
About 600 of the missiles were used for tests
production mock ups, static teasting, train troops in transporting, fueling operations and launching procedure.

Rockets were lost during launch failures,
exploded on the launch pad or within seconds after launch.
Others failed because of guidance system failure, rockets broke up during flight due to aeordynamic forces of supersonic flight.
Warheads failed to detonate after hitting the target.

DID YOU KNOW...FROM REEL TO REAL.

The countdown came from a 1927 German Sci-Fi
movie called "FRAU IM MOND" Woman in the Moon

Director Fritz Lang wanted a dramatic effect
before launch Five, Four, Three, Two, One...
This was so effective that it has been used
in every Sci-Fi movie and during real launch
procedures, to this day.
13. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
4 Feb 2011 10:21:11 AM

V2 PROJEKT:

The German V2 formed the starting point for
post war rocket technology.
The Germans even developed a primitive computer to calculate telemetry information
during a V2 flight.

THE FIRST MOBILE LAUNCHERS:

As many as thirty vehicles were needed to transport fuel, warhead, launch and support
equipment, the firing troops moved fast and could setup a rocket launch within nintey minutes.
With the ability to be mobile, a battery could launch a V2 anywhere, and were rarely caught by roaming Allied aircraft.
Up to one hundred rockets a day could be fired, given enough supply of V2s.

MARS RISING:

After World War II the Allies started to search for the V2 and its design team, along with personnel trained in operational launch procedures.

THE UNITED STATES:

Many of the German Scientists and Engineers were sent to the USA, to continue working on the V2.
Working at the US Army's White Sands Proving Ground, in New Mexico paved the way for the
US Space program, and as late as 1952, V2s
were still being launched for testing.

The information gained led the way for development of American ICBMs, SLBMs, Air
Launched weapons, and the development of the Saturn.


THE SOVIET UNION:

The Russians transported train loads of data, documents, V2 rockets and Scientists
and Engineers back to the USSR.
Work continued at Kapuslin Yar, and other locations in the USSR. Most of the Germans that went to the USSR after World War II, were repatriated in the 1950s and early 1960s, after the Russians drained as much information from them.

Like the United States, the USSR started its
own Space program, and went on to develop its
own rocket designs with opernational ICBMS, SLBMs and Air Launched Weapons.

THE BRITISH:

After WWII, Britain assembled a small number of V2s, German Engineers working with the British, tested three V2s in Northern Germany
After the tests, the Germans were sent to the
USA to continue working on the V2.
Britain continued to develop its own Nuclear
Force of SLBMs and Air Launched Weapons.
In 1963 Britain retired the last of its Land-Based Nuclear Missiles.

THE FRENCH:

French teams like their US, USSR and British
Allies after WWII searched for V2 Technology
to start its own post-war rocket research program.
French teams recovered documents, data, blue-prints material and personnal, still this wasn't enough, a small group of Germans went to work for the French, and developed a French version of the V2.

ON YOUR OWN:

The French program, was about 75% short of the parts needed for construction of V2s
Teams searched the French sector of Germany
to recover as much material, equipment and
parts needed.
I'm sure some clandestine operations were formed and carried out all the wartime Allies were searching for the same thing everybody wanted to get the upper hand, the race was on not only for the V2, but also for the bomb as well.

BUSY SIGNALS:

The Americans and the Russians stonewalled with lack of cooperation in providing key parts, if the French went ahead with testing they were on their own.

The French realized it would be in the 1950s that they would able to test and launch the V2, by that time the technology would be obsolete.

VIVE LA FRANCE:

They went down two paths continue with the
V2 and gain as much information as possible
and at the same time, another team would design a French rocket.
Sucessful launches were made in the 1950s and development continued with improved French designs, that led to its own Nuclear
Forces (Force de Frappe) of ICBMs, SLBMs and Air Launched Weapons.
14. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
4 Feb 2011 02:34:15 PM

Both the United States and the Soviet Union
deployed short range conventional and tactical nuclear weapons.
Most of these weapons, are mobile launchers descendents of the WWII German mobile V2 firing batteries.
The US deployed the Honest John in the 1950s
through the 1980s and were replaced with the Pershing and Lance missiles and other weapon systems.

LETS GET THESE ACRONYMS CLEARED UP:

The most famous of these weapons are the (FROG) Free Rocket Over Ground and the (SCUD) Supersonic Cruise Unguided Decoy both
are mobile launchers, and have been improved with advanced weapons systems, by the USSR Both weapons are short ranged surface-to-surface missiles.

The SCUD and FROG are still in service, with a number of countries and updated variants are able to deliver both conventional high-explosives, chemical, nuclear, fuel-air warheads and runway penetrator sub-munitions.
There are countries developing the SCUD and its variants, to carry a nuclear warhead
every missile system developed and deployed
since the end of World War II, can be traced
back to the German V2.

WHAT ABOUT THE FRENCH...

Enhanced Radiation Weapon (ERW) Remember the Neutron Bomb the French were working on? now everybody knows about it, but no one hasn't deployed the thing, that's known of, in one form or another, its what we don't see that's under the table.

ITS STILL A NUKE, BY ANY OTHER NAME:

Look on the bright side, so to speak its 1/10th as powerful as a fission type bomb, but the blast and heat are not eliminated
with increased radiation released its meant to create major casualties. Research and
development went into this thing, going back to the 1950s.

Sponsored by Cold War Products:
Collateral Damage, Radiation, Thermal Energy
Mutual Assured Destruction and the Military Industrial Complex...
15. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
23 Feb 2011 01:04:34 PM

VERGELTUNGSWAFFE-1 OR THE V-1 CRUISE MISSILE

Tested in late 1941 early 1942 by the German
luftwaffe at Peenemunde, the weapon was ground launched by catapult,leaving the ramp at about 350mph, and flew at 410mph it was stabilized and controlled by gyrocompass and
auto-pilot it carried a warhead of about 850kg/1870ls of explosives.
Due to Allied defensive measures, mechanical unrelibility and guidance errors, about a quarter hit their targets. The Luftwaffe ran the V-1 cruise missile experiments at Peenemunda, and the German army ran the V-2 ballistic missile development

COST EFFECTIVE:

The V-1 was built at a cost of 5,090RMs about
30,000 were built, 10,000 fired at England up
to March 1945, of these 7,000 were hits that landed somewhere in England, and 3,876 landed
in the Greater London area.
Because of its buzzing sound from its engine it was nick nicknamed the buzz-bomb. When the
engine noise cut out, it was time to take cover the missile would go into its dive and explode, the V-1s were used against England from June 1944 to March 1945.
5,000 people were killed and 16,000 injuried
many were shotdown by anti-aircraft fire it
took about 2500 shells to destroy one V-1
and another 300 were brought down by barrage balloons. RAF and USAAF fighters shotdown a number of V-1s.

