During World War II, Nazi Germany developed many missile and precision-guided munition systems.
These included the first cruise missile, the first short-range ballistic missile, the first guided surface-to-air missiles, and the first anti-ship missiles.
Organisations
- Peenemünde rocket test site
People
- Wernher von Braun
- Walter Dornberger
- Walter Thiel
- Max Kramer
- Herbert A. Wagner
List of missiles
Surface-to-surface missiles
The V-1, which may be seen as the first cruise missile, was used operationally against London and Antwerp. The V-2 ballistic missile was used operationally against London, Antwerp, and other targets. The Rheinbote was fired against Antwerp.
- V-1 flying bomb [1]
- V-2 rocket [2]
- Rheinbote [3]
- A4b
- Ruhrstahl X-7 (Rotkäppchen) Guided anti-tank missile.
Surface-to-air missiles
Germany developed a number of surface-to-air missile systems, none of which was used operationally:
- Enzian (Gentian)[4]
- Rheintochter (Rhine Daughter)[5] - (an air-to-air variant was also planned)[6]
- Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling (Butterfly) - radio-controlled (an air-to-air variant was also planned)[7]
- Wasserfall (Waterfall)[8]
- Feuerlilie (Fire Lily)[9]
Air-to-air missiles
- Ruhrstahl X-4 (actively wire-guided; anti-tank variants of this were also designed, such as the X-7 and X-10)
Anti-ship missiles
Anti-ship missiles were used operationally against allied shipping in 1943, notably in the Mediterranean Sea, guided by the Funkgerät FuG 203 Kehl series of MCLOS radio guidance systems aboard the deploying aircraft:
- Fritz X armored, anti-ship gravity PGM
- Henschel Hs 293 air-to-ship, rocket-boosted gliding guided bomb
See also
- List of military aircraft of Germany
- List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
- List of RLM aircraft designations
- List of missiles
References
- ^ Fiesler Fi103 (V1) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK) Archived 2004-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ V2 (Assembly 4) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK)
- ^ Rheinmetall Borsig Rheinbote - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK)
- ^ Holzbrau-Kissing Enzian (Gentian Violet) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK) Archived 2004-01-30 at the Wayback Machine; Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 8, p.849, "Enzian".
- ^ Fitzsimons, Volume 20, p.2212, "Rheintochter".
- ^ Rheinmetall Borsig Rheintochter (Daughter of the Rhein) R1 - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK)
- ^ Henschel Hs117 Schmettering (Butterfly) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK) Archived 2004-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ EMW C2 Wasserfall
- ^ Feuerlilie (Fire Lily) - Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford (UK) Archived 2004-01-30 at the Wayback Machine