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47-564: A Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg , a piloted version of the V-1 flying bomb . The Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 A-1 gyro-kite, used by U-boats for reconnaissance. A Pickett-Hamilton Fort , a pop-up pillbox from World War II, was recently excavated from RAF Manston and restored. The museum has a large collection of aircraft components and memorabilia. 51°09′13″N 0°38′48″E  /  51.1536°N 0.6466°E  / 51.1536; 0.6466 This British aerospace museum–related article

94-571: A bomber. As the conflict turned increasingly in favour of the Allies, the Me 328 project was resurrected for consideration as a Selbstopfer ( suicide weapon ) aircraft, but was deemed to be unsuitable even for this purpose. None were ever used in an operational capacity. Work on what would become the Me 328 can be traced back to early 1941 and an approach by the German engine manufacturer Argus Motoren to

141-459: A bucket seat composed of plywood . The single-piece canopy incorporated an armoured front panel and opened to the side to allow entry. The two displaced compressed-air cylinders were replaced by a single one, fitted in the rear in the space which normally accommodated the V-1's autopilot. At no point was any landing gear fitted to the aircraft. The wings were fitted with hardened edges that would cut

188-477: A declaration which said, "I hereby voluntarily apply to be enrolled in the suicide group as part of a human glider-bomb. I fully understand that employment in this capacity will entail my own death." The concept called for an aircraft that would be armed with a single 900 kilograms (2,000 lb) explosive device that would detonate upon impact with the target, which was typically envisioned to be Allied shipping. Two different aircraft were quickly considered to be

235-467: A fighter aircraft, to be armed with two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons . However, during static testing it soon became apparent that it suffered the same problems which were to plague the early development of the V-1 flying bomb - namely, excessive vibration. The first prototype was lost during flight testing in September 1942 during a dive. The engine problems were such that officials came to believe that

282-541: A fighter to aerial reconnaissance , bomber , and interceptor aircraft . During February 1942, the project was transferred to the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - "German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight") for further development. One month later, the Me 328 designation was attached to the aircraft for the first time; that same month, work on producing an initial three prototypes commenced. Shortly thereafter, two versions of

329-555: A meeting between Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch and Generalmajor Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz at Berlin on 12 May 1942. After release, the Me 328 pilot would release a bomb over Manhattan and then ditch at sea near a U-boat. The idea was dropped in August 1942. Data from Die Deutsche Luftruestung 1933–1945 - Vol.3 - Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt General characteristics Performance Armament 500 kg (1,102.3 lb) explosive warhead One replica

376-519: A semi-rigid bar (the Deichselschlepp , which was also considered for towing winged auxiliary fuel tanks ), or carried on a Me 264 in a Mistel type fashion. Three versions of the aircraft were initially proposed: an unpowered glider , a version powered by Argus As 014 pulsejets, and a version powered by a single Jumo 004 turbojet engine. Messerschmitt believed that the type would be capable of performing in several roles ranging from

423-433: A time when Germany was anticipating a major naval landing by the Allies in western Europe. It was believed that a disposable aircraft armed with 900 kilograms (2,000 lb) of explosives would potentially inflict heavy damage on important targets such as enemy shipping. However, these attacks would have very likely involved the death of the pilot, who was expected to exit the aircraft and parachute away mere moments before

470-580: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg The Fieseler Fi 103R , code-named Reichenberg , was a German manned version of the V-1 flying bomb (more correctly known as the Fieseler Fi 103 ). It was developed towards the end of the Second World War and was intended to be used as a human-guided bomb in suicidal attacks against the advancing Allies. The Fi 103R started development in 1944 at

517-548: The Fi 103, an example was made ready for testing within days and a production line was established at Dannenberg . The V-1 was transformed into the Reichenberg via the addition of a compact cockpit at the point of the fuselage that was immediately ahead of the pulsejet's intake, where the compressed-air cylinders were fitted on a standard V-1. This cramped cockpit was outfitted with only basic flight instrumentation, along with

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564-475: The Fi 103R's development. Pilots were trained using gliders , including specially-adapted ones capable of high-speed diving, it was intended for the R-III , a twin-seat powered model of the Fi 103R, to be used for the latter stages of training. In September 1944, the maiden flight of the Fi 103R occurred, which resulted in a crash; a second aircraft flown on the next day also crashed. One month later, development