WHEN YOUR OUT OF AMMUNITION:

Some pilots hit upon the idea of flying next to the V-1 slide the fighters wing tip under the V-1s wing tip, the disturbed airflow would tip the V-1s wing up sending it out of control.
Later anti-aircraft batteries would use
proximity fused shells fired at the V-1s the kill rate increased from one V-1 destroyed for 2500 shells fired, to one V-1 destroyed for every 100 shells fired.

AIR LAUNCHED V-1s

When the V-1 launch sites were overrun by the Allies, the Germans moved them back and
and aimed at targets in the Low countries
and the port of Antwerp in Belgium.
From July 1944 to January 1945 the luftwaffe 3rd Bomber Wing, or Kampfgeschwader started to launch the V-1 by air, using modified
Heinkel He 111 bombers flying over the North Sea, in this role the bomber was vulnerable to fighter attack. It has been estimated that 40% of V-1 launches were failures.

RED SUN:

Examples were shipped to Japan by submarine Kawanishi developed the Baika However, it never left the design stage.
Designes included a air-launched and ground- launched version that could takeoff without being launched by ramp/catapult.

note*
This weapon is not the Ohka/Baka manned aircraft that carried a pilot for kamikaze missions.





POST WAR DEVELOPMENT:

The United States, USSR, France and Britain captured examples of the V-1 along with the
support equipment, blueprints, engineers and technicians were sent to work, and continued
development in the post war years.

REVERSE ENGINEERED:

United States:

Examples were tested and copies built by Ford
and other contractors, as the JB-2 (Loon)
both ground and air launch tests took place
the USAAF and the Navy wanted the JB-2(Loon) ready for the invasion of Japan.
The US Navy tested the (Loon) launched from submarine, development continued into the late 1940s and led the way for advanced air-
to-surface, and surface-to-surface missiles.

BRITAIN:

The British worked with the USA in improving
the V-1 or JB-2 (Loon) and conducted their own tests after the war.

USSR:

The Russians also continued development of the V-1 and made copies as the 10Kn testing continued into the late 1940s and early 1950s

FRANCE:

The French built copies of the V-1 and tested
them the French model was known as the CT-10
they were used as target drons, they were smaller than the V-1, and modified with twin
tails. Some were even sold to the British
and to the United States.


PEENEMUNDE TODAY:

In 1990 Peenemunde has become a sort of Military theme park, ands pace museum that was opened after German reunification.
Peenemunde was captured by the Russians and all equipment, surviving engineers and technicians were sent back to the USSR to continue work, what couldn't be taken back to the USSR was destroyed. During the war as many as 12,000 people work at the site.

SURVIVING V-1 MISSILES:

JB-2 on display at the USAF Museum located at Dayton, Ohio USA
Complete launch ramp w/V-1 on display at the
Imperial War Museum Duxford, England
Other V-1s are in museums throughout the world.
16. Bill says:
24 Feb 2011 03:01:13 PM

CODE NAME: REICHENBERG!

Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fur Segelfug (DFS)
took a standard V-1 and modified it to carry
a pilot it took a little more than the 350 man hours necessary to build a V-1 missile.
The first prototype was completed in 14 days
and was armed w/1764lb of explosives in the
nose. 175 were built along with 70 luftwaffe pilots and 30 volunteers in training, before production ended, and the project ceased in October 1944.

FOR THE FATHERLAND:

5.II/KG200 would have been the operational unit However, it saw no action and has been largely forgotten.Known as Selbstopfermanner or (Self-sacrific men) the idea was for the pilot to line up the target and...Hitler was
against such an idea, and wanted the pilots to have some means of escape, but how would a pilot bail out, after he opened the canopy without being sucked into the pulsejet engine
it was a suicide mission, and everyone knew
it. One vairant was built, a two-seat trainer

Named the Leonidasstaffel manned Fi-103Rs would have been air-launched but the project was shelved in favor of the Mistel program the German high command even refused to supply fuel for training. It was another German weapon that never became operational.

SURVIVORS:

Five Fieseler Fi-103s survive today

Leonidasstaffel:

Named after King Leonidas of Sparta, who stood with his 300 Spartans at Thermopylae in 480BC along with 700 Thespians, and other Greek warriors who fought to the death against the Persians.
17. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
10 Apr 2011 12:36:04 PM

POST-WAR DEVELOPMENT:

Both the United States, Soviet Union, France and Britain developed different classes of surface-to-surface, air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles, ICBMs and SLBMs ballistic missiles in fixed and mobile launchers and
sea-launched systems aboard submarines.

This was a continuning development from WWII German technology, that influenced both jet aircraft designs and other military related fields.
Advances of these weapons gave each side the edge in the balance of power. Rocket design
led to the development of the space programs for the USA and the USSR, and later other countries.
Military Secrets and its Technology, are the
most fleeting of all, nothing is ever secret
for long.

The word missile,from the Latin word mittere
"To Send"

Suggested Reading:

German Secret Weapons Of The Second World War
By Ian Hogg
Published by Stackbooks (1998)
ISBN 1853673250
18. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
30 Jun 2011 03:16:45 PM

WHAT ABOUT THE FRENCH:

The French rocket program, was a go it alone
affair, Both French and German scientists, engineers and technicians continued to work and develope the V-2. The French Veronique rocket, was based on the V-2 and developed partly by German scientists.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU:

Between the USSR the USA and Britain, France
built the groundwork for its early space program working with captured V-2 rockets, engines, salvaged equipment, tons of data, blueprints and documents, assembly of V2s and later the design and developed its own rocket designs.
Later built its own launch facilities and the most famous is located in French Guiana.

