Fieseler Fi 103 A-1 Reichenberg I, II & III 1/48 scale kits
The poor accuracy displayed by first models of guided bombs, the alarming advance of the Allies on all fronts, and the failure of the submarine offensive drove some German leaders to consider desperate combat methods to balance the war. In the middle of 1944, several fantastic designs were proposed: rocket-interceptors, fast jet-bombers, and long-range missile submarines. At the end of the year, the proposed interceptors were of the “Rammer” type. The submarine were little machines crewed by one or two men, and were assigned to coastal defense. They fired one or two torpedoes as near possible to the enemy. The fast bombers were transformed into piloted bombs. Three different models were considered: the Bv 40 armored glider, the unsuccessful Me 328 fighter, and the piloted version of the V-1. Several prototypes of the latter were built to study deficiencies in lateral stability of the first models when in flight. This version, tested by Hanna Reitsch, was proposed to carry out “special attacks”. At the same time, an unit formed by 70 volunteers was established to pilot the new machines. It was the 5.II/KG200, named “Leonidas Staffel”. The training program, under direction of General Korten, included a number of flights in gliders “Grunau-Baby”, then passing to use the special cut down winged “Habitcht”, called “Stummelhabicht”, able to dive a speed of 300 Km/h ( 186 mph). The next model was the twin actuated glider “Reichenberg I”, which familiarized the pilots with the short wings, although it was the instructor who took care of landings. The selected ones then went to fly the motorized version of the “Reichenberg II”, testing from the carrier He 111 and under instructor supervision for launch sequence, flight course and mock attack. The single seat version of the “Reichenberg III” was intended for keeping pilots trained for combat. Last flight was made with the “Reichenberg IV” with a standard warhead from a Fi 103 B-1, which set up in flight by means of safety switch, and which replaced the water ballast in previous models. It is supposed that targets chosen for a “Reichenberg attack” would have been the Allied landing fleet, the bridges over the Rhine, and enemy command posts. As a weapon, it showed an uncertain efficiency. There is no doubt that Allied fighters would have shot many of them down, as happened to the unmanned version. The Luftwaffe’s resistance to use the new weapon, based on the low possibilities of the pilot successfully bailing out due to pulsejet position, prevented the use of the “Reichenberg attacks” until the end of the war. The plane was wrongly designed from the point of view of an effective in flight escape capability for the pilot, as the cockpit could not be equipped with available ejection seats of the Heinkel He 162. At the same time, pilot of the “Leonidas Staffel” developed a similar system of attacks, using a Fw 190 loaded with an SB/SC 1000 bomb. Text and drawings are used with the permission of Justo Miranda. |