Volume 9 Issue 108

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Q Aerospace Publishing Ltd 1985 i
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hrldll{arll
Air-to-Ground
After World War I it was widely believed that air power wouJd make aII other
machines of war obsolete and that futwe conflicts would be settled by huge fleets
of bombets. World War II quickly exposed the limitations of air power; daylight
bombing could be prevented by aggressive fighter air*aft, and night bombing was
witdly inaccurate. But by 1943 weapons and tactics had been developed,
particuJarly by RAF Boznber Commutd, which made the dteams of the pte'war
bonber lobby a honific reality.
The art of dropping explosives lrom an aircraft ls almost as old as aviatlon
rtselt rt being recorded that Giulio Gavotti dropped a quartet of picric
acid bombs of I.8 kg (4 lb) on Turkish troops in the Libyan desert in 19 I 1.
Seven years later the art was developtng into a science wlth the design
of such specialist machlnes as the Sopwrth Salamander,
That new targets would have to include armoured vehicles became
clear during the 'dress rehearsal' of World War II that was the Spanish
Civil War, and soon refinements such as Ihe Dinort extension rods (on
the noses of perhaps the SC 50 bombs delivered by that supreme
exponent of the early ground attack, theJunkersJu 87) became common-
place means of ensuring a maxtmum blast effect over a wide area,
Whiie heavier guns were soon demanded as the thrckness of armour
on 'hard-skinned' vehicles increased, it was realty the re-invention of the
rocket as a weapon that moved the science forward.
Also taking on a less hit-and-miss aspect was the manner of dropping
Day@ht raids, so strongly advocated belore
1939, proved prohibitively expensive for the
bombers in the firstyearsof thewanThe
Americans, however, were determined to bomb
by day, and despite the best efforts of the
Luftwaffe, German cities were bombed right
roundtheclock.
conventional free-fall bombs. The early methods of merely destroying
everything with huge quantities of high explosive released over a target
later gave place to controlled 'carpet bombing', and to the system which
was to prove the comparative crudity of eariier methods, namely that of
opening up buildings by blowing the roofs off with high explosive and
then destroyrng the unprotected structures with a rain of rncendiary
bombs. Over and above all these advances, some thoughts were given
to increasing the psychologicai elfect of ground attack with screamers
on bomb fins to augment the normal whistle, and Jericho trumpets' on
the iegs of diving Stukas,
Luftwaffe ground crew manoeuvre an SC 500 bomb towards a Heinkel He I I I .
German bombs were colour coded: the thin-wal/edSCseriessported a yellow
stripe betweenthe quadrants of the tailcone;thick-walledSD bombs canied
ared stripe; and armour-piercingmunitionshad ablue one.
 GERMANY
-$.] German standard bombs
Three categories of standard bomb
by the Luftwaffe all rn the
,',,ere in use
;eneral purpose group designated
:ccorciing to their natu_re and werght
iLrst of these was the hrqh explosrve
SC (Sprengbom be Cylindrisch), athtn-
walled type for normal free-fall use;
ren 'here was the semr-armour pierc-
tng SD (Sprengbombe DickwAndig), a
ihLck-walled type; and finally there
was the armour-piercing PC (Panzer,
sprengbombe Cylindnsch) with extra
thick walls
Of these amonq the most commonly
used were the SC 250 type, the second
lrart of the designation indicating the
-,-.eight of the explosive in kiloqram-
r:es (55 l lb) and eight ofthese or 32 of
.:e SC 50 or SD 50 (10 lb) type would
nake up a typical load for a Heinkel He
- i L bomber, and be deposited on
.:'qeL mrxed wrth -ncendraries.
Many of these bombs raptdly ac-
q'rired names so that while the latest of
.:e GP bombs (the SD 1700) for some
reason had none the SD 1400 became
'Fritz' the slightly smaller SD 1000
berng 'Esau' Strangely, there was
:on-o for the common SD 500 of which
.nere were two types one with streng-
:enlng bands and trunnion bolts on a
iiiferently shaped case. At the other
::d of the scale the SC 1000 was 'Her-
man' and the SC IB00 was 'Satan',
3arrred either on external or inter-
Below: AJunkersJu 8BA-5 prepares
for take-off, carrying a pair of SC 250
bombs underneath the wings
inboard of the engine nacelles.
Lacking capacious bomb bays, many
German bombers carried the
majority of their ordnance on
external mountings.
.!ta= :=.::=:1e::
:::€-:u.:-:i
:-::
. .,:-:==:::===:::=:==:
.1nr{li.:!.:j.:=ssl{ffi1!1F':,:rruurrf li:*-,.::ii:'i1:-::}urr.irlrIFr",l
'!-=-.==:=
i
t,
I
l.:
air-to-ground weapons used by the Luftwaffe. The number after the letter
The SC 2000 was among the heaviest of
designationwassupposed tobe theweightof theweapon in kilograms but itactuallyweighed 1953 kgQ,306 lb).
nal racks, German bombs were sus-
pended from sinqle 'H'' or 'T' Iugs (or
less commonly a ring bolt), and were
colour-coded with a stripe between
the quadrants of the tall cone (or the
entire cone in the case of small bombs
such as the SC 50 etc,) denoting their
classiflcation SC was yellow, SD red
and PC blue.
Electrically-charged impact fuses
were fltted wLth charging plungers
above the main fuse body wrth its
tumbler switch, Below thrs lay the flash
pellet, Penthrite wax and picnc acid to
complete the whole, although varia-
tions were incorporated such as the SD 250s were thicker-walled than ffte SCsen'es to give them limited armour-
Type 17 clockwork delayed action de- piercing capability at the cost of a slight reduction in payload.
vices or the Type 50 with a trembler
switch fuse acting as a booby trap, or
the infamous 2,U,S,40 set beneath the
normal fuse rn such a way that the ex-
traction of one, made 'safe', activated
the other concealed beneath it,
Right: A Heinkel He I I I could carry
up to 32 of the SC 50 ( I |)-lb) bombs
seen here, although it was common
practice to mix a number of
incendiaries into the bombload.
==:i:':i-ti\tili:!
'
German standard bombs (continued)
Specification
sc 2000
Tlpe: high explosive bomb
Weights: 1953,2 ks (4,306 lb)
Dimensions: Iength 3.44 m (1 I ft 3.4 in);
diameter 0.661 m (2 ft 2 in)
Filling:Tinalin
reI iruilrr,"hl/Iftamer
The agneed surrender of the italian
fleet to the Allies on 9 September 1943
saw the battleships ltala (damaged)
and the Roma (sunk) as the targets of a
new type of airlaunched weapon, the
RuhrstahVlkamer X-I (or Fritz X), This
was a free-fall bomb that could be
gmided towards its target after release
from an altrtude of about 6000 m
by the time it had reached
(19,685 ft);
its target perhaps 2,4km (1,5 mlles)
distant it had gained a velocity
approaching that of sound.
Control was by means of electro-
magnetically operated spoilers acti-
vated in sympathy wrth radio srgnals
from the aircraft (frequently a Dornier
Do 217) that, after releasing the bomb,
had rts motors throttled back and was
taken to a hiqher altitude so that it was
over the target at the moment of im-
pact, the observer having kept track of
the missile with the aid of a convention-
al Lotfe 7 bombsight, Wire{ink control
using transmission lines some B km
(4,97 mrles) long was later discarded
as an economy measure.
Tests were begnrn in Germany dur-
ing 1942, later being moved to ltaly.
Here pneumatic power was ex-
perimentally substituted for the elec-
tro-maqnetic actuation of the spoilers,
but variations in temperature created
problems so the concept was drop-
ped.
German ungruided missiles
-lithough grround attack was one of the
::ajor roles of the Luftwaffe, this task
-,';as generally carried out with con-
;entional aircraft armament, plus
normal free-fall bombs up to the
=rner
2:l-kg (551-1b) capaclty, or those of
specialist design including the small
Sl 2 fragrmentation ('butterfly') bomb,
-.'.-:-ch was flrst used on the openrng
:a_,'cf the German assault on the Sovtet
-::-:n. It was, however, thrs same
r:'-:-yy that was to influence the Luft-
r-=ie s rntroduction of rockets as air-to-
;:'rd weapons,
l:-e slow advent of these weapons
Above : This I 800-kg (3,968-lb)
German bomb was found at Barce,
an air base in Libya, in I 942 . The
I 800 kg bomb was one of the biggest
ingeneral useby theLultwaffe, and
was generally carried by Heinkel He
llls.
x-l (Fritz X)
The Allied assault on Italy meant that
the Fritz X was pressed into increased
use: the cruiser USSSavanna-h was suc-
cessfully attacked, as were some naval
transpofis, while rn the confusron cre-
ated by a mght attack two Brttish cruis-
ers came into collision, Seven days la-
ter the battleship HMS Warspite was
hit by these armour-piercers, so that a
tow to Malta was necessary,
About 66 of the bombs were pro-
duced each month, far short of the
target fignrre, and about half of these
were used during tests conducted dur-
inq 1943 and into the iollowing year.
was in part due to the lack of results
seemingly achieved by the Soviet 82-
mm (3,23-rn) rockets, and the import-
ance of such unguided weapons
seemed to be further devalued by ex-
perience of German field trials, These
had taken place during 1942 when
Jagdgeschwader 54 had been tempor-
arily equipped for operational tests
against targets crossing Lake Ladoga
to supply Leningrad. The missiles em-
ployed were adapted armytype 210-
mm (8,27-in) rockets on launchers
under the wings of Messerschmitt Bf
109Fs. Unfortunately these rockets
World War II Air-to-Ground Weapons
Allied forces found these German bombs scattered from a wrecked
ammunition train near Taranto. Most of the bombs appear to be of the SC 250
type, which had stiltening stays between the fins, whereas some larger bombs
had annular rings.
But the real end to the Fritz X program- This is allthatremainedof the
me was brought about not by produc- 45,000-ton battlesftip Roma affer two
tion difflculties but by the high loss rate X- 1 glide bombs struck her as she
among the bombers equipped to de- steamed to Malta to surrender to the
liver the missile: because of the need Allies. The fi rs t bomb pas sed
for relatively slow speed over the through the ship and detonated
targetarea, the launch aircraft became underneath; the second penetrated
particularly n-rlnerable, the fotward magazine, which blew
her in halt.
Specification
x-I Weights:round 1570 kq (3,461 1b);
Type: free-fall gmided bomb explosrve 320 kq (705,5 ib)
Powerplant: none Dimensions: span (over flns) I 352 m
Performance: maximum speed (4 ft5,2 in); lenqth3,262 m(10 ftB,41n)r
1035 lrr/h (643 mph) fuseiage diameter 0,562 m (1 ft 10. I in)
proved almost impossible to aim since sile (also of BB-mm calibre) was inr:
their low velocity after release re- duced: this packed somethinq li<:
sulted rn a sudden drop in their trayec- twice the punch ofthe Panzerschre:<
tory, but neither was used on any scale
However, although these were dis-
carded, two years later some Focke- Specification
Wulf Fw l9Os were fltted with an im- ParuerblitzPb I
proved rocket variant rn October 1944 Type: aLr - lo-ground arrcraft-lar. --.'.= :
the flrst to be fitted to these aircraft rocket
These were Paruerschreck missiles of Weight: 6,9 kg (15.21 lb)
BB-mm (3.46-in) calibre, the desiqn Dimensions: lenqth 0.70 m (2 -r : : :-
source being originally the infantry diameter B.B cm (3 46 in)
'bazooka'. Each aircraft was fitted to
take sx ofthese weapons, and in De-
cember the new Paruerblitz Pb I mis-
 Henschel Hs 293
-:--e begnnmngs of what was to evolve
-:-:r 'le Henschel Hs 293 were laid as
:-1i- as 1939, and a test model takinet
:-e fcrm of a glider was constructed
-:-e :ollowrng year, the ultrmate inten-
:::: beinq to develop a missile that
:,:jd be Lrsed agalnst shipprng under
:e:::cte control from a launching air-
-11.
iJrhough a suitable rocket motor
;r- strll not avarlable, development
;';e:.. ahead using a standard SC 500
:,:rb fitted wrth wings and tail unit,
.':cugrh no rudder was incorporated,
as trme progrressed the program-
--l saw
:-: the fitting of the first version
,.;-: a propulsive unit, this takrng the TheHenschelHs 293A stand-off guided bombwas droppedfrom thecarrier aircraftonaparallelcourse lo tfie
:::r: of a liqurd rocket (rsing T-stoff target on the port side, and radio-gruided to the target. A flare in the rear of the bomb gave visible evidence of the
Z-stolf propellants) slung under
--i main mr'ssiJeSposifion to the aimer.
-:-e body. An l8-channel radio
s;;em ersured control.
I: was antrcipated that the missile
-r,:ld be carried rnto action under a
:a:Ent aucraft, from whrch warm air
-r;- channelled to prevent the missile
::n
'mch
fueezing up at the high altitude at
rt was released, but at 1400 m
+ r95 ft) a maximum of 3 hn (5 miles)
::':ld be anticipated, Once released
--:-e lls 293 dropped some 90 m (295 ft)
be:ore the rocket developed max-
-::---ra thri:st, and the parent ailcraft
::::.nued to fly a set course parallel
-,',r: the target, while permitting the
b:nb-armer to keep the missile in
s-j:ri and gnrde it wrth the aid of a small
::::=ol box on which was mounted a
:*.::jailte control column, keeping in
<:ii'rhe red grLudance flare in the tail,
-:-e actual flight path being a series of
-=:3s as corections were received.
lle main disadvantage of the Hs
l::A wm that the launching aircraft
:-aj ic maintain a steady, Ievel course
-r"s
evasive actron to escape AA fire
--j mpossible, An improved Hs 293D
-,'ir- a televlsion aiming system was
:ia::'Led. but the war ended before it
::id be constructed. Specification 900 km/h (559 mph) Above:Thls HenschelHs 293 has had
i{:wever, icing was a problem nev- Hs 293 Weights:round 1045 kq (2,304 lb); its rocket propulsion unit removed to
:::ea-lly overcome and as a consequ- Type: rocket-propelled anti-ship explosive 295 kg (650 lb) show the internal equipment. The
::::e further propulsion units were de- missile Dimensions:span 3, 14 m (10 ft3.6 in); flare unit for visual location of the
;=-:ped. But these were never taken Powerplant: one 600-kq (1,323{b) length 3,58 m (11 ft 9 in); fixelage mksile in flight can be seen af tfi e
::_.-oad the experrmental stage. thrust Walter I 09-507B rocket diameter 0.48 m (1 ft 6.9 rn), wing area backoftheweapon.
Performance: maximum speed 1,92 m' (20.67 sq ft)