SPACE POINEERS:

The Russians send Dogs into space, the
Americans send Monkeys and Chimps and the French, they send a Cat.
Felix was launched to a height of 120 miles and returned safely to the Earth. One can almost hear the "La Marseillaise"...

THE GOOD GERMAN: FRENCH LESSONS

As one German said the British couldn't afford us, the Russians terrified us, so we went to the Americans.
The French, took as many of the Scientists, Engineers and Technicians as possible back to France.
19. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
4 Feb 2012 02:12:04 PM

LONG-RANGE JET BOMBER:

Another German proposed jet bomber was the Arado E-555. Powered by six BMW 003A or six Heinkel S 011 turbojet engines The E-555 was
designed as an "Amerika Bomber" to bomb targets on American East Coast.
This project was abandoned in December 1944 due to Germany's war situation, before a prototype was even built.

COMMERCE RAIDER:

The Arado could have been used as an Atlantic
Raider operating in open sea/bad weather and
day/night conditions making its bombing runs by radar able to enemy jam radar and avoid Allied fighters.

WHAT IF SCENARIO: ONLY FICTIONAL

November 1946 with clear sky and visibility unlimited high over the Atlantic a lose formation of Arado E-555s assigned to either 1./KG100 or Stab./KG200 have reached the point were each aircraft banks away and head to their assigned targets.

Radar has picked up a formation of enemy aircraft, later the Germans make a visual and identify them as American B-36 bombers on their way to bomb targets in Germany the crew receives no other radar contacts, but scan for fighters.
The mission would be 12hours and if its necessary the aircraft would make emergency landings due to battle damage or fuel loss in German held Iceland. This is speculation only, this never happened...

ANOTHER SCENARIO:

One Arado E-555 has been modified for this special mission, flying alone and undetected it is taking the German Uranium bomb to the enemies of the Fatherland. In each one of the above scenarios, one can almost hear Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries.

Note*

Die Walkure: is the second of four operas that form the cycle "Der Ring des Nibelung" (The Ring of the Nibelung)
Ride of the Valkyries, Norse mythology, a valkyrie is a female figure who observes the battle, and decides who falls and dies who is worthy to sit besides the throne of Odin
to be in Valhalla, the hall of the slain...

SEEDS OF THE FUTURE:

Design of the Arado E-555 was based on a flying delta wing, with jet engines clustered
together above the wing or in different configurations. The flying delta wing had a short protuding fuselage section that was pressurized for the crew of three the pilot, bombardier/navigator and engineer/gunner.

The aircraft was armed with remote controlled
2xMG 151/20mm cannons in the tail, with 2xMG 151/20mm cannons in a turret aft of the cockpit and 2x30mm cannons in the wing roots

Bomb load was 3x500kg(SC500)bombs one 500kg bomb is about 1,100lbs.
And 2x1000kg(SC1000)bombs, one 1,000kg bomb is about 2,200lbs.
Aircraft would have been modified to carry the German Uranium bomb. Speed was 860km/h 534mph, range 4800km/2900miles auxiliary fuel tanks, could increase the range,ceiling
15,000meters/49,000feet.

I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing me to once again gaze into my crystal ball.
20. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
16 Apr 2012 08:13:03 PM

CAPTURED LUFTWAFFE AIRCRAFT TESTED BY USSR:

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu, Focke-Wulf Fw 190A,
Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, Junkers Ju 87D,
Junkers Ju 88, Messerschmitt Bf 109F and G, Messerschmitt Bf 110, Messerschmitt Me 410
Henschel Hs 129B and Heinkel He 111H.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS AIRCRAFT:

Fieseler Fi 156, Bucker Bu 181,Siebel Si 204
Junkers Ju 52/3m. Junkers Ju 352 and the Messerschmitt Bf 108.

When Soviet forces entered German territory they also captured more propeller-driven aircraft and wonder weapons.
Focke-Wulf Fw 190D, Messerschmitt Me 262,
Messerschmitt Me 163, Arado Ar 234 and the
Heinkel He 162 and Junkers Ju 388 they also
captured V-1 and V-2 factories.
Many of the transports, communications and liaison aircraft were used by VVS units into the post-war years.

GUESTS OF THE USSR: WE INSIST

Before Germany even surrendered, captured
German design teams were rounded up by
Soviet Military and Intelligence units, and were transferred to the USSR to continued
weapons design and research.
The Germans were set up as design bureau
OKB-1 and OKB-2 located outside of Moscow.

THREE TYPES OF SCIENTISTS: ALL TOGETHER NOW

American (German Scientist), British (German
Scientist) and Russian (German Scientist)

THIS GETS EVEN BETTER:

After V-E Day Britian and France offered the Germans the luxury to conintue their wartime research.
The USSR also rounded up as many engineers, scientist and technicians to contine their post-war research and were given an offer by the Russians, they couldn't refuse.

The US Army attempted to get permission to round up German design teams and scoop up as many scientists as possible.
The US State Department refused to grant an exception for importing enemy aliens in time of war, and the duration wasn't officially over.
The Germans were transported anyway to the USA this was the beginning of Operation Paperclip, and the development of post-war research. With the carving up of Germany, the Cold War was just beginning, and it would continue for over forty years.
21. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
28 Aug 2013 07:35:50 PM

GOING SUPERSONIC!

To design a flying machine is nothing, to build one is something. But to fly is everything...

Ferdinand Ferber Dedicated to:
Otto Lilienthal 1898

Continued High Speed Flight, Comment #9, Jan 2011
more information about the Lippisch P.13a

FOR THE FATHERLAND:

The Lippisch P.13a was another paper design that came from the research model DM-1 test glider.
By 1944 the P.13a would have been the world's first ram-jet single-seat intercepter.
the wings were swept-back 60 degrees and designed with a single fin and rudder in which the pilot's cockpit was located.
The ram-jet was fed by a circular air intake that extended from the nose and the exhaust beneath the vertical fin at the rear. The wind tunnel model was capable of speeds up to Mach 2.5 that's 1,650km/h/1,025mph!

