Figure 1.--The German V-2 balistic missle was the first man-made object to enter space. It was a technological accomlishment of the first order. The V-2 rocket engine using liquid oxygen and alcohol propellants produced a thrust of 56,000 pounds, giving the rocket a maximum range of 220 miles, more than enough to reach London from not only France, but Belgium and the Netherlands as well. It had a ceiling of 50-60 miles making it the first man-made object to reach space. It traveled at 3,400 mph, well above the spped of sound. That meant that unlike the V-1, its victims never heard it coming. There was no defense oither than preventuing it from being launched. It was a complete failure as a military weapon. Military targets could not be targeted, only large cities. It was pure and simple a terror weapon. It required a vast effort by the Germans, but it got Hitler's support bcause it was one of the few ways he could strike back at the British. It was an absured decision. The Allies delivered a greater payload in only one or two large air strike than all the V-2s launched and the planes could return to strike agaian and again..

The Germans also developed rocket engines for both aircraft and missles. They were liquid fueled engines using higly volitile hydrogen peroxide. The first rocket engines were devloped for Auxiliary Take Off (ATO). The fitst rocket propulsion was developd by Helmuth Walters at the Walterwerke. It was a 1000 kgf hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) propelled ATO rocket engine for the Heinkel He-176. These would also be used on the massive Gigant transport glider/plane. The engine was a cold monopropellant rocket engine using calciumpermanganate solution as a decomposition catalyst. It used 80% percent concentrated hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer. The Luftwaffe understandably turned to the Walterwerke dor an engine to power the Komet. The Komet engine engine was a hot bipropellent rocket engine. It used 80 percent concetrated hydrogen peroxide. The organic liquid fuel was a mixture called 'C-Stoff'. This consisted of hydrazine hydrate and methyl alcohol. The C-Stoff was self-igniting (hypergolic). No other decomposition catalyst was needed in this engine. The Komet would prove to be the only rocket airplane deployed in the War. We note a Hitler Youth boy who was trained to fly the Komet. It worked and brought down some American bombers, but it was probably more dangerous to the German pilots than the American bomber air crews. Takeoff was dangerous because of the highly volitile fuel. The pilot jetisoned its wheel carriage on take off and had to land on skids, if it could make it back to an airfield. Landing was the most dangerous part of a Komet mission. It surely was the most unique fighter actually deployed in the War. There was nothing like it in the Allied inventory. It is another example of the German engineers being on the cutting edge aviation technology. They began by attaching a rocket engine to a glider. The end resuklt was the Komet, single-seat, swept-wing interceptor. It is sometimes called a fighter, but because of its limited fligt time, poor manuerability and range, it could only be used against large bomber formations. The protype first flew (September 1, 1941). It was after considerable tinkering, added to the Luftwaffe operational inventory (1944). It should have never been apprived for operational service because it was so dangerous to fly, but the decesion reflects the Luftwaffe's increasing desperation as the Allied bombers pounded Germa cities day and night and the Luftwaffe's fighters were descimated by the new P-51s escorting the bombers. It was outclassed by the ME-262, but the OKL decided to go ahead an use it, pehaps because Hitler did not untefere as he had done with the ME-262. The best-known use of a rocket engine was those used for the terrifying V-2 balistice missle. V-2 program was an Heer project undertaken by Captain Walter Dornberger and Wener Von Braun. At the heart of the V-2 was liquid fuel rocket engine. It was a technological marvel, but a military failure consuming a massive amount of scarce cfritical material. It proved more deadly in Germany than in Britain and the other countries targeted by the Germans. It was also a war crime in that perhaps 20,000 slave workers from the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp perished in building the missles. Von Braun also used hydrogen peroxide for a he turbo-pump gas generator.

Auxilery Take Off (ATO)

The first rocket engines were devloped for Auxiliary Take Off (ATO). The fitst rocket propulsion was developd by Helmuth Walters at the Walterwerke. It was a 1000 kgf hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) propelled ATO rocket engine for the Heinkel He-176. These would also be used on the massive Gigant transport glider/plane. The engine was a cold monopropellant rocket engine using calciumpermanganate solution as a decomposition catalyst. It used 80 percent concentrated hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer. The Luftwaffe understandably turned to the Walterwerke dor an engine to power the Komet. The Komet engine engine was a hot bipropellent rocket engine. It used 80 percent concetrated hydrogen peroxide. The organic liquid fuel was a mixture called 'C-Stoff'. This consisted of hydrazine hydrate and methyl alcohol. The C-Stoff was self-igniting (hypergolic). No other decomposition catalyst was needed in this engine.