51

Crew members learn to control theHenschelHs 293 Wided bombin a A Henschel Hs 293A stand-off guided bomb. This example was found near
ssx uja for. The widance operators always sat on the starboard (right) side ot Paris in 1 944 by AIlied forces . The flat disc around the nose of the bomb
Je cabin. and therefore it was always necessary to attack a target from the prevented deep penetration before exploding.
port srde andrn the same movement direction.
The Sinking of Ht'lS Egret
Attacking ships with conventional bombs is a hazardous busrness, as the Argentine
air force discovered in the F alklands campaign. The Germans were well aware of
this before World War II , and in 1943 they launched the firsf successfu/ attack with a
guidedmissi/e onanenemywarship.Flyingoutof rangeof Britishanti-aircraftfire,a
Dornier Do 2 17 E-5 guided an Hs 293 missile towards its target.
The introduction of the new tvpe of ouided
bomb presented problems'for'ihe Lufiwaffe
Training was the least of these, and each man
under instruction was to be allowed experi-
ence controlling three ach:ai Henschel Hs 293
launches, but what was lacking was operation-
al experience with the new device; to this end
i3. Staffel of KG I00 was dissolved and re-
formed as an experimental unit in July 1943, the
Hs 293A.-1 missile in the meantime having been
in production since January of the previous
year.
The piace and time oithe little bomb's bap-
tism of fire was naturally in the iap of the god of
wars, and the venue for this was as curious as it
was unexpected. Kampfgeschwader 100's
second Gruppe was, in the late summer of
1943 flying from its base at Cognac, and
Wednesday 25 Augnrst (the day that saw the
end of Japanese resistance in New Georgia)
found a smal British naval force approaching
the Bay of Biscay. The role was fairly routine
since the ships' duty was to sweep the area for
German U-boats, whose increased activity had
given rise to the belief that they were using
Spanish waters.
As the group of vessels (made up largely of
destroyers) neared its rendezvous, it was
doing no more than relieve the 40th Escort
Group, the relieving vessels being under the
command of the senior officer of the lst Support
Group in the sioop HMS Egret, of 1,200 tons.
The Germans were alerted by this activity,
and it was not long before the Dornier Do 2l7E-
5s of IVKG I00 were in the air, each carrying
beneath them examples of the new type of
Henschel bomb.
It was not difficult to flnd the naval force that
was the target, and before long the waters of
the Bay of Biscay were churned into a liquid
inferno as the ships took avoiding action to
escape the new robots. This was the type of
target against which the Hs 293 was at its most
effective, small ligrhtly-protected ships; at a la-
ter period, even these would learn the techni-
que of dealing with their threat by means of
concentrated close-range fire. However, on
this orcasion none of the British shrps were
sunk and the results were inconclusive.
Two days later, Friday 27 August, was
another of those days when, true to the epithet
that War is mostly warting', the newspapers at
home were forced to record in glowing tones
the fact that the French diplomatic committee
had been recognized by the USSR and
Nationalist China. In the Bay of Brscay, by con-
trast, the day was to prove one of historical
action.
Dorniers approach
Joined only a few hours earlier by HMS
Grenuille and HMCS Athabaskan, the support
group began a sweep south of Finisterre, but it
was only a short time past mid-day when the
sound of aircraft motors seemed to fill the air as
the lookouts spotted the approach of 18 Dor-
niers from IyKG 100. To some of the observers
on the ships the manoeuvres of the attackers
appeared strange, for they released their mis-
siles and almost at once turned away to star-
board, while the little Henschels came away
from the mother planes and could be seen to
drop some 90 m (300 ft) before the rocket
motors developed full thrust and drove them
back almost to their original altitude.
One Dornier was seen to turn now, its missile
released at a range of almost 18000 m (19,685
yards), and fly parallel to theEgref, while in the
hail of fire that the defenders put up another
was seen to be stalking the Alftabaskan in the
same way. The reason for this was that a-fter
about 12 seconds oirunning the rocket motors
of the Henschels cut out, leaving them to ex-
ecute shallow glides towards their targets,
accelerating under gravity, They and the laun-
ching Dorniers were thus placed on divergent
courses, with the observer sighting ::-=
doomed vessel at 90o to the line of fliohr: -::i
thus able to keep both it and the missrl6 u:je:
observationwhile the movementsof the icr=-=:
were controlled by means of a mrniatwe :::--
trol column in his hands, the Herschei ;e:-;
made the more visible by its tail-flare,
Below, the iittle sloop Egrel looked like a ::-,-
as she twisted and turned to avoid the ne;:-
able, her eight 101.6-mm (4-in) gmns no de-
fence against the new weapons, and ia ::.c -
more than 100 seconds both the Athabask.:-
and Egret were hit, the latter immedia:e-;
catchrng fire and shortiy afterwards blowrrg :i
with the loss of lhe 232 ratings aboard. a:d
seven of her officers. T/Sub-Lieutenan: T E
Brotherldge was mentioned rr the casuai:r
published in the middle of the followrnq -i
=::---:-
as having escaped, wounded, but there.,.;as:::
mention of J.V. Waterhouse DSO, RN :i=
Egret's acting commander,
Thus passed into history the sloop that 'r;r
the first victim of the Henschel lIs 293 I::e
other vessels escaped, and in September l3l:
IVKG 100 was translerred to Istres, not far fr:=
Marseilles, to attack ships in the Mediterra,
nean by night,
But by a curious coincidence the U-boas ra:
had been the indirect cause olthe first success-
ful Henschel 293 actron come again intc :.=
plcture of the missile in the following Octc'le:
it was in an attempt to stem the rlsurg losses
inflicted on these submarines that Hs 2::
attacks began to be concentrated on Ath-::
convoys, it being to this end that the Heinkei F-e
177A-5s of IVKG 40 with Hs 293 missiles vrer:
sent to Bordeaux-M6rignac. Their first ma':l
attack was carried out with 20 machines in-:'ai
weather on Sunday 2l November. The res;-
tant action was as a consequence somethi::g ::
a failure, IyKG 40 being soon aftern'arj:
moved again, this time to operations over --:-.e
Mediterranean, Ieaving the work over -ie
Atlantic to the modified Focke-Wulf 200 C::-
dors ofIIVKG 40, Sloops, transports and esc:r.
vessels apart, it is on record that a total oir;:
destroyers were sunk by the Hs 293A
ADornierDo 217E-5 otII|KG 1A0, basedat
Cognac, launches an Hs 293 wire-gpided ghde
bomb atBritish destroyers in the Bay of Biscay.
 GERMANY