611-498: The German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt AG . The Me 328 arose out of design studies for the P.1079 in 1941, having been envisioned as a parasite aircraft that would protect Luftwaffe bomber formations from Allied fighter aircraft. Being largely composed of wood, the Me 328 was forecast to be several times cheaper than the cost of traditional German fighter aircraft, such as the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 or Bf 109 . It

658-554: The Me 328 during prototype testing, the vibration caused by its pulsejet engines having been a particular source of issues, leading to work being suspended. The project had also encountered political opposition from figures such as the head of the SS , Heinrich Himmler , who sought the programme's termination. The programme was placed under the supervision of the SS, but was not terminated at this point; instead, Skorzeny, who had been investigating

705-425: The P.1092 single-jet fighter design proposals. One of the projected Me 328 models produced around this timeframe increased the number of Argus pulsejets to four, the additional pair of engines being mounted below the wings in addition to the original pair positioned on pylons above the rear fuselage . Bomber versions of both types were proposed, and work continued on them at the insistence of Adolf Hitler long after

752-616: The Reichenberg in favour of the Mistel project. By this point, the Allies had consolidated their position in France and thus the value of attacking potential invasion fleets was no longer considered to be as pressing as dealing with land warfare. On 15 March 1945, in a meeting between Baumbach, Speer, and Hitler, the latter was convinced that suicide missions were not part of the German warrior tradition; later that same day, Baumbach ordered

799-461: The aircraft company Messerschmitt AG to inform the latter of its recent advances with pulsejet technology. While the projected 500kg of thrust output was less than the 600kg output projected for early turbojet engines, it was a far lighter engine at 80kg verses 600kg. Messerschmitt was suitably impressed, so that efforts to incorporate the Argus As 014 pulsejet engine into its aircraft designs

846-405: The aircraft demonstrated a very satisfactory performance, and it was planned to build up to 1,000 for use as disposable bombers to be flown by volunteers from 5/KG200, the so-called Leonidas Squadron . Seven prototypes, each powered by a pair of Argus As 014 pulsejets (as used on the V-1 flying bomb ), were built by glider manufacturer Jacobs-Schweyer of Darmstadt . It was intended for use as

893-488: The aircraft themselves were referred to as "Reichenberg-Geräte" (Reichenberg apparatus). It has been claimed that one reason for the switch towards the Fi 103R was its ability to offer the pilot a slim chance of survival. In the summer of 1944, the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight) at Ainring took on the task of developing a crewed version of

940-468: The aircraft were proposed, the Me 328A (fighter) and the Me 328B (bomber); it was estimated that four Me 328s could be built for the cost of a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 or Bf 109 fighter. It was also suggested at one point that it be towed behind the Me 264 heavy bomber for protection. It was envisioned that costs and production difficulties could both be reduced by incorporating as many components as possible from

987-568: The aircraft's impact. These pilots were reportedly to be volunteers and aware of the risk to their own lives. The " Leonidas Squadron ", V. Gruppe of the Luftwaffe 's Kampfgeschwader 200 , was established in early 1944 to conduct these attacks. Initially, the development of a manned Fi 103 had been considered but passed over for the rival Messerschmitt Me 328 project. However, this aircraft had fundamental difficulties with its pulsejet propulsion, which led to officials opting to switch focus to

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1034-404: The cables of barrage balloons . It was proposed that a He 111 bomber would carry either one or two Reichenbergs beneath its wings, releasing them close to the target. The pilots would then steer their aircraft towards the target, jettisoning the cockpit canopy shortly before impact and bailing out . It was estimated that the chances of a pilot surviving such a bailout were less than 1% due to

1081-600: The canopy. The next day, a second flight was conducted that also ended in a crash. The technical department struggled to explain these losses, although there were suspicions that the Fi 103R's flight characteristics could make landing particularly challenging. Seeking to avoid further accidents while also hoping to uncover the source of these difficulties, further test flights were carried out by Heinz Kensche and Hanna Reitsch , both of whom were particularly accomplished test pilots. Reitsch herself experienced several crashes, which she survived unscathed. On 5 November 1944, during