POWER FOR TAKEOFF:

A liquid fueled rocket motor was to be used for the P.13a takeoff mounted on a dolly like that used by the Me 163 Komet and Ar234 Jet Bomber, and
later jettisoned after takeoff.
Due to the Luftwaffe's conventional fuel shortage the P.13a was to be powered by 1 x Kronach Lorin coal-burning ram-jet, the fuel was developed into a fine power.
Another scheme, and I'm guessing here could have been pulled by a tow-plane to get airborne.
Another launching scheme the P.13 could have been mounted on the back of a mother plane something like the Space Shuttle/Boeing 747.

WARS END:

The DM-1 was captured by US Forces and shipped back to the US for evaluation and test. In 1950 the DM-1 glider was turned over to the National Air & Space Museum. Data collected by the US from
German technology in the post-war period, helped developed the XF-92,F-104, F-102, F-106 and the
B-58

LIPPISCH P.13b, THE NEXT GENERATION:

The P.13b was more conventional in design with
twin vertical tails, intakes on each side of the leading edge of the wings to feed air into its ram-jet engines.
The pilot's cockpit was moved forward ahead of the wings the P.13b had a retractable skid for landing under the fuselage.
Armament was planned to be(2)or(4)MK-108,30mm cannons. The P.13b never flew and was only a paper design.
22. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
29 Aug 2013 06:55:04 PM

GERMAN X-PLANES: MIGHT HAVE BEEN

January 1945 Messerschmitt started work on the
P.1111, design was for a 45 degree swept-wing tailless jet aircraft. Air intakes were located
on each side of the fuselage, the pilot's cockpit
was pressurized with an ejection seat. The P.1111 was to be powered by 1 X Heinkel He S 011 turbojet engine. American forces captured the Messerschmitt facility and captured design data and a wooden wind tunnel model, no prototype was ever built.

Armament: Four MK-108, 30mm cannons and could have carried the X-4 air-to-air missile. This was
a paper project and never left the drawing board.
The P.1111 looked advanced in design, but it was within the technical capabilities of the German aircraft industry.

POST-WAR:

SIMILAR DESIGNS

The British de Havilland DH 108 and 110, Douglas F4D-1 Skyray and the Swedish SAAB J-35 Draken
these designs made use of captured wartime German technology.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE: THE FIGHTER THAT NEVER WAS

February 1945 Messerschmitt started yet another design, the P.1112/V1 using a V-tail, swept-wing
with a pressurized cockpit for the pilot, with an ejection seat, the seat, was in a semi-reclined position much like today's General Dynamics F-16 the intakes were located on each side of the fuselage just ahead of the vertical swept fin this was another paper project, and no prototype was ever. Like the P.1111 it was to be armed with four MK 108 30mm cannons and powered by
1 X Heinkel He S 011 turbojet engine.

23. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
25 Oct 2013 10:20:59 PM

THE GERMAN URANIUM BOMB:

The race to develop an atomic weapon during WWII
was held by the United States, and was the only wartime country to develop and use this weapon against Japan in August 1945.

WORKING BACKWARD:

Much has been said about the German Atomic Bomb
project, as well as other wartime programs with the war going badly for the Reich research has come to light, that hundreds of skilled Physicist Engineers, Mathematicians and Technical Personnel were drafted into the army, a generation of academia under the Nazis were all but eliminated.
These men born between 1915 to 1925 were almost non-existent after WWII.
Did the Germans ever develop a nuclear weapon? or how close were they to one? its another mystery of WWII, who knows maybe in one hundred years secret classified documents will come to light...

The survivors were captured by the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union, to continue
working on wartime projects.

SCIENTIFIC PRISONERS OF WAR:

Both the Allies and the Russians had special teams of technical personnel searching for both
the scientists, equipment, material, research papers, blueprints and data.
Most were forced to work for the victors years after the end of the war, while others lived out their lives and continued their research in the west, the Russians released many of the German scientists and other technical personnel after squeezing as much information as possible from
them.

I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing me to leave my comments, and to share my knowledge of WWII



24. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
16 Dec 2013 06:16:33 PM

MORE ABOUT THE FZG-76: BETTER KNOWN AS THE V-1

World War II was the first push button war, never before could one man launch a weapon that could kill or injure thousands of people hundreds of miles away...

Continued from comment number 15 the official name
for this weapon was the FZG-76 Flakzielgerat or
anti-aircraft target device-76, with Fieseler the chief contractor, designated as the Fi 103.

SEEDS OF THE FUTURE: THE CRUISE MISSILE

The V-1 emerged from a proposal made in 1936, for a pilotless guided weapon by Augus Motorenwerke testing was carried out at the Peenemuende Army Research Center in 1941.
Did you know that V-1 production reached 30,000 and built by Henschel, Mittelwerke and even (VW) Volkswagen! it took 350 man hours to build a V-1 and 120 hours for the guidance systems, full production didn't start until April 1944, when 1,000 V-1s rolled off the Volkswagen assembly lines. By 1944 the V-1 was ready for operational service, troops were trained in launch procedures operation and transport.

HOW DID THE V-1 WORK:

The V-1 was powered by 1 x Argus Schmidt pulse jet engine, this power plant used a novel system of intake shutters and pulsed combustion of 500 cycles per minute, and provided about 660lbs of thrust to push it along at 400mph.
The V-1 was also made from wood and rolled steel, and carried an 1800lb warhead, it was launched by a catapult system, and started by compressed air and had a range of 150 miles, in operation the V-1 was still prone to failure on launch, failed to clear the catapult, and crashed after launch, guidance system failure or any other number of mechanical failures.
A gyroscope along with other guidance systems fed signals to the elevators and rudder to control altitude and direction, to keep the V-1 in level flight, as it flew along, its forward motion turned a small propeller mounted on the nose after a pre-set number of revolutions, the propeller tripped the diving controls pointing the weapon downward toward its target.