TheHenschelHs 294Awas toolatetoenter sewiceinWorldWar IL Itwas designed to attackheavily-armoured

ships below the waterline . The wings and rear fuselage were designed to break away from the warhead for
- :e
,use of the Henschel Hs 293 against underwater stability, and it had an upward movementinwater.
::-pping had proved to be not without
entw intoiS" *iiei nious arrangement, This took the form which, if employgd, would have re- buili) differed in having wing-fitted
::rh strke at the lower irull had qener- of fltting the wings and rear fuselage sulted in the missile being introduced spoiler controls
=i"bL"".ilce
Jy cieflected the missile's course. In with weak points that allowed these into service much earlier, As the prop-
:r.ier to dtscover a means of Coiteci: tvvo parts to be shed on entry, while the osed production rate was scheduled to Specification
igihls aseriesoftestswascarriedout fitting of a ridge o_nthe upper Part.of be in the region of 50 per month, an Hs294
-.-L H.2g3 fuselages carrying mod- the iose was sulficient tb-gmide the earlier service debut might have Typejrocket-propelledanti-ship
noses these"for the moit part 'saw missileupwardstowardsthehullofthe posed a serious threat to Allied ship- missile
target vessel, the residual momentum ping
-
-eO
;;q l;rg and stender; 1943 Powerplant:tvvo 1Q00tg(2 866-lb)
::eie-trial riodels evolved into a larger berng enough to propel the bomb on A later version, paving the way for thrust Walter 109-507D rockets
..i:Japon tlui *as suffictently differ-ent the inal parl of iti journey- the Hs 294D, was in process of being maximumspeed
_ Pe^rformanc^s
::beredesignatedHenschelHs2g4. Thenewmissrlehadsufflcientflex- fitted with television cameras in the B60km/h(534mph)
There wer6 hvo basic variants of this ibility of operation for its entry into the leading edgte of the starboard rocket Weights: round 2170 kg (4,784 1b);
,.;eapon the Hs 2948 having wireJink water to vary between i5" and 30", and housing when the war ended, and exploswe 656 kg (l 446 lb)
:."t?of. This shared with its radio- thechargeinthewarheadwasfiredby there were also plans to produce a Dimensions:span4,O25m(13ft25ln);
::ntrolied companion model, the Hs means of naval torpedo proximity latervariantproPelledbyonlyasingle length6.12q(20ft09tn); fuselaqe
2gaA an ability to lessen the water- fuses, although the desigrn was -cap- unitof increasedthrust,whileafurther diamqter0.65m(2ft1,6in); winqarea
::ty deflection by means oT an rnse able of beind fitted with 6ontact fusbs version (of which a small number was 5.3 m'z (57.05 sq fD

GERMANY

Blohm und Voss Bv 143

-:: hmitatrons of conventional air-
-:':nched torpedoes caused the Luft-
r,-3ie to cast around for some method
:: :nendinq the type's range, and the
---r;er seemed to lie inwas
the develop-
::-::r of a mrssile whrch capable of
'';it before entering the water, where
-. :;:uld proceed with the aid of its own
-:::culsion unit,
.:e body ofthe Blohm und Voss Bv
143 -.-:as shaped much like a conven-
:::,al torpedo but with an improved
-=::C1'namic profile, and added to this
'.'.-=:: wings of low asPecI ratlo
:r l:ener with a cruciform tail with the
:::-zontal members set well ahead of
-,: :ns and rudders, the control sur-
--:=s berng actuated via a gyroscope.
Ailerons were not inset but of the au-
xrhary wing pattem, and set below the
body (at roughly the centre of gravity)
was an articulated feeler arm
Thrs arm did not come into play until
the missile had completed its flat glide
approach to the target after release
from the parent aircraft, but at an altl-
tude of some 2 m (6 ft 7 in) from the
surface of the water, Here the design
differed from the original concept
since the torpedo did not enter the
ocean but instead continued at the
aforesaid low altitude towards its
target, the flight profile now having
flattened out and the mtssile being
driven by a liquid-propellant rocket
motor actuated by the arm on contact
with the waves, The resultant run was
of only 40 seconds duration as the
thrust became spent; the motor was
powered by petrol and T-Stoff (hyd.
rogen peroxide) the combustion
being rendered more complete by the
decomposition of the T-Stoff by Z-Stofl
Hydrazine hydrate initiated the reac-
tion of the propellants.
Tests conducted during 1943 usinq
four Bv l43s proved that there was not
enough time for the alteration of the
flight-path from descending glide to
Ievel, and pending the development of
an aneroid trmer to replace the actuat-
ing arm the projectwas dropped. Ex-
cept for those lnvolv-^d in trials of other
weapons, no further Bv l43s flew.
Specification
Bv I43
Type: rocket-propelled aerial torpedo
Powerplant: one liquid-propellant
Blohm und Voss ATO rocket of 700 kg
(1,543 lb) thrust
Performance: maximum speed
415 knn/h (258 mph)
Weights:round lO55 kq (2,326 lb);
explosive 180 kq (397 Ib)
Dimensions:span 3. 13 m (10 ft 3.2 in);
lengthS,9B m(19 ft7.4 in); tuselage
diameter0.SB m(1 ft 10.8 in): wrngarea
2 45 mz (26 37 sq ft)

GFRMANY

Blohm und Voss Bv 246 Hagelkorn

the Bv 246s which had entered produc-
tion over the previous eight or so
weeks were cancelled, although the
time was sufficiently long for a substan-
tial number to have been produced,
With these a test programme was
begn-rn duringi the followinq summer
with a vanety of carrier aircraft, all of
them launching the conventional high
explosrve bomb, none of the addittonal
variants desigtned for use as anti-
arrcraft and air-to-air missile targets
beinq then in production. However,
this programme was abruptly stopped
until stocks could be replenished fol-
lowing an Allied raid in the middle
months of 1944

Right: Bv 246 Hagelkorns are seen

stored atKarlshagen in the earlY
months of 1944.Note the unusual
versl0n nose of the missile in the foregtound,
which probably houses Radieschen
( ra d.rslr ) passjve r ad ar homing
equipment.
Blohm und Voss Bv 246 Hagelkorn (continued)
Further trials were conducted into
the early months of 1945 and investi-
qated the possibillty of using the
weapon against ground transmitters,
usinq their signals as homing sorrces;
this part of the proqtramme was not
successfully concluded because oj
teething troubles with the Qnridance
and control systems,
Specification
Bv 2468
Tlpe: g[der bomb intended prlmarily
for anti-shrpping use
Powerplant: none
Performance: maximum sPeed
World War II Air-to-Ground Weapons
F ocke-Wulf Fw I 90 F -8s were used to
launch alarge number oI Bv 246
missrTes,'the sfruts beneath the
wings bent the bomb's wings down,
which held the weapon steady and
provided the tension to project it
clear of the launch aircraftwhen
released.
450 kmih (280 mph)
Weights: round 730 kg ( 1,609 tb);
explosive 435 kg (959 ]b)
Dimensions: span 6,41 m (21 ft 0,4 in);
lenqth 3,53 m (11 ft 7 in); fuselage
dtameter0.54 m (1 ft 9.3 in); wtng area
1,47 mz ( 15.82 sq ft)

JAPAN

Yokosuka MXYZ Ohka

There can be little doubt that the
Yokosuka IvDfYT Ohka (cherry blos-
som) was one of the most bizarre
weapons to come out of World War II,
rndicating the desperate state ofaffairs
for Japan in 1944 when the Kamjkaze
idea oriqrnated as a definite policy of
the Imperial Japanese Nalry, In con-
sequence, Augtust of that year saw the
Naval Research and DeveloPment
Centre initiate work on lhe Marudai
project to design a special machine for
manned bomb attacks.
The result of this was the NavY
Suicide Attacker Ohka Model lI,
together with an Ohka K-l trainer
vadant, that was to be air-launched
from a modified Mitsubishi G4M2e
bomber (Allied codename 'Betty')
which would transpofi the little Yoko-
suka aeroplane to withrn about 37 lcrt
(23 miles) of the tarQlet area, where lt
would be released and flown to the
target by its own pilot in a fast, unpo-
wered glide. During thts terminal
phase the machine, soon to be known
to the Allies as the Baka (fool), could
prove a difficult target for interception,
although this resulted chiefly from its
small size rather than its powet of eva-
sive action, whrch was limited, Howev-
er, the weighty combination of launch
aircraft and Ohka was very vulnerable
to fighter attack,
Observers among the US forces in
the Pacific, against which a1l of the
operatronal machines from the 755
produced were drrected, noted that rt
was not until about 4.8lcn (3 miles)
from the target that the three soltd-
propellant rockets in the tail were
flred, thus accelerating the Ohka ::
some 927 lanr/h (576 mph) in a stee;
dive that would detonate the warheac
on the target, killing the pilot in the
process. During this final run the boml:
was almost unstoppable, so that the
only means of dealing with it was ::
destroy the motherplanes before the:
loads could be released.

The Yokosuka MXYT Ohka

Model I 1 was a piloted flying-
homb thatwas carried to
within 37 lan (23 miles) of the
target by a Mitsubishi G4M2e
tw in- engined bom ber. T he
Ohka was then released and
commenced a shallow dive
towards the target, the speed
boosted by rocket motors.