1128-428: The compact fighter was powered by a pair of As 014 pulsejets. However, these engines were fairly unsuitable, producing excessive resonance , asymmetry , and noise; accordingly, the manned flight programme was suspended after only a few test flights. During its protracted development, a wide variety of other roles were explored for the Me 328; at Adolf Hitler 's direction, resources were invested into its potential use as

1175-467: The concept of using the Me 328 as a parasite bomber within the Amerika Bomber program. In this role, a single Me 328 was to be carried by or towed behind either an Me 264 or a Ju 390 to attack New York City . Plans for this tactic — first proposed as much as nine months before Heinkel's trans-Atlantic Amerika Bomber design competitor received its own RLM designation — were hatched from

1222-614: The design team expressed their uncertainty over the aircraft's stability. As early as December 1941, discussions with the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) (the German Reich Aviation Ministry) considered the P.1079 to be primarily as a fighter aircraft. In such a capacity, it was intended to be deployed as a cost-effective and simplistic escort fighter, to either be towed aloft by a Heinkel He 177 heavy bomber or Junkers Ju 388 using

1269-504: The disbandment of the Reichenberg unit. There were five variants: By October 1944 about 175 R-IVs were ready for action. Data from The warplanes of the Third Reich General characteristics Performance Armament 850 kg (1,874 lb) high-explosive warhead Messerschmitt Me 328 The Messerschmitt Me 328 was a prototype pulsejet -powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by

1316-403: The in-production Me 262 and Me 209 aircraft. Test pilot Hanna Reitsch carried out a test programme on the two prototypes of the glider version, releasing from its carrier aircraft at altitudes of 3,000–6,000 m (9,800–19,700 ft). Ground launches, using both cable-type catapults and rocket-assisted carriages on rails, were successfully conducted. Even with a reduced wingspan ,

1363-478: The interest in this latter role that formal evaluations were conducted in the final months of the conflict. During September 1944, the first real flight was performed at the Erprobungsstelle Rechlin , the Reichenberg being dropped from a Heinkel He 111 . However, this flight ended in a crash, which was attributed to the pilot having lost control of the aircraft after accidentally jettisoning

1410-544: The last stage of training would be conducted using the dual-control R-II. According to Christopher, there was no shortage of volunteers for the programme despite the open acknowledgement that the mission involved their near-certain demise. Training began on the R-I and R-II and, although landing them on a skid was difficult, the aircraft handled well and it was anticipated that the Leonidas Squadron would soon be using

1457-464: The machines. On 28 July 1944, Albert Speer wrote to Hitler, stating his opposition to the wasting of both men and machines on the Allies in France and suggested their deployment to be more worthwhile against Soviet power stations on the Eastern Front . These were not the only alternative targets that were proposed; other potential uses for the Fi 103R included ramming enemy bombers. Such was

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1504-586: The majority of combat was anticipated to take place) due to the lower air pressure. Furthermore, these engines also generated a huge amount of noise, allowing observers to hear the aircraft from several miles away, which was not a desirable quality. The excessive vibration produced by the engine would be compounded by the fact that, in a twin-engined configuration, the two pulsejets would run at individual and unique thrust cycles, producing oscillations that would inherently cause instability due to asymmetry as well as resonance . These vibrations were not only harmful to

1551-501: The most suitable options available, the Messerschmitt Me 328 and the Fieseler Fi 103 (better known as the V-1 flying bomb), although both required development work. Officials opted to pass over the Fi 103 in favour of the Me 328. Being largely composed of wood and conceived of as potentially suitable for using multiple means of propulsion, the Me 328 had been worked on since 1941. However, difficulties were encountered in

1598-407: The pilot's health, but also threatened the aircraft's structural integrity. During September 1943, Willy Messerschmitt and Rudolf Seitz discussed switching the Me 328 to turbojet propulsion. The proposal to fit the Me 328 with a Jumo 004 turbojet was designated as the Me 328C . Despite this, development work continued, incorporating design advances from other Messerschmitt programmes, such as

1645-425: The point when anything other than token use could have been made of them. During 1944, moves were made to revive the Me 328 again, this time as a piloted flying bomb based on the Me 328B, fitted with a 900 kg (2,000 lb) bomb. According to Sharp, Reitsch had advocated for the use of Me 328 project as a suicide weapon , however, the aircraft was not developed with any such use being intended. However, work