JUST GETTING TO THE TARGET:

The V-1 was also effected by weather conditions, headwinds, tailwinds could also alter the course
the auto-pilot could fail and send the V-1 into a dive over the English channel or land short of its target.

DEAD SILENCE:

V-1s that made it to the target flying against the weather, anti-aircraft fire, barrage balloons and fighters made a sound unlike any weapon used during WWII the deep-throated tone of its pulse engine, as the V-1 went into its terminal dive, the engine stopped, this was due to the fuel running to one side of the fuel tank, away from the fuel pump stopping the flow of fuel.

The last V-1s were launched against London were on March 29, 1945, six weeks before Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies. The V-1 was the worlds
first cruise missile and pre-dates cruise missile technology used during and after the Cold War by both the USA, USSR and other countries.
10,000 V-1s were fired at England, 4,261 were destroyed by fighters, anti-aircraft and barrage balloons, 2,400 reached London, killing 6,184 people and injured 17,000. Other V-1 failures were due to mechanical problems, guidance errors
and fighters. All comments are for general information only and should not be taken as a definitive source of information.

THE DRONES ARE COMING, THE DRONES ARE COMING:

Did you know that the Argus Motorenwerke also developed during WWII the AS292 remote-controlled surveillance aircraft, it was the grandfather of today's drone aircraft, it was decades ahead of its time, scary isn't it.

Once again, I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing me to share my interest in WWII history and technology.
25. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
17 Dec 2013 04:21:32 PM

ROCKET SCIENCE 101: FOR DER FATHERLAND

Besides the unmanned FZG-76/V-1 cruise missile, the Germans also developed a single-seat manned version called the Reichenberg ReIII along with and a two-seat trainer.
The single-seat version had the pilots cockpit just ahead of the pulse engine, the idea was for the pilot to bail out after the weapon dived into the target, in reality these modified V-1s never saw combat.

A trainer model was unpowered and modified from a standard V-1, the first cockpit was positioned just ahead of the pulse engine, the second cockpit positioned where the warhead would be the craft had landing skids and flaps, as the trainee pilots gained experience with the trainer, they went on to fly the single-seat model, that had the nose was filled with ballast to compensate for the weight of the warhead.
The manned trainer and single-seat Reichenberg ReIII were carried by a modified Heinkel He111 bomber for tests and training.

The U.S. Army captured tons of salvaged V-1 parts with technical data, blueprints and complete missiles along w/catapult systems for analysis.

REVERSE ENGINEERING:

Engineers and technical experts located at Wright Patterson Field reversed engineered the V-1 and within three weeks, had a test model and working copy.
Both the USAAF and the US Navy carried out test and evaluation the American copy was called the JB-2 Loon about 1,385 were built and later used as target drones and other tests used in the post-war period.
26. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
12 Jan 2014 03:58:50 PM

BEFORE THE "COLD WAR" SPACE RACE:

Before WWII the Germans produced science-fiction films. One of them was titled "Weltraumschiff 1
Startlet" (Spaceship 1 Launches") made in 1938.
When WWII started sci-fi films were cancelled.
This film depicts a mission to the moon and return
to the earth. The special effects were realistic for that era.

Little Nazi propaganda was shown, not even one
"Heil Hitler" or Military uniforms very unusual for German films of the period.
Even the launching procedures are familiar the
moon ship was big, really big that's German engineering for you. The ship was launched down a long ramp using a rocket powered sled that would drop off after takeoff, and was not unlike the
V-1 launch of WWII. The film is in German but you can follow along. Many German films were captured after WWII and Held by the US Army, USAAF and later by the USAF for years.

A BABYBOOMER REMEMBERS:

SATURDAY MORNING: BACON & EGGS W/TOAST & ORANGE JUICE

I remember watching a cartoon series that was called "Space Explores" cuts were taken from this
German film and used in this animated series as a child watching those space adventures going to the moon and mars in the year 1978! You can watch this film on you tube, and the cartoon series Space Explores...

I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing me to leave this comment.
27. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
13 Mar 2014 04:13:36 PM

ADDED COMMENT FROM NUMBER 14, 4 FEB. 2011

BIZARRE AS IT GETS: THE NEUTRON BOMB

The big difference with this weapon is the fallout
from a Neutron bomb carries about 50% to 80% more radiation per megaton, than the standard off the shelf nuke The weapon relies on fission and a standard nuke relies on a combination of both fission & fusion.

WHAT ABOUT THE USA AND THE USSR:

At one time the French were in the process of developing a Neutron bomb everybody was sending protests to Paris, and yelling, not in our back yard (countries in Europe) and nobody was looking toward Moscow or Washington to see what they were up to...

WHAT ABOUT THE FRENCH: IT WAS A DEFENSIVE WEAPON

France announces that it had tested its own Neutron bomb. In the meantime, the United States, the USSR and China were developing their own Neutron weapons.

ALL TOGETHER NOW:

By the 1980s the US authorizes production of its Neutron warheads, but the weapons were stored in the USA, over protests in Europe. The USSR later announced that it had tested a Neutron bomb, but has no plans to deploy them, and due to heavy political pressure, France stops its own production of the weapon, so how many warheads still exist.

IN THE BEGINNING:

World War II ended with the use of Atomic weapons
the US had two of them in 1945. Production of more
started. By 1946 nine(9)bombs, 1947 thirteen(13),
bombs and by 1948 fifty(50)bombs.
The USSR developed its own Atomic weapons, later the British and the French and the Chinese the
world has never been or will ever be the same again. Soon just about every country that feels threatened by its neighbor will want one...the beat goes on.