TheJapanese conducted considerable research into guided misst7es. bu:

none ieached operational status. With the O kha they byp assed the comp iez
business ofdesigrn ing a guidance system by recruiting suicide piloa b !i; a
iet-hoosted glide bomb on to the target.
Yokosuka M(Y7 Ohka (continued)
-:r3ut 50 slightly smaller Ohka Mod-
eI 22 aircraft (with a reduced 600-kq/
- lZ3-lb warhead and a gas h:rbine en-
;e. and desigmed to be carried by
::k:suka P1YI Ginga bombers)
pl:;ed a failwe as they were under-
pcr';ered, and the jet-powered Ohka
Model 33 (wlth the original-capacity
,r-:nead and designed to be trans-
!.:.d by the Nakajima GBNI Renzan
rcrjcer) was not completed by the
The jet-poweredOhka
=*i:f thewar.
Model 43A and Ohka Model 438 (the
:::::.er with folding and the latter with
1ed wrngs) remained no more than
p::jects; an interestinq feature of the
l'I:cel 43B was the facility for the pilot
:: .erison the wingrtips during the final
i;e io increase impact speed.
Specification
OhkaModel lI
Type: rocket-propelled suicide
a Japanese standard bombs
i.argmg from comparatively simple
bcmb contarners capable oftaking 30
i:cmbs weighrnq 0,735 kq (1,6lb),
each albeit for altiaircraft work, via
-:e larger ones capable of scattering
:-: less than 76 such bomblets to the
!, l-kg (1,763.7Jb) greneral-purpose
::gh explosive naval bomb, Japan pos-
a good range of air{o-gnound
=ssed
r-issiles h World War II, Smailest of
-:ese was the 15-kg (33.071b) antr-
personnel type wlth a 10.16-cm (4-rn)
-arneter body measuring only 64 cm
.2:2 rn) rn lengrth,
h the majority of Japanese bombs,
:-sas were carried in the nose, and it
-;;:s only on the introduction of the 50-
k: ('10.23-lb) HE bomb that both nose
=::C tarl fuses were employed,
.'-:ouQth this combination is usually
:.-ssciated with the 250-kg (551.I5-lb)
'-'gh explosrve bomb, of which there
-i;ere two vanants.
lcnslruction of Japanese bombs fol-
.:,.,-eC convenlional lines with plain
:- iacking a ring, and promrnently-
r;=ied sheet metal v/ds frequently
Forged steel was, howev-
=:::nloyed.
:: -:sed for the body of the 800-kg
- -:,3.7-lb) armour-piercing bomb, an
::p:essive naval weapon with a pair of
:-2:b) tan tuses. Fllling was Tdnitro
-i:-=:l wrth an dumimum plug in the
::-;ard end of the cavity, deep rn the
..-t body, to prevent the filling taking
::.: Jreat a shock on striking the target;
:-: sngle-prece machined-steel body
'.i erght recesses in the nose for the
-:.:-g of windshields rf the bomb was
:-cied as a projectile,
T:e most widely used Japanese
::::=ra-l-purpose bomb was the naval
25,i-kg type arid its army equivalent.
llele ivere two versions of the naval
.il::iDcn. the later model being slightly
,-;re:';rith thicker walls and havrng a
rariety olJapanese aircraft, from heavy bombers to fighters.
_.-:
The Ohka Model I I piloted flying
bomb's shallow dive speed was
boosted by three solid fuel rockets.
The Ohka Model 22 was a longer-
ranged version powered by a T su-l I
gas-turbine engine.
explosive missile
Powerplant: three Tlpe 4 Mk I Model
20 solid-propellant rockets providing a
combined thrust of800 kg ( 1,764 Ib)
Performance: maximum speed
649 lan/h (403 mph) at 3500 m
(ll,4BS ft); diveveiocity92T km,tr
(576 mph); range 37 lcn (23 miles)
Weights: maximum take-off 2 I 40 kg
(4,718 1b); explosive 1200 ks (2,646 lb)
Dimensions:span 5. i2 m (16 ft 9.6 in);
lensth 6.066 m (19 ft 10,8 in); heisht
L 16 m (3 ft9,7 in); wrngarea6,0 mz
(64.59 sq ft)
Above:TheTYpe 99 no.80 750-kgGP
bomh was one of the largest bombs
regularly employed by the Japanese.
Left: The J apanese Tlpe 2 no. 2 5 Mk
I 1 I 250-kg bomb had twisted fins to
spin-stabilize the bomb and to
activate the fuses by centrifugal
continuous welded./spot-welded nose, force.
although the tail cone was strll fastened
by rivets. The army favoured screwed Below:Japanese armourers unloadbombs, probably of 50-kgGP type, from a
steel bodies and nose, with a welded truck. Judging from the flying gear being worn, the photograph suggests that
tail cone, theflyingcrewmembers also acted as armourers andloaded theirown
The Japanese annoury included a bombs into their aircraft.
contemporary of the German 'oil
bomb', used by the navy. This con-
tained a centrai thermite core sur-
rounded by a mxture ofkerosene, pet-
rol and alchohol-soap; alternatively
rubber pie-shaped pellets impreg-
nated with iron and aluminium were
packed round tlie explosive in its cen-
tral tube to act as a bursting and scat-
terinq charge.
Specification
250-kgGP
Type: high explosive qeneral-purpose
bomb
Weisht:250 kg (551.15 Ib)
Dimensions: length 1,937 m (6 ft 4.3 in);
diameter 30,0 cm ( I LB in)
Filling: preformed picric
Operafion Gomorrah
incendiary bombs, dehberately i:::e::jei ::
After nearly four years of war, RAF Bomber Command had grown into a force of collapse large buildlngs, destroy -ra:=:
enormous, if unselective, power. The difficulty of attacking pinpoint targets had led =:
gas mains and trap the fue services:- i-::,:::
the bombers to turn their attention to the big cities of Germany, and in July 1943 it streets, Although a total of 22 of the i::: 3i2:-i::
was decided to direct their full strength against the port of Hamburg. bombs was dropped, ail of whrch qcp:-=: -:
have exploded causing large areas c- jes:--
tion, more than two-thirds of the bomb ::::,-:e
In the most devastating series of raids up to that plays were covered by blossoming clouds of of 2,396 dropped that night comprs:: -:-::..-
time launched by bombers, Air Chief Marshal new signals which effectively obliterated the diarles,
Sir Arthur Harris, Commander-in-Chief of RAF scopes. Devastation was qreatest rn the sub-::c= :-
Bomber Command, set out on the ntghlof 24/25 Shortly after midnight the flak crews were Altona, Einsbiittel and Hohelu-ft, and u: .re :-.y
july 1943 to give a demonstration of just what alerted, only to find their gun and searchlight centre; the Police Presidency was gu:ei :-=
could be achieved by the systematic applica- radars apparently useless, Night-fighter Air Raid Precaution control room engu-:ei :;
tion of what were, by the standards of the time, crews, intent on stalking the bombers from fire, and many other vital civil defence :!e.:-
sophisticated weapons, equipment and tactics, astern, had to break away as the drifting foil tions centres destroyed or damaged, Gas -,r =-
The operation, brutally and appropriately gave all the indlcations that the bombers had ter, electricity and telephone serrices -,r:l=
codenamed 'Gomorrah', involved the despatch suddenly turned towards them, Dead on sche- severed at countless points and mcre -:::-
of347 Avro Lancasters, 246 Handley Page Ha1l- ,dule at 01.57 the first yellow rlluminators were 4,000 key personnel in the crty's emerge:-l-;
faxes, I25 Short Stirlings and 73 Vlckers Wel- released by the leading pathfinders, followed services were kiiled or seriously tnjrued -:
lingtons against Germany's second-largest by lines ofred 250{b ( I 13-kq) target indicators. add to the confusion, long-delay fuses l--.'
city, the ancient Hanseatic port of Hamburg been fitted to a high proportion of the 45i-<;:
with rts population oi 1,5 million citizens. Devastatingfire bombs, which thus continued to detonaie s:=:
Such was the slze of the target (an 'area For three weeks Hamburg had been en- hours after the last bombers had depa::a:
target' as distinct from a specific objective joying hot, dry weather, with no more than frequently erupting to bring buildrngs cras:':;
within the city) that it was acknowledged from 43 mm (l 7 in) of rarn; many of the large static down on the rescue workers.
the outset that several raids, carried out in a water tanks were half empty, and everywhere The surprise and disruption caused bi- ::
short period, would be necessary to accom- was tinder dry Added to this, a large area of use of 'Window' wrecked the defences of Ha::--
piish the most wldespread devastation, The the city consisted ol ancient buiidinqs con- burg no less than the bombing had devas:a:+i
strategic choice of Hamburg as the target was structed of timber. As the leadinq Lancasters the ancient city itself; the searchlight anci g;::
made on account of its concentration of war and Stirlings unloaded huge numbers of incen- radars had been rendered impotent, and -::
industries, not least of which was the huge diaries and fires sprang up over a wide area, raiders had escaped liqhtly; 12 bombers (ict:
Blohm und Voss shipyard which contributed 45 the city's numerous fire-fighting teams started Lancasters, four Haiifaxes, three Stirlings a:d
per cent of Germany's total U-boat construction out to tackle the minor blazes. Then came the one Wellington) were lost, the ma;ority of the:-
proqramme, Among the city's 3,000 industrlal Wellingtons, each carrying a single 907-kq having strayed from the protection afforded b-;
plants and 5,000 commercial estabhshments (2,000-1b) parachute mines fused to explode the bomber stream's 'Window' clouds tc c=
were Theodor Zeise, a large manu-facturer of about I5 m (50 ft) above the ground and de-
marine screws, the Rhenania Ossag distillatron slgned for maximum blast efiect which knock-
plant, the Europdische Tanklager und Trans- ed down large buildings and blocked the Boeing B-17 FlyingFortresses of the 323rd
port AG, the Deutsche Petroleum AG refinery, Bombardment Squadron, I I st Bombardment
streets with rubble, Flnally the Halifaxes and Group, US SthAirForce.TheUS hombers attacH
Ernst Schhemann's plant at Wllhelmsburg and more Lancasters unloaded a mix of 3629-kg Hamburg by day on 25 July after the city had ben
the huge Neuhoff power station, (8,000-1b), 1814-kq (4 000-1b)'blockbusters' and pounded throughout the night by RAF Bomber
Tactically, being located on the broad estu- delayed-actron 454-kq (1,000-lb) bombs ptus Command.
ary of the EIbe, the port would be easily dis-
tinguishable on the Pathfinders' HZS radar
screens, considerably assisting in effective
marking concentration; moreover the modest
1529-km (950-m11e) ouVback journey would
allow the bombers to carry their maxlmum
bombloads,
'Window'
The bombers would also carry a new
weapon in the war of the ether: millions of
tln-foii strips in bundles which, codenamed
'Window' and cut to half the wavelength of
enemy radar, would when dropped effectively
blanket and confuse the Germannight-flghters'
and ground defences' radar displays. Ham-
burg had been previously raided on 98 occa-
sions and the extensive defences had claimed
heavy casuaities among RAF aircrews and air-
craft, By employing a large but compact bom-
ber stream, each of whose bombers would
discharge a bundle ol'Window' strips every
minute after approaching the German coast, it
was hoped to avoid catastrophrc losses from
the 54 hearry flak batteries round Hamburg,
and from Ihe 172 niqht-fiqhters known to be
deployed in northern Germany.
The first raid started to take-off from bases in
England at aboul 22.00 and an hour later, led by
the pathfinders of No. 8 Group, 746 bombers
(45 had aborted) in a 322-km (200-mile) stream
set course for the mouth of the Elbe, Shortly
before crossing the German coast the 'Win-
dow'-dropping started; one moment the Ger-
mans had been lollowlng the approach of the
raid on their coastal radar, the next, their dis-
On the night of 27 July 1943 the RAF returned and
raind incendiaries on to the tinder-dry city. The
6re services had already been crippled in earlier
raids, and nothing could stop the ffuestorm which
developed. At the heart ofthe inferno it reached
I NO'C, attracting gale-force winds which sucked
anything and anyone into the tlames.
s:-r: Cown by night fighters, Compared with a
:,:rlr ol5 per cent losses, the loss rate of I,5 per
l=:-: in this first brg raid on Hamburg repre-
--:-:ed a saving of 26 bombers, attrlbutable
s-:-p11r :o the dropping of some 40 tons of metal
::- s:Ilps.
-:-s daylight came to the stricken city on 25
,:,-- a vast pall of smoke and dust obliterated
:-= s.:li as the dazed rnhabitants struggled to
:=-=ase the trapped victims in cellars and shel-
.:rs and isolated flres were left to burn them-
-r=-;es cut, On that day 68 heavy bombers of the
,: :i Arr Force carried out a relatlvely liQlht
:--i a.gainsi the dock area and the district of
-,'i--:Le:.msburg,
where the plant of Ernst
S::-ei::ann was hit and damaged, On 26 July
Amerrcan raid by 53 bombers severe-
=:rer
-. i::::aged the Neuhoff power statlon. The
:-::-cicads dropped during these daylight
=:.::-<s consisted almost entirely of 227-kg
:-i,-;, and 454-kq HE bombs (parttcularly
=::l-;e agaust large brick structures and
-r:-=:, -a:j.-:es) and once more delayed-action
:-=s -.',::ught carnage among the rescue
,ri_:-<3rs
l.1e=-,';:c.e the Rerch Defence Commission-
=::-=j -ss:ed a drective for the voluntary eva-
cuation of civilians from the devastated city,
and more than 250,000 civilians had fled, many
to pitch camps in the surrounding countryside.
On the night of 27/28 luly Bomber Command
returned once more as 722 oul of 739 bombers
despatched unloaded 2,417 tons of bombs, well
over half thls weight composed of incendraries,
The bomber stream flew across the eastern
half of the city from north to south, engnrlfing the
districts of Borgfelde, Hammerbrook and
Hohenfelde, Wrthin 30 minutelthe congested
dock area, comprising 20.7 km" (8 sq miles) of
narrow streets and warehouses, was trans-
formed into a lake of fire which superheated
the arr to a temperature of 1000"C (1,832"F); this
monster conflagration, demanding oxygen,
created a terrifying suctlon from its perimeter
'so that the air stormed through the streets with
immense force, bearing upon rt sparks, tlmber
and roof beams, and thus spreading the fire still
further and further tlll it became a typhoon such
as had never before been witnessed, and
against which all human resistance was power-
less', Thus ran the subsequent report to Hitler
by Hamburg's Air Protection Leader, General-
major H. Kehrl. The man-made winds of
240km/h (150 mph) tossed human beings like
so much chaff into the flames; largte trees were
uprooted and reduced to charcoal in seconds;
citizens strove to avoid oxygen starvation ln
their sheiters by emerging rnto the holocaust,
only to be driven back by the rain of hlgh
explosive, Hundreds upon hundreds leapt into
the canals where they remained relatrvely safe
from incineration, This fire-storm phe-
nomenon, for which Hamburg was to gain a
terrifying immortality, laid to ashes an area of
I9770 hectares (6,000 acres), As dawn
approached, to the accompaniment of explod-
ing delayed-action bombs and the full extent of
the horror became apparent, Gauleiter Kauf-
mann appealed to all remarning civilians to
leave Hamburg: almost I million peopie
needed no second biddinq and stumbled to
the safety of the open countryslde beyond the
crty's limits.
The bombers return I
Two nights later the bombers returned,
when on the nlght of 29/30 luly 726 Lancasters,
Halifaxes and Stirlings dropped 2,382 tons of
bombs, scarcely requiring the services of path-
finders so bright were the fires still ragrng be-
low, With methodical precision the suburb of
Barmbeck was deluged with incendiarres and
once more a fire-typhoon erupted, By now,
with more than 70 per cent of the city's flre-
fighting personnel dead or injured, and almost
80 per cent of the civil defence vehlcles im-
mobile, the city was powerless to prevent
further destruction, Some 28,000 personnel of
the military labour corps had been drafted rn to
demohsh dangerous and totterlng bulldings.
and to assist in rescuing and evacuating the
tens of thousands ol rnjured,
One final attack was launched on the nrght oi
 "-r'qFlr