1692-403: The possibility of using crewed torpedoes against Allied shipping, was personally briefed by Hitler to revive the project. Skorzeny played a key role in the programme's reappraisal, which included its reorientation towards the Fi 103. The project was given the codename "Reichenberg" after the capital of the former Czechoslovakian territory " Reichsgau Sudetenland " (present-day Liberec ), while

1739-513: The project would be difficult to bring to a successful conclusion, and the manned flight programme was suspended in mid-1944, after only a few test flights had been made. Sharp notes a major factor in the Me 328's suspension was the superior results from turbojet development, making aircraft that harness them, such as the Me 262, more attractive prospects. Many of the problems with the aircraft were due to its engines - pulsejet propulsion did not operate effectively at high to medium altitudes (where

1786-468: The propulsion units to be easily interchanged. Each pulsejet could be individually controlled by the pilot, including a quick-stop function; gauges indicating fuel-flow, fuel capacity, and pressure were present alongside controls for power distribution and safety alongside standard appartus. The cockpit was relatively primitive, although provisions had been made for its replacement by a more well equipped pressurised counterpart without substantial changes to

1833-559: The prototypes were made to evaluate their suitability for these missions, and different engine configurations were tested. Despite all this, the vibration problem simply could not be overcome and the program was abandoned in early 1944, even as production facilities were being readied to construct the aircraft at the Jacobs Schweyer sailplane factory in Darmstadt. According to the historian Thomas Powers, German officials explored

1880-430: The proximity of the pulsejet's intake to the cockpit. Trainees were initially prepared using ordinary gliders to get them used to handling unpowered flight; specially-adapted gliders with shortened wings would be used to provide more advanced training. Amongst other things, these adaptations enabled them to dive at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph). Once sufficient proficiency had been demonstrated,

1927-456: The rest of the aircraft if required. Aviation author Dan Sharp observed that much of the aircraft's design appeared to be shaped as to permit as rapid an entry into service as possible as well as to minimise costs. The aircraft's construction was to be mainly of wood. A gently swept wing was applied to the aircraft for its favourable high-speed qualities. A relatively simplistic dive brake could also be incorporated. However, even at this stage,

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1974-545: The second test flight of the R-III, a wing detached from the aircraft due to the vibrations; Kensche managed to parachute to safety, albeit with some difficulty due to the cramped cockpit. It was concluded that the Fi 103R had a relatively high stall speed and that pilots, unaware of this, had been attempting to land at speeds that were too slow for the aircraft to maintain stable flight. During October 1944, Werner Baumbach assumed command of KG 200, and quickly opted to shelve

2021-414: Was dropped in favour of the Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg) . A wide variety of roles were suggested for the aircraft, ranging from a point-defence interceptor , to a version with folding wings and twin pulsejets to be launched from a catapult on a U-boat , to a ground-attack aircraft . It was even believed that the Me 328 could be equipped to undertake aerial refueling . Various modifications to

2068-489: Was initially dismissive of the need to resort to tactics such as suicide attacks, as was advocated by figures such as Otto Skorzeny , Hanna Reitsch , and Hajo Herrmann , but he did authorise the formation of a squadron to prepare for such missions. Accordingly, the Leonidas Squadron , a part of Kampfgeschwader 200 , was established to be this suicide squadron. Volunteers for this squadron were required to sign

2115-412: Was promptly initiated; early design work was centered around applying it to the Me 262 , which would become the world's first production jet fighter. By May 1941, no less than 21 designs had been drafted by the company's project office, which had internally designated them as P.1079 . A twin-engine arrangement was selected for its greater flight performance, the engine configuration used also permitted

2162-401: Was proposed to use various forms of propulsion, including a single Jumo 004 turbojet engine, either two or four Argus As 014 pulsejets (as used on the V-1 flying bomb ), and even as an unpowered glider . The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - "German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight") was also involved in its development. Making its maiden flight in August 1942,

2209-454: Was shelved at the direct order of Hitler, who had been encouraged by Albert Speer and Werner Baumbach not to pursue suicide attacks. During the latter part of the Second World War , it was becoming increasingly clear that Germany was on the defensive and that increasingly drastic measures would be needed just to maintain the status quo against the Allies . In February 1944, Adolf Hitler

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