I THANK THE EDITOR/WW2DB FOR ALLOWING ME TO LEAVE MY COMMENTS.
28. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
21 May 2014 12:33:16 PM

Continued from comment # 8 the (V-2/A-4)

WANNA TAKE A RIDE:

The V-2 was controlled at lift-off and rising vertically at near zero speed it had to remain controllable and stable. When the rocket was launched after four seconds, of flight, it would turn in the direction of its target.
Twenty-three seconds after life-off, personnel on the ground couldn't hear it anymore as it was traveling faster than the speed of sound thirty seconds it was considered safe if the rocket had an inflight failure and was miles away from the launch site.
Thirty-five seconds the V-2 was at 30,000 feet its speed was twice the speed of sound. Personnel on the ground could still see it looking through field glasses as a fast moving object.
Fifty-four seconds the rocket used its fuel and was now traveling at 3,200 ft/sec about 2,000 miles per hour and was able to reach an altitude between 50 to 60 miles, and could reach a speed of 5,200ft/sec carrying a 2,201lb warhead, that contained 1,620lbs. of high-explosives with a range of 190 to 200 miles

GETTING THERE:

The V-2 used liquid oxygen and a 75% 25% ethyl-alcohol-water mixture. Life-off thrust was 55,116
lbs. The V-2 was expensive, complicated and too inaccurate its payload was small it was more of a terror weapon as it made no sound before impact.

ROLL THE DICE: PLAYING WITH FIRE

After the fuel was used the engine cut-off at a pre-determined heading, speed and altitude and followed a ballistic path to the target until impact. The V-2 was equipped with a gyroscope system that made corrections in flight ballistic trajectory of roll, pitch and yaw.
The aiming system was crude point and shoot this meant that target errors could be several miles from its original target. The V-2 wasn't a proven weapon many rockets failed for a number of reasons
failure to launch, in flight explosions, guidance and control system failure, aerodynamic stress as it traveled through transonic and supersonic flight.
Firing troops could ready a V-2 for firing were able to fuel, service and make last minute adjustments for launch within hours, from September 8, 1944 to March 27, 1945 4300 V-2s were launched that's about twenty missiles a day
during the last seven months of the war.

ITS MILLER TIME:

The V-2 was moved horizontally on a mobile trailer transporter called the "Meilerwagon" this equipment elevated the rocket to its vertical firing position for fuelling and servicing after lift-off, the V-2 was unstoppable and was able to hit its target within five minutes!
Within the past twenty years, once classified German films have been released showing firing troops transporting and servicing the V-2 ready for launch.

THE ULTIMATE WAR PRIZE:

At wars end both the Allies and the USSR wanted to
capture the latest Nazi technology along with its Scientists, Engineers, Technicians and documents
and other data to advance their own post-war weapons development programs about 1,000 V-2 rocket assemblies and components fell into Allied hands.

THE RACE WAS ON FOR NAZI TECHNOLOGY:

The Soviets found 1,100 V-2 assemblies and their components, of which 500 were salvaged, abandoned,
located in storage or damaged and later shipped back to the USSR along with captured personnel.

The US captured a number of V-2 rocket personnel along with 100 V-2 rockets, 300 freight cars of V-2 components, 215 combustion-chambers, 180 sets
of propellant tanks, 100 sets of steering guide vanes, 90 tail units and 200 turbo pumps this treasure trove of parts, were found in France and Germany abandoned by the Germans.

The British and French were playing catch-up and also had teams to search and locate V-2 missiles and personnel but the biggest prize went to the USA and the USSR.

REVERSE ENGINEERING:

No V-2s were captured intact and ready for launch
V-2 parts were shipped back to the USA. Despite the material captured many of the parts were in short supply fifty control gyroscopes were captured but were in poor condition, electrical panels missing, wiring along with other assemblies
General Electric working with the US Army was able to provide gyros, wiring, servo-motors to replace German made parts. Every part was tested and checked before any launch of a V-2 was under taken in the USA. V-2s were test fired at White Sands, New Mexico into the 1950s

RUSSIAN VERSION:

Soviet scientists and engineers working with the Germans continued to test captured V-2s after WWII
This led to the development of the R-1 and R-2 rocket, that was an improved V-2.

FIRST FLIGHT:

The R-2 was accepted for service in 1951 and served in large numbers 1,545 were built and was given the NATO Code Name SS-2 Sibling. The R-2 was
the last Soviet missile based on German wartime design However, German influence would still remain in future Soviet missiles that paved the way for the ICBM, IRBM and the SLBM developed by both the USA and the USSR during the Cold War.

QUANTUM LEAP:

Both the German V-2 and the American Atomic Bomb
were advances in wartime development & technology
that otherwise taken decades to develop with out a world at war. Each weapon was financed hoping to change the course of the war.
The V-2 did not change the course of the war, and proved to bean enormous waste of resources, the A-Bomb ended WWII and shifted military power for the rest of the 20th Century. Both weapons worked and both weapons were used in the last months of World War II...

My deep appreciation to the editor/ww2db for allowing me to continue to leave my knowledge of WWII. It has been my desire to preserve as much historical information, not from an academic point of view, but from a layman's interest to provide the student/researcher other points of view of the V-2 development....
29. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
21 May 2014 06:44:54 PM

CORRECTION:

US Forces captured and salvaged over 1,000 V-2 assemblies in the Allied zone after WWII.
After WWII 100 V-2 rockets were used in tests, and high-altitude research at White Sands Proving Ground located in New Mexico.
Six months after arriving at White Sands, the first V-2s were assembled and ready for static tests before any operational launch of the V-2 and later American modified V-2s were used into the 1950s.

The Soviets captured about 1,100 V-2 assemblies of which 500 were salvaged. Testing continued in the USSR. In the 1950s the Soviets later released
the German scientists and other personnel that were held and returned home to West Germany.

THE EVIL THAT MEN DO:

At wars end the US Government brought German scientist to America that had worked for the Nazis
many of them became American citizens. These same men were responsible for the deaths of millions
during WWII that developed different weapon systems many should have been captured and tried as war criminals.
Did you know that Peenemuende files, films and other technical documents were kept at the US Redstone Arsenal for over a decade before being returned to West Germany in 1958, what other wartime documents are still filed away decades after the end of World War II.

AMERICANIZED NAZIS:

To stay ahead of the Soviets the US needed those same scientists to test and develop its new found missile technology along with many other weapon systems. In Government anything is possible laws were broken, officials looked the other way, files were replaced while original files were lost or locked away listed as classified for a period of one hundred years.