2r3 August when 762 heavy bombers set out for

,{amburg, However, as if the Fates decreed
.hat Armageddon should not befall the c1ty,
severe storms persisted all the way across the
\orth Sea and 'only' 442 aircraft attacked, drop-
:ing 1,426 tons of bombs, To the terror of fire
-nd explosrves were added the crash of natural
.runder and the flash oi lightning, not even the
ieluge of rain could quench the rnferno, nor
lrevent yet a thrrd fire-storm,
Wrth considerable rngenuity, born of horror
-:d desperation, the Iruftwaffe had seized on
.--rried expedients to circumvent the chaos
::=ated by the RAF's use of 'Window', using
:.:e-lancing single-seat day fighters to attack
.--: bombers which could be ciearly seen
-icuetted against the flres raging in Hamburg
=-:w, This and the broadcast to the night-
;::ers of a running commentary on the gtener-
rrurse, height and position of the bomber
r ::am, had met with increasing success,
,.- *gh RAF losses had remained low at 17,27
.:-: 31 respectively durrng the last three raids,
:e statistrcs of the attacks speak for them-
.= .':s Out of 3,095 bombers despatched by
-= :iF 2 630 had attacked, dropping 4,309
-,: ,: incendiaries and 4,312 tons ol high ex-
The Hamburg Firestorm

p,csive. Damage in Hamburg was prodtgtous,

',';::r 40.385 residential houses and 275,000 flats
131 per cent of the city's residentlal acccom-
::r:dation) destroyed or made uninhabitable;
;E0 industrial and armament plants were des-
:cyed or rendered useiess, as were 2,632
shops, 76 pubhc offices, 24 hospitals, 277
*hools, 58 churches and 83 banks. Twelve
bndges were broken or made impassable, and
re famor:s Hagenbeck Zoo destroyed,obltter-
a:ed in the first great attack. Yet despite the
.nitial casualty figures of 41 800 killed and
31 439 severely injured (of whom many were to
succumb from the injurres suffered), Hamburg
recovered with astonishing speed. Power sup-
piies were restored to normal within six months
ald, despite a permanent loss of about 25 per
cent of the working population (from death,
rnluy and a loss of living accommodatlon),
overall manu-facturing output had recovered to
some 70 per cent of the pre-raid effort within
six weeks, Oil production fell by about 40 per
cent for no more than a month.
Lr less quantrfiable terms Operation 'Gomor-
rah' provided the UK wrth satisfying retribution,
Bntrsh civilian casualties from German ralds
su-ffered thus far in World War II stood at some
49.810 killed. The German dead in the Ruhr
and Hamburg already far exceeded this fignrre.
On the other hand, the Nazi propaganda chiel
Josel Goebbels, confided in his diary that 'der
Hambwger Zusammenbruci (the catastrophe
cf Hamburg) simply staggered the imagina-
fon'.
Above:746 bombers participated in the first attack
on H amburg on 24/ 25 J uly I 943. The bomber
stream was over 300 km (200 miles) long and
disgruised its whereabouts from German radar by
dropping 'Window', strips of metal foil cut to half
the wavelength of the radar sets.

A massed formation of the 305th

Left:
Bombardment Group which participated in
Operation'Gomorrah'. The daylight raids
complemented the RAF's night attacks by
hampering Civil Defence and rescue efforts.

Below: AnAvroLancaster runs up for take-off on a

mission to Hamburg. The Royal Air Force heavy
bombers were always operated at night from the
days ofVirginias andHeyfords, andby the timeof
the bombing of Hamburg considerable
experience had been builtup.
ffi tritish standard bombs
,r--nough there existed in 1918 not only
:e 816,5-ks (1,800-lb) GP high-
:-.plosrve bomb used principally by
l.:. 207 Squadron RAF, toerether with
:e 1496.9-ks (3,300-1b) HE bomb in-
-:rded to be delivered by the Handley
?age V/I500, these were comparative-
--,- crude weapons, The art of bomb
iesigm was concentrated on the light-
:r types, so that at the outbreak of
,Vorld War Ii offensive loads consisted
-:r the main of bombs weighing
- 13 4 ks (250 lb) or 226.8ks (500 Ib),
Certainly there was strll scope for
fie use of smaller free-fall bombs, and
iese particularly came rnto their own
.,vith the advent of the Hawker 'Hurri-
bomber' equipped to take four 22.68-
kg (501b) bombs under each wing,
Nevertheless, British bombs did
present some variations ofshape, and
while the ones carried by flQrhters soon
assumed near-conical noses with flat-
tened fronts, the majorrty were of con-
ventional appearance with'egq-like'
contours until the introduction of the
thousand-pounder', the 453,6-kg type
designed for the extemal racks of the
Hawker T\7phoon, all rllustrations of the
advancing state of the art in refining
the shape of bombs for the RAF.
A degrree of agreement was certain-
fr
Right : The 2 27 -kg (500-1b) MC, M k I I I
HE bomb was much more effective
than the earlier 500-IbGP bomb, due
to a higher filling-to-overall-weight
ratio.The cropped annular vane
permitted four of these bombs to be
carried by the Mosquito bomber.It
did not affect stability.
ly evident concerning the design of
that vital part of a bomb, the tail, and
almost throughout the design of British
standard bombs, the assembly here
consisted of four sheet fins with a
broad rrng containing their trailing
edges, These facts were in part dic-
tated by the British practrce of stowing
bombs horizontally, the resultant re-
lease beinq the most aerodynamic that
could be achieved, since a bomb
dropping away from an aeroplane of
the time inevitably spun or otherwise
World War II Airto-Ground Weaporu
became unstable when struck by the
slipstream; it was the tail that finally
straightened its flight as the forward
momentum imparted by the launch
aircraft was lost and the downward
path commenced in an arc towards the
target as gravity exerted a pull, All
these factors were common to the stan-
dard bombs of the day which were all
of pre-1940 desiqn and lncluded the
largely-forgotten HE type of 54 kg
(120lb); there were drfferent versions
of all types, some of these variants
tub
Left: The 54-kg ( I 20-lb) GP i'iE
was one of a series ofner. .u:-ar='e:
bom b s of better a erodFamra s:+E
fian fftose used sinceWorldWat ]
This weapon replacred tfie oJd c:5-.nEi
(11Z-lb)GPbomb.
being readily identified from their cas-
ing that mrght have strengthening
bands as on some '500-pounders'.
Specification
Mk ItoMk3GP
Type: general-purpose hrgh explosive
bomb
Weisht: 119,4 kg (263 ]b)
Dimensions: lenqth 1,37 m (4 ft 6 in);
diameter 0,26 m (10.3 in)
Filling: TNTor Amatol B0/20