ME-163B Komet

The ME-163B Komet would prove to be the only rocket airplane deployed in the War. We note a Hitler Youth boy who was trained to fly the Komet. It worked and brought down some American bombers--there were 16 confirme kills. It was, however, probably more dangerous to the German pilots than the American bomber air crews. Takeoff was dangerous because of the highly volitile fuel. There was no undercarriage. The pilot jetisoned its wheel trolly on take off and had to land on skids, if it could make it back to an airfield. Thus landing was the most dangerous part of a Komet mission. Over 40 pilots were lost in landing, a subtantial number given the limited deploymebt. It surely was the most unique fighter actually deployed in the War. There was nothing like it in the Allied inventory. It is another example of the German engineers being on the cutting edge aviation technology. They began by attaching a rocket engine to a glider. The end result was the Komet, single-seat, swept-wing interceptor. It is sometimes called a fighter, but because of its limited fligt time, poor manuerability and range, it could only be used against large bomber formations. The protype first flew (September 1, 1941). It was after considerable tinkering, added to the Luftwaffe operational inventory (1944). It should have never been approved for operational service because it was so dangerous to fly, but the decesion reflects the Luftwaffe's increasing desperation as the Allied bombers pounded Germa cities day and night and the Luftwaffe's fighters were descimated by the new P-51s escorting the bombers. It was outclassed by the ME-262, but the OKL decided to go ahead an use it, pehaps because Hitler did not untefere as he had done with the ME-262.

V-2 Balistic Missles

The best-known use of a rocket engine was those used for the terrifying V-2 balistice missle. V-2 program was an Heer project undertaken by Captain Walter Dornberger and Wener Von Braun. At the heart of the V-2 was liquid fuel rocket engine. The V-2 engine was a technical achievement of the first magnitude. The two critical components were the turbopump and the thrust chamber. The turbopump was a high-speed pumps which was capable of moving large volumes of fuel into the thrust chamber at a rapid rate. The V-2 rocket engine using liquid oxygen and alcohol propellants produced a thrust of 56,000 pounds, giving the rocket a maximum range of 220 miles, more than enough to reach London from not only France, but Belgium and the Netherlands as well. It had a ceiling of 50-60 miles making it the first man-made object to reach space. It traveled at 3,400 mph, well above the spped of sound. That meant that unlike the V-1, its victims never heard it coming. There was no defense oither than preventuing it from being launched. The Germans manufactured about 6,000 V-2s, but only 2,600 were launched. Despite all the technological prowess used to create the V-2, it proved to be of no real military value because no enemy targets could be targeted, only large cities. It was a pure terror weapon. It required a massive amount of scarce critical material. It got Hitler's approval because it was a way of striking back at the British, especially London. It was an absured decision. The Allies dlivered a greater payload in one or two large air strike than all the V-2s launched. And the allied aircraft could return the next day. The V-2 proved more deadly in Germany than in Britain and the other countries targeted by the Germans. It was also a war crime in that perhaps 20,000 slave workers from the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp perished in building the missles.

BA-349 Nater Rocket Interceptor

The Bachem BA-349 Natter was one of a multitude of advanced German weapons nearing comoplition at the end of the War. The English tranlation is snake, perhaps Viper would be the best usage. It was a point-defence rocket powered interceptor. It was approaching a surface-to-air missile, only it was manned. It employed a vertical take-off, eliminated the need for airfields which were being heavily bombed and straffed by the Allies. The idea was for a relatively unskilled pilot to aim the BA-349 at a bomber and fire its rocket armament. The pilot would then bailm out. There was no way of landing the plane, but the Germans hope to salvage the spent fuselage and rocket motor by a separate parachute. The nose section was expendable. There wa only one manned vertical take-off (March 1, 1945). The test pilot, Lothar Sieber, was killed.

Created: 2:49 PM 10/20/2012
Last updated: 8:46 PM 12/30/2013