Many of these men have long since died, but did the end justify the means? how many of these Germans really escape justice because of their vast engineering and scientific knowledge and they were too valuable for a nation to lose against the Soviets. Employing those Nazi scientists it insured the technical lead of the US against the USSR during the Cold War.

SUGGESTED READING:

Germany's V-2 Rocket
By Gregory P. Kennedy
Published by Schiffer Pub. Ltd. (2006)
ASIN: B00E7L8FA0

Hitler's Rockets
By Norman Longmate
Skyhorse Publishing (2009)
ISBN-10 1602397058
30. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
26 May 2014 12:07:24 PM

SOVIET POST-WAR ROCKET DEVELOPMENT:

THE RED STUFF:

Before WWII ended in Europe the Soviets sent teams
searching defeated Germany for high-tech Nazi technology, along with the scientists, engineers, specialist and technicians. High on the list were
jet aircraft engines, rocket engines, armaments,
radar equipment, avionics, laboratory equipment,
tooling machines and other war related material.
Soviet forces over-ran Peenemunde and captured V-2 assemblies, along with whole factories that were disassembled and shipped back to the USSR.

TRADING PLACES:

The Russians were able to talk the Germans into working for them. Some believed they would be able to work in the Russian Zone in Germany still be employed and be able to care for their families. The Germans worked Germany along with their Soviet counterparts and were able to establish a V-2 production line.

VOLUNTEER WE INSIST

By order of Stalin Soviet troops along with the NKVD moved the Germans by train to the USSR and were setup at different locations to continue research. V-2 rockets were assembled and made ready for testing at one of the most famous locations called Kapustin Tar.

TESTS, TESTS, TESTS:

Engines were tested for better thrust & improved performance it was found out that rocket parts couldn't be slapped together, fuelled and launched
all systems that were shipped from Germany needed to be refurbished and tested with parts not usable were copied, tested and installed.

GERMANS GO HOME: OR UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN I DON'T THINK SO

After squeezing all the information out of the German team, they were repatriated starting in 1951, the last personnel left between 1953 and 1957 before they left last few words of advice.

YOU'LL REMEMBER NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL: NO BEAR HUGS

When the Germans returned to West Germany they were debriefed by NATO intelligence personnel few gave any accurate information about Soviet rocket developments in the USSR, while others were very vague and confusing with information. Fear can be a strong motivator when protecting yourself and ones families.
When you think bout it, and I'm guessing here Herr Schmitt and all the others, were very lucky how many knew outside of the Russians shipping the Germans deep into the USSR to continue rocket research in the chaos following WWII and their usefulness ended they could have been sent to the GULAGS. Until next time Dasvidanita!

I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing me to continue leaving my comments.
31. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
27 May 2014 02:12:12 PM

Correction in #30 Soviet test location should be Kapustin Yar not Tar

U.S. POST-WAR ROCKET DEVELOPMENT

THE RIGHT STUFF: ROCKETS FOR UNCLE SAM

August 1945 three hundred railroad freight cars
arrived at White Sands Proving Ground located in New Mexico, USA, with captured V-2 rocket parts and assemblies. US search teams in Germany never found any intact V-2 missiles ready for flight
but they did find a treasure trove of components
support equipment along with scientists,engineers
technicians and specialist.

BRITISH AND THE FRENCH:

Both wartime allies searched Europe for advanced
German technology it was the USA and the USSR that
captured the most material However, the British
working with its German scientists were able to test launch three (3) V-2 rockets.
The French took what they could find along with their German scientists and continued research in France. Both countries started a limited space program, compared to the United States and the Soviet Union.

AN ALL AMERICAN SHOW:

German scientists working with American personnel and experts tested and assembled V-2s for launch
this gave the Americans experience in testing, fueling and maintaining rocket assemblies ready for launch.
As time went on, many of the German engineers and
specialist continued to teach US personnel on V-2 technology, later the Germans were replaced still the original German team became an integral part of the US Space Program.

THE PUSH BUTTON AGE: THE FUTURE IS NOW!

The US launched sixty-seven (67) V-2 missiles at White Sands from 1948 to 1952 experiments were carried out to study the upper atmosphere, in 1948
a corporal missile was mounted on top of a V-2 it
became the first two-stage rocket test.

RED STAR RISING:

In October 1957 the USSR launched Sputnik the first man made satellite to orbit the earth, the US had to play catch up and the go-slow approach was needed to be speeded up. In 1958 NASA launched its first successful satellite.

MANNED SPACE FLIGHT:

April 12, 1961 Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human being sent into space, orbit around the earth and return.
May 5, 1961 American Astronaut Alan Shepard was launched in the first sub-orbital flight and returned to the earth. The space race was on each nation developed and improved its technology taking the first steps into manned space flight...

CONSPIRACY THEORY:

Who was really the first Russian into space? was it Vladimar Ilyushin believed to have launched into space landed off course and was seriously injured his flight was covered up, or was it
Yuri Gagarin?

What's the difference between the term Cosmonaut
and Astronaut.
Greek Astro-Stars/Nautes-Sailors (Navigators of the Stars)
Cosmonaut (Navigators of the Universe)

COMMENTS LISTED HERE ARE NOT A DIFINITIVE SOURCE OF INFORMATION JUST AN OVERVIEW...COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOMED.

I thank the editor/ww2db for his continued support
32. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
16 Jun 2014 04:42:42 PM

FIRST STEP INTO SPACE: APRIL 12,1961

Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on board his Vostok spacecraft, made a single orbit of the earth and returned. The flight was 108 minutes from launch to landing Gagarin ejected and landed by parachute.

SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL: SMOKE & FIRE

Imagine sitting atop a modified ICBM waiting to be blasted into space, at launch it must have felt as if the rocket had exploded the rocket vibrates, shakes and rattles considerably during launch as it accelerates to overcome the pull of gravity.

WHAT A RIDE:

As the rocket passed through transonic and supersonic flight the shock wave must have been something along with the strap on boosters being jettisoned and each rocket stage ignition starts
as it pushes you backward by the thrust of the engines and forward as the engines stop...what a ride.