The bombs of the RAF. From the top: 9979-kg (22,000-lb) MC ; 5443-kst ( I 2,000- 454-kg ( I ,000-Ib) MC bombs drop from an RAF bomber into the jungle ot
lb) HC; nose ot 5443-kg (1 2,000-lb) MC; 3629-kg (8,000-1b) HC; I I I4-kg (4,000- Burma.EarlierRAF bombs hadlong annular tailvanes, butby cropping the
tb) HC; (righl 862-kg ( 1,900-1b) GP; 907-kst (2,000-lb) AP; (fron| 454-kg vanes of 227-kg(500-lb) bombs thebombbay of Mosquitoes could
(1,000-Ib) and227-kg(500-lb) GPs.Thesmallbomb is 18 kg (40-1b). accommodate four instead of two of theseweapons.

-r:ieJdslrave always presented achallenge to the bomber, provingvery A 227-kg (500-Ib) Mk III MC bomb is loaded on the wing rack of a Hawker
t-' glt to jgtock ouL Lacking today's specialist weapons, the RAF had to rely Tlphoon.The pistol and detonator has notyetbeeninstalledrn tienose of the
x. ar:'tracy and delayed actionbombs tofrustrate repairwork.Here, a stick bomh;the armed bomb had pistols and detonators in both nose and tail.
:r con:bsimpa cts on aJapanese airfield inBurma.
Special Purpose Weqpons
Many of today's air-to-groundweapons can trace their ancestryback tomunitions
designed in World War IL Most nations experimented with guided weapons, the
Germans deploying some to great effect. There were also unique ideas sucft as ffte
Dambusters' 'Bouncing Bomb' produced for special operations.
,',=ary Willie'and'Tired Tim'were a couple of much-beloved strip cartoon
--:-acters in the days before World War ll, and it was probably the American
,- -.:r. of describing time-expired operational airf rames as 'war weary' that led
.: .^e name'Weary Willie' for the Boeing B-17s modified for remote-control
:-:s-:ng onto targets such as the underground lairs ('No-ball'targets) of
,',::30ns llke the V-1 flying bomb. The relegated bombers were never in the
=
. :^ . lsed
f or such work, but would have been packed with explosive and taken

--::r radio control on their last mission.

l-: r such outsize flying bombs as these represent the larger of the special-
:,-:cse weapons, the other end ofthe scale rs surely and ably represented by
.-: : ry Razzle (and the larger Decker). These were incendiary devices intended
': - -se aga nst enemy crops and forests, and consisted of a small piece of wet
::::cn woolwrapped round a phosphorus pellet and enclosed within two sheets
:' ::iluloid about 7.6 cm (3 in) square. Some 450 such devices were carried in a
:'-- of liquid and dropped over enerny territory. to lay on the ground unde-
.=::ed untrl they dried out and ignited.
-et undoubtedly the most famous special device of the enttre conflict is the
:. ^drical bomb used to destroy the vital Ruhr dams.
S rple in concept, thls Barnes Wallis design was little more than a metal
:. ^oer, set spinning by means of a VSG Hydraulic motor via a 'V' belt. With
-33.1 <g (6,600 lb) of RDX explosive making up the greater part of the 4196 kg
j 2-0 lb) total, the bomb was capable of skipping over the protective booms at
-,i rpm once released by the parting of the the pair of suspended trusses. to
. ^..againstthetargetwallandbefiredbythehydrostaticfusessettooperateat
: :ecth of 9.14 m (30 ft).
special weapon of similar concept was that intended to sink the
-':-iother
:2. Thrs preceded the larger bomb, and was codenamed 'Highball'. Of
.:^e:cidal shape, lt was intended to be carried in pairs by an adapted de
- : . I and Mosquito, The delivery journey and dash back to base would be carried
- --- z:4572-m (15,000-ft) altitude which, although probably alerting the enemy
':::'. would permit an enhanced range and improved flexibility of the actual
..:-:<. Unfortunately all came to nought although tests had been satisfactorily
::-: lded, political pressures finally winning the day so that not even the
::-.cron of special Mosquitoes despatched to operate agalnst the Japanese
'=:- ',VaS eVer USed.
The SG I I 3A F6rstersonde consisted of a pair of 77-mm recoilless guns
mounted vertically in the wing of an F W I 90 and triggered by the electro-
magneticfieldcrcated by themass of metalin a tank.ltwas successfulin
penetrating the armour of a captured T-34 tank, but was not adopted.

, :.e . :: LT- I combination weapon was developed by the Germans as a
-
::.ea:.s ci iaunching torpedoes from outside the area of anti-aircraft fire. The
1,, .2=.: consisted of a Blohm undVoss Ll0 glider carrying an LT- l torpedo.
7::',,,'eapon was gyro-stabilized toglide at I5 degrees tothewater.
On making contactwith thewater theLT-J torpedo separatedfrom theLl0
and operated in the normal way. The weapon was extensively tested but was
never used operationally, for reasons that are not apparent.

.!-:7:aby the most famous special

-;:::pose aenal weapon used during
i|ar II was the'Bouncing
j'I'::.=
:.:.s :esjgmed by Dr Barnes Wallis
1:: --e3 io attack the Ruhr dams.
l-:e ;,r'eepor: rs shown here beneath
r: .i;:: iarcaster o{No.617
J;:ai:c:: ptioted by PIO L.G. Knight,
;+-.:: c:ea:red the Eder dam.
 World War II Air{o-Ground Weapors

'M istel (mistletoe ) w as the

name the Germans gave lo
their combination sys tem
whereby a fighter airdaltwas
attached to an old bombr
loaded with explosives. The
fighter, in this case an Me I 09,
flew ik charge to the target,
broke contact and Widd the
bomber to impact by radio
control.

The supplv of special weapons was not in any measure conf ined to the Allies
For examptd, the Luftwaffe boasted that its iargest conventional bomb, the
s,sri-tO SC 2soo nicknamed'Max'which was 3.895 m (12 ft 9.3 in) long and
had a diameter of 0.829 m (2 ft 8.6 in), was too large to f it into the internal bay of
any German bomber and thus had to be carried externally.
One of the special weapons associated wlth the night raids against the UK
was that oooularlv known as the 'land mine'. This was an adapted device that
was commonly spoken of in some awe because of its high blast effect; this was
partly the resuh of the weapon's lack of penetration, since it was dropped under
b larje parachute of coarse green material secured to the thin-walled casing with
plait"ed'lines some 12.7-mh (0.5-in) thick. These weapons we.re frequently
dropped in company with a percentage of 'oil -bombs', fire-raising devices
disiinct from Lhe normal thermite incendiaries or which an explosive verston
was introduced. The oil bombs carried both fuel-oil and phosphorus within a
single casing. Another conternporary special weapon was the so-called
'Molo-
tov"cocktaili whicn consisted in the main of a high-explosive bomb with.an
attached container for conventional incendiaries which opened betore makrng
imoact and th,"rs scattered its load.
but perhaps the most dangerotts special weapon to come from the German
aerial armoury was quite small, the'butterfly-bomb' or SD-2 which consisted of
a cylinder no more than a few centimetres in diameter' Sem!-circular 'wings'
stowed round this casing opened in f light so that the bomb spun to the ground in
the manner of a sycamore seed. These weapons proved ot partlcula.r value
aqainst soft-skinneij vehicles or troops rn the open, detonation taking place on
.rioact or alter a delav: the weapons coulo alio act as 'booby-traps', lying in
unberqrowthetc.untildisturbeo.FigntersorJunkersJuBTscouldlayatrailof up
to 96;f these SD-2s, while twln-motor bombers could deposit some 360, a
contrast in size and scope with such special weapons as the explosive:laden
Grumman FGF Hellcats earmarked to f ly.unmanned against targets in the Pacif ic
a rea.

Below: The 'Weary Willie' idea of packing old B- I7s with explosive and Above: A parachute-retarded bomb drops ontoJotman Airtieldin northwest
crashing themon to a targetwasAbandoned infavour of more modeslpJans New Guinea.Here, theseweapons arebeingused atvery low altitudeto
involving theseGrummanF6F Hellcats'Toolatefor sewice in 1945, they saw permit the bomber to get clear belore the bomb detonates amongst parked
action in the Korean War. aircraft. The bombs are probably of the fragmentation type.

.. il:.:r.i'\i
.:
.". :-
lr.i. ::'::::i.\:'
 ffi tritish heavy bombs
The largrest of the British war-time
bombs was the well-known 'Grand
Slam', a 9979-kg (22,000-1b) missile de-
siqmed chiefly for deep penetration,
equipped with aerodynamically
shaped flns to rmpart an assisting iwist
to its fal. Forty-one of these monsters
were dropped by sppcially-modrfied
Awo Lancasters in 1945, the first on 14
March when Lancaster B,Mk I (Spe-
cra-l) PDl 12 of No. 617 Squadron, with
Sguadron-Leader C.C. Calder at the
controls, demolished two spans of the
Bielefeld Viaduct with one of these
weapons only a single day alter the
fi-rst test-drop had been made.
British heavy bombs of 5443-kg
(12,000-Ib) capacity were ofhvo types,
the most sophisticated being the'Tall-
boy' desiqmed for deep penetratioh,
and of which no less than 854 were
dropped by Awo Lancasfers followrng
the first attack with them on the nioht of
&9 ]une 1944,
While the 'Tallboy' was of conven-
fional streamlined shape, the other
M43-kg missile was a departure from
common practlce in that it was cylin-
drical and was in fact formed ftom
three 1814-kg (4,000-lb)'Cookies'
bolted together (the sections being
clearly visrlcle) with an annular-rrngred
sx-fin tarl attached. This was the
General-Purpose'Factory Buste/, also
much used in 1944, but in fact first used
during a rard on the Dortmund-Ems
Canal during the hows of darkness of
1Vl6 September in the previous year,
'Big, beautiful' bombs were
pioneered by the 907-kg (2,000-1b)
version first used during the night
attack on the Emden shipyards on 31
March/l April 1941, However, a com-
parison of weight alone ts deceptive,
silce the explosive power of the iater
bomb was greater than that of the
illings used at the beginnrrg of the
-amr, when a 907-kg 'heavy' certainly
existed in armour-piercing form for
atiacks on shipping, although the ver-
sron of a mere 227-kg (500.ib) weapon
mas the accepted 'big bomb' in the
FSF,
The ordinary'Cookie'had made its
:perational debut over Wilheim-
slaven on 8 Jr:1y 1942, obsewers at the
:rne reporhng that \4rhole houses took
::'the ar-1, thus gaining for the weapon
--:e name of 'Block Buster' in the UK,
al:hough the Germans knew the type
- Bezirkbomben, The existence of
was, however, not announced
=esesome time after their
--::il first use, not
-:: nct until September, and it was not
Above : The I 8 I 4-kg (4,000-lb) HC Mk
I I I HE bomb had three pistols and
detonators in the nose. In the centre
of the bomb there was a continuous
tube with exploders linked into the
central detonator. These bombs had
avery high explosivefilling to overcll
weightratio.
Right: A 1 8 I 4-kg (4,000- Ib) HC M k I
high-explosive bomb is wheeled up
to a Wellington B.M k I I L This was an
early version with a single pktol and
detonator in the nose. This example
is painted in the yellow-buff shade
originally used on high-explosive
bombs.
for a further two years that the general
public was to know the name of the
man who had taken such a prominent
part rn the development of British war-
trme bombs, Air Commodore Patrick
Huskinson, who had himself been
blinded during a raid by the Luftwaile
in 1941.
Specification
GP'FactoryBuster'
Tlpe: generai-purpose high explosive
bomb
Weisht 5443 ks (12,000 lb)
Dimensions: length 5.33 m (17 ft 6 in);
diameter L02 m(3 ft4 in)
Filins:2358.7 kg (5,200 lb) ofTorpex
'cemented' within a 25.4-mm ( I-in)
jacketofTNT
Atypical scene on any Lancaster
base during Ia ter years of World W ar
I I : a 3629-kg (8,000-lb) HC blast
bomb is brought up by tractor for
loading into the capacious bomb bay
of a Lancaster. The Lancaster,
Manchester and Halifax could carry
these bombs in ternally.

>K tritish 25-lb rocket

f:--! rockets employed a solid prop-
:' ::: lside a cast iron tube and
::r:--::=C a variety of warheads and
--rr=. - "eir bodies were a length of
- :2-::: l3-r-a) drameter cast pipe f,tted
r:-: a ser:iflat plate fins to constitute a
iad. and a pair of lugs by
=:;:::=:: r:iich
:=,::-= it was slunq from the
:j:r-s ra-,::rching ra{. on one end
;n- s::=r,-ed the 11.34-kg (25-lb)
=::::-:r-c-=lcing warhead. A solid-
p::_r-e-'.-: ilLag was packed into the
,=:;:-: :: p-pe rhat made up the greater
;r: :: -:: rjssrle. which was electri-
=-; -:t:- such a way that, although
=r",=--+-.: lim the openend, burning
r-:.: :--:ei irom the foont, a system
--.e:is5 :: crder to enswe that the
.F-:-l: :: -i:e rocket was not dis-
Threeversions of the I 1.34-kg (25-lb)
w arhead exkted, two armour -
piercing and one semi-armour-
piercing. The AP shell no. I, M k
shownwasused atdive angleof 15
degrees or over, while the AP shell
no. 2, Mk I was used under I 5
degrrees. The SAP shown was for
trainingonly.
turbed as the charge was consumed,
Concrete heads were employed for
practice.
Experimental work took up the
greater part of 1942, and included tests
mounted under the wings of the new
Hawker \phoon, but it was the Haw-
ker Hurncane thatwas to fly the rocket
into action for the first trme when air-
craft of No, 184 Squadron made Fighter
Command's first operational strike, Un-
fortunately the long rails necessary for
launching exacted a serious penalty
I from the aircraft's performance, and
except ftom a very steep dive the mis-
siles were difficult to aim because of
their sharp trajectory drop. aiming
beingby means of the standard Mk IIG
reflector gnrnsight, which was not real-
ly equal to the demands made on it.
This Britrsh innovation was disliked
by pilots because of its effect on per-
formance, and there was a sharp temp-
tatron to expend them on the f,rst avail-
able tarqet, whatever it was, regard-
less of what warhead was being car-
ried.
Specification
Tlpe: airto-gnound aircraft-launched
armour-piercing rocket
Warheadweight: 1 1,34 kg (25 lb)
Dimensions: length 1,69 m (5 ft 6.5 in);
diameterB,B9 cm(3.5 in)

-.;
Aerfsl Anfi-lbnk Guns
.: tanks cauld afford to reduce their performance by the
=,r
:iditionof thicktop armour, and toexploit thisweakness
::ti- tank cannon were fitted to ground attack aircraft.
: tomatic weapons of up to 40 mm ( 1 .57 in) were fi tted early
.:.
.: the war, and later on the Germans installed guns of up to
Ii-mm (2.95-in) calibrein specialisttank-busting aircraft to try
:c sfern the Soviet advance.

-'.:rld
.'rough arguably the most sophisticated air-to-grcund weapon to come out of
War Il was the German SG 13'lA device capable of detecttng the magne-
: frelcl of a mass of metal, and therefore in efiec{ to select ts own target, in the
'- : n guns were favoured for the anti-tank roie These guns were fairly conven-
.:nal,orrlrTtherateof fire,muzz{evelcotyandcaitbrebeingincreasedasarmour
. : :rre thicke'.
Even so the array of these weapons was formidable, perhaps the best known
:: ng the 3.7-cm ('1 .457-in) Flak 'l B cannon for anti-tank work, chief ly becagge-9
::'r ri,,as slung underthe wings of a Jin<ers Ju 87D (then redesignated Ju B7G).
-re BK 3,7 w-hich was of thelame catibre and both practical and effective, was
. so carried bV some Henschel Hs -l 29B Panzerjager as an alternative to the pair
:'20-mm (0.'787-in) MG15'1i20 cannon and two 2.92-mm (0,312-in) MG171
rachine-guns more commonly carleC About a year before the end of the war,
ienschels were also encountered witn tne 7 5-cm (2.95-in) BK 7,5 under the
-selage.
Hor,iever, the gun most wideiy used for attacks on armour from the air by the
ls 129B {conceived in imitation of the llyushin ll-2, it might be added) was the HawkerHurricaneMkllD anti-tank aircraft are seenin tlze MiddleEast, The
: ^gle 30-mm {1.18-in) MK10' a tnoJgL the ammrnition load was lim ted to a 4 0 - mm Vic ker s guns with I 5 r ou nds each, an d r,r';
M k I I D w as arm e d with two
-eiaSb rojnds Some uTsrs ny6rysj.1 alti-tank operations in the battle for 0.303-inBrowning guns with 330 raunds eadh.TheBrowning gunswere use.
>evastopol where no rporta^1 srccesses were ach eved against Soviet with tracer. for sighting the big guns.
l r^.rou r', due cnief ly to a p'oper tec n ^ que oeiag ^ot yel adopted; and in Septem-
:ertheaircraltwerew tho'aw-'cr'Jrt-erc'ewtrairing. lnthe meanttme some ln this, the Yakovlev fighter-bomber was similar to another machine use: '-
3K 3,7 cannon were used, or 5-cm {1.969-tnJ BK 5s were carried, but the best anti-tank work by Soviet pilots, the Bell P-39 Airacobra supplied f rom the . S -
resuiis came with adoption of the M K1 03 Very similar to the MK1 01 from which under Lend-Lease from early 1942. Despite the alleged solenoid-trigger inte i:'.
t was developed, thd MKl-03 had a nigher muzzle velocity. ence with the compass, the type was useful by viitue of its 37-mm M4 ncs:-
It was 1942 that saw some Messerichmitt Bf 1'l OGs fitted with a BK 3,7 mounted cannon, which was supported by a formidable array of six macr'.=-
inder the fuselage, weight compensatron being effected by the removal of the guns, four of 7.62-mm (0.3-in) and two of 12.7-mm (0.5-in) calibre.
.:andard pair of 20-mrr MG i51 c:^no: -^cer I^e nose. Britrsh attempts to introduce cannon had been something of a fiasco, a':
Lesser <nown anti-ta'k a-'ra-e-t ,rseo oy ine Germans ncludes the Junkers although these were only of 20-mm calibre, it was the hope that they coLric ::
:u BBA-4 that was converted to take a KwK 39 gun of 7.S-cm calibre under the used f or ground-attack as well as the original air-to-air work that kept the prc ::'
;orwirci tuseragL, irt.r"r" iti lirge fairing repliced the normal bomb-aimer's going when a hcst of feed troubles nad ro be overcome. lt was lhe adopr c - - -
;ondola. Therelollowecj a smail productr6n run designated the Ju B8P-1 with a belt feed that enabled a more aerodynamic mounting of these Hispano weap.':
1.S-cm PaK 40 gun, while the Ju 88P-2 was adapted tb take two 3.7-cm BK guns to be made in the Hawker Hurncane Mk llC, althougl adequate rejcoil to opi,: =
tT:3tt the 'eed did present some cont n-eo probtems.
anti-tank guns were almost synonymous with the various versions of Strangely, the 40-mm (1.575-in) gun was not widely used by the RAF, be ^l
'.nell2 Shturmovlk;and these came to the fore durLng the Baltle of Kursk in early confined mainly to operations in the Middle East. A Vickers proCuct, ii s:..
.;,.llv 1943 when tl-re Germans threw in vast numbe-rs of PzKpfw lV and some greatest service during 1942 and '1 943 when such weapons were fitted to :- =
-oie rrodern tanks. plJs tre'd nano selr-propelled guns. Among ail these the Ipeciaiist Hurricane MT< ttD, on whrch their size made it necessary to slrng rr-:--
-2m3 aircraftwith long-barrel 37-mm NS-37 cannon did massive execution, one externally under the wings and below the centre of gravity where the r:::
3erman division reported to have lost 70 tanks in 20 minutes. effected the trim of the machine, causing the nose to drop. The ammunitrci,., ..
l-lowever, other Soviet cannon weTe carr ed by other versions of the Shturmo- based on that used by the Royal Navy, with the same cartridge case anC D: r-=
r
. these 'ncluding tne 20-rnrr SrVAK and the 23-i'nrr {0.906- nt VYa cannon.
-re liqhter 12.1-mm (0.5-in) U BS machine-gun that was mounted to lire through
as these were already in production, but a degree of redesign to this pre-1?'-
-:
configuration was required when the original idea of a 40-mm canncr
a oiooeiler disc of the Ya^ovlev Yak-gtfiqhter was also used for anti-tank air-to-air work was changed to include anti-tank use. ln this the cannon ,...:
. -.<, b,t th s merelV sLtppofted the 20--m"ShVAK tnat was molnted to fire entirely successful, an a#nour-piercing shell weighing 1.106 kg 12.44lbi ce ^ .
--rough the propellei shiir. capable of penetrating 50 mm of armbur at an angle of 30".