HELLO MOSCOW:

Gagarin's flight was programmed for automatic flight, but he also had codes to use if needed for manual flight, the spacecraft was a spherical module looking much like a diving bell it carried life-support equipment, flight instruments food, water, waste management system, radio and
communications equipment.

FREE FALL:

Once out of the earth's atmosphere everything is falling, or it seems at the same time there is no up or down. Looking at the earth must have been a beautiful view.

COMING HOME:

Gagarin made a ballistic reentry the heat shields protected against the tremendous heat buildup. Gagarin ejected at lower altitude and landed by parachute. Vostok deployed its onboard parachute
and made a separate landing.

BACK IN THE USSR:

Gagarin returned a national hero, his successful flight into space paved the way for all future space exploration...Did you know that Gagarin was one of (20) twenty pilots chosen from (3,000) three thousand applicants in 1960, and went on to train to become the first cosmonauts.

MODEL KITS:

Airfix # A05172,1/144 Scale Model Rocket w/Vostok Spacecraft.

Revell # 0024,1/24 Scale Vostok Spacecraft

I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing this comment
33. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
17 Jun 2014 09:12:57 AM

ROCKETS RED GLARE: UNCLE SAM IN ORBIT

Astronaut Alan Shepard was the first American in space. The flight was a 15 minute sub-orbital mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA on May 5,1961.
Like his Russian counterpart, Shepard was also sitting atop a modified Redstone ICBM that was a direct descendant of the German V-2 Rocket the Freedom 7 spacecraft, astronauts didn't like the word capsule and wanted to be more than a sitting passenger and had the option of piloting the craft.
The US spacecraft was smaller than the Russian Vostok Shepard had control of the craft if it was necessary, the craft carried flight instruments, life support and communications equipment.

LIGHT THIS CANDLE:

Imagine sitting atop a rocket with 27 tons of explosive fuel! that took guts. After a four (4) hour wait, Shepard was blasted into space the rocket vibrated, shook and rattled as it passed through transonic and supersonic speed were turbulence built up.

GOOD VIBRATIONS:

Shepard reached an altitude of 116 miles during the 15-minute sub-orbital flight, returned by parachute unlike Gagarin, Shepard didn't eject and stayed with the spacecraft as it deployed its onboard parachute for a safe water landing 300 miles down range.

Alan Shepard became a National Hero and later received a ticker-tape parade in New York City.
Shepard was one of the original seven NASA Astronauts picked in 1959 for the US space program. Like Gagarin he paved the way for future manned space flights.

DESIGN FOR WAR, DESIGN FOR PEACE:

With the creation of the German V-2 rocket during the later part of WWII, the first steps leading to space flight were undertaken a weapon of war was also turned into a vehicle for space exploration. World War II changed the world as we know it and has been estimated to have taken the lives of 100,000,000 world-wide changing the lives of added millions.
Events of the 20th Century's most world-wide and horrible conflict are still with us to this day.

ROMAN CANDLE: LIGHT THIS CANDLE

Originated in Rome this type of firework was made from a tube that sends out a shower of sparks and a succession of balls of fire...

MODEL KITS:

Dragon Models offers a 1/72 plastic scale kit of the Redstone Rocket w/Mercury Spacecraft

Proach Models offers a 1/48 scale custom model of
the Redstone/Mercury Rocket. Price $$$$

I thank the editor/ww2db for his support.
34. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
8 Dec 2015 12:53:48 PM

THE STUFF SCIENCE FICTION IS MADE OF:

Zeppelin V-7 Flakmine called "Feuerball" carried
250 to 500kg warhead. The machine had a free spinning rotor w/4 x Pabst jets mounted around the rotors. The vehicle was launched via a launching platform, after ignition and rotation, the blades were tilted to a +3 degree angle and the V-7 took off.

ATTACK THE BOMBERS: MIGHT HAVE BEEN'S

The idea was to reach Allied bomber formations
and detonate within the formation by means of infrared or acoustic (sound) fuse...

HERE'S ONE FOR SHERLOCK HOLMES:

What were those sightings reported by Allied pilots in German skies during the closing months of WWII? Where they foo fighters, feuerballs,
kugelblitz, electromagnetic interference devices.
Will we ever really know, the answers to many mysteries of WWII could be filed away in some Government archive?
Did you know that thousands of captured German wartime documents are still listed as classified and not to be opened until the year 2045...

TRUTH OR JUST SPECULATION: FLUGELRAD V-1

The BMW Flugelrad 1 V-1 could it have existed at all, powered by 5 x BMW 003 jet engines slung under the fuselage, the pilot sat under a blown canopy surrounded by disc rotor blades.

Control was achieved by the hot jet exhaust that were deflected into the sixteen (16) variable pitch blades using control actuators. However, the machine suffered severe stability problems, its rudder became useless for flight control.

1945 Soviet troops advanced into Czechoslovakia nearing the City of Prague where testing of the Flugelrad was taking place. All development work
on the advanced models of the Flugelrad ceased

WHAT BECAME OF THE NAZI FLYING DISK:

Were all the prototypes destroyed. What ever happened to the blueprints, schematics, design data and other documents, were they destroyed by the SS and what about the personnel what became of them? No official documentation has ever surfaced. File this under conspiracy theories
If anyone has more info post it here at ww2db...

Unicraft Models produced a 1/72 scale model of the Flugelrad 1 V-1 price $$$...its $34.94

I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing me to leave my comments based on my knowledge of WWII reported as Historical fact and also in both Truth & Myths
35. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
8 Dec 2015 01:43:13 PM

OOPS! for those interested in what the Kugelblitz
was, I forgot to mention it was a radio proximity fuse for the Rheintochter surface-to-air missile
Should have added the Rheintochter.

The Germans were also working on different infrared homing devices for missiles, guidance transmitters, guidance systems for torpedoes, television guidance for air-to-surface missiles, wire guided air-to-air missiles, radar-controlled guns.
The Germans developed television-guided Drones
and their own version of Allied anti-jamming radar called window. Their version was called Duppel and used the same type of thin strips of metal covered paper dropped from aircraft to jam radar. Active and passive radar the list is fantastic in the development of weapons systems that are in operation with the militaries of the world today...

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