. ;. : s h in I I- 2m3 anti-tank and ground attack aircratt was armed with two T'he Henschel Hs I29B-3/Wa. anti-tank aircratt carried a modifie{i P a-K i : .
-:.,"iS-aKB-l6-37 guns,withS2 rounds each.With this armament the I1-2 75 mm anti-tank cannon. which had a rate of fire of 40 rounds pet rt:r.:::€
: : ; s :rc-v li e m aj or ity of Germ an tank type s, including the T iger I. T h e I I- 2 rounds were provided in the aircratt. Two 20-mm MG I 5 I cannor t" e : e :
: :.: : ci:ry rocket bombs" installed.
>K tritish 60-lb rocket
l\::-ih a simrlar basic concept to the
- - 34-kg (25-lb) armour-piercing pro-
,ectile. the rocket with a 27.22-kg (60-
lb) iuqh explosive head became stan-
dard after 1943, while later in the war
:ragmentatron missiles of simrlar
-veights were introduced,
By this trne a method of delivery
designed to ensure maximum destruc-
5on of the target had been perfected,
This called for the aircraft formation,
row usually Typhoons, to make an
approach al between 1829 m (6,000 ft)
ard3048 m (10,OOO ft), andfrom this the
leader would make the first dive at
about 40" to mark the target, he being
followed at a similar angle at 644 kl/h
(400 mph) or at 30o when a lower
speed of some 612 km/h (380 mph) was
indicated. At an altitude of not more
ihan l52m (500ft) and a distance of
500 m (550 yards) from the target the
complete salvo, said to have a striking
power equivalent to the broadside
from a destroyer's gnlns, might be fired
before the pllot pulled up sharply and
took himself out of the radius of action,
there being about five seconds before
the shrapnel from the exploding rock-
ets constituted a real danger to the
aircraft that had launched them, Unfor-
tunately it is on record that some 25 per
cent of the rockets failed to detonate,
particularly in the earlier days, and
there was a definrte tendency to
uldershoot and the trajectory drop to
be inaccurately estimated,
Before the end of the war, zero-
lengrth rocket rails were introduced
-'*'hich alfected the aircraft's perform-
ance less markedly, Some of these re-
-rised the position of the mrssiles so that
The 76.2-mm (3-in) rocket was used
by the Royal Air Force for attacking a
variety of targek, including ships,
tanks, strongpoints, submarines and
troop concentrations. A number of
warheads were evolved for different
types of target; the most-usedwas
the 27.22-kg (60-lb) HE head shown
here.
a load of four weapons under each
wing was no longrer carried side by
side but instead, on the Mk 7 installa-
tion, fitted in two vertical pairs. A varia-
tion of this was to be found on the Mk 6
fitted to the Bristol Beaufighter, which
gnouped the four round a central fair-
ing from which they could be jetti-
soned.
Developments of the basrc 27.22-kg
rocket included the 81.65-kg (180-lb)
projectrle with its three tubes of prop-
ellant, and the 'Admonitor'with seven
motors insrde a large diameter casingr
fitted with sx fins, and having a 113,4-
ks (250-1b) warhead,
Specification
Type: air-to-ground aircraft-launched
high explosive rocket A Hawker Tlphoon Mk IB, with the old'car door' type canopy, carries 76.2-
Warhead weight : 27,22 kg (60 Ib) mm (3-in) rockets. The shells attached are the 27.22-kg (60-lb) SAP type. Other
Dimensions: length 1,88 m (6 ft 2 in); types used were the 27.22-kg (60-lb) 'F' fragmentation shell, I I .34-kg (25-Ib)
diameter 15.24 cm (6 in) AP and 25Jb SAP shells, and concrete practice versions of tft ese sfie//s.

76.2-mm (3-in) rcckets speed towards locomotiveswaiting in a siding, fired For use against lsoft' targets the 27-kg (60-Ib) HE Type F shell was deyeloped.
bom a South African Air Force Beaufighter. The 27.22-kg (60-lb) shell was This was a thick-walled shell, which exploded into small high-velocity
efrxtive for penetrating locomotive boilers, but the I I .34-kg (25-lb) AP shell fragnents. Pilots using this weapon were warned not to use it under 550 m
wx spcified for use against merchantslrips andsubmarines. (600 yards) because of flying fragments .

Left: Debris flies high in the air after a
rocket strike by an SAAF Bristol
B e aufigh ter agains t locomotives
waiting in a siding. Thk locomotive
target was in Yugoslavia during the
G erman occu pation of that country.
Above: Four rockets are launched
from a H awker Tlphoon at a German
barge on the Wester Schelde . These
are 76.2-mm (s-in) aircraft rockets
with 27.22-kg (60-lb) semi-armour-
piercing shells. Heatfrom the rocket
motor ignited the thermal initiator,

American bombs
lbsewers in 1945 were in the habit of
:::aking comparison between what
-::ey called the 'superior aerodynamic
-.:ape' of British bombs and the more
s:andardized hnes of those dropped
:y the Luftwaffe. Be this as it may, the
jmted States probably displayed the
Ieatest variety of proflles among rts
:ee-fall bombs. Almost German in
:neir appearance were the 907-kg
:2,000-lb) AN-M66 GPs used by the US
Amry and NaW; this type proved tts
-.'alue against ammunition dumps, rarl-
way junctions, airfields and factory
sites, while a modifled version of Lhe
AN-M66 could be fltted with an AN-Mk
230 hydrostatic fuse, enablinq tt to be
employed agtainst heavily armed sLt-
iace vessels, as well as submarines.
Either Amatol or TNT were the filli:rgs
used for this type.
The 454-kg (1,000-1b) sreneral-
prrpose bomb resembled the larqer
version, but probably less closely thal
it did the 227-kq (500-lb) bomb wrth rts
squat construction and a semi-braceci
tail with sheet flns, which was really
the lypical Uniled Stares weapon c:
World War II, Employed once more
by both the US Army and Narry, these
were rsed against similar targets tc tjle
Iarger versions, their nose fuses berngr
in the main of AN-M103 pattern.
although the AN-M 125 long-delay ine
fuse could be substituted rf the targe:
jLrstified such a changre,
A feature of United States bon:bs.
some of which were eqrupped 'n&
lugrs permitting British-style single-
World War II Air{o-Ground Weapons
point suspensron, .ras iiar -uney carleci
an extemal arming wue. Thrs:ar fore
and afi of the hfting lug posrtron, where
it was formed into an eye. From this
point ii was led rh-rough the twrn sus-
pension eyes to the nose and tail firses,
The weight of the released bomb tug-
ged thrs wfe foee as it ieft the rack ard
thus armed the missile in a crude but
effective safety system, T he 454 - kg ( 1,00 0 - Ib) ar mour-piercing bomb u s e d by the USAA.F w as a thic k-
Both the Mk I and Mk 4 'thousand- cased weapon with an explosive filling to weight ratio of only 14 per cent.
pounders' were declared obsolete in
1944, although they continued in ser-
nce as lonq as bases held any in store,
so that they remained in use until the
end of the fighting in one theatre or
another. These, in common with the
majority of American bombs for qrener-
a1-purpose use, had a tail formed by
four vanes welded to the tail cone
wluch was fastened to the body by
screv/s. A box form resulted from
webs connecting the fins, and the
whoie was strut-braced internally
At the opposite end of the scale of
United States bombs mention must be
made ol the obsolete armour-piercing
ilpes forming the 'M' series, Of these A typical general purpose bomb in use with US forces was the 227-kg (500-lb)
the heavrest was the 408-kq (900{b) weapon shown. It had an explosive filling to weight ratio of 5l per cent
M6. whrch like the rest of the sroup brought about by the use of a thin case. The bomb had two fuses, one in the
were converted artillery projectiles. nose and the other in the tail.
Specification
AN-M8I
Type: hrgh explosive fragmentation
bomb
Weights: I 17,9 kg (260 ]b)
Dimensions: Ienqth 1.092 m (3 ft 7 in);
drameter 0,203 m (B in)

This shower ofbombs descen ds fromB-17s duringanSthAirForce raid on The tamiliar pictures of Hiroshima have tended to obscure the fact thatUS
Germany inJanuary 1945. Despite enomous advances in aiming techniques conventional raids onJapan often caused greater destruction; this is
and navigational aids, errors still ocanrred and sometimes itwas not only the Hammamatsu after a visit from the B-29 Superforlresses./apanese cities
wrong city thatwas bombed, butthewrong country. proved horribly vulnerable to incendiary munitions.

-r-:nourers ride on two 454-kg (l,000-lb) GP bombs being brought up tor InthePacificwar the aircraftmade little useof guidedweapons, relying on
beding into Boeing B- I 7E day bombers of the United States Army Air Corps. torpedoes and accurate bombing. Here aJapanese escorf fakes a direct hit
7:e fuont bomb still has the transit plug fitted in the nose ; this would have fr om a bom b dropped by a B - 2 5 duting an attack on a convoy off Leyte.
:en replacedby thefuse and armingvane.
 A*erican hear,ry bombs
=
:.ap-cily becoming known by the
;e:::nc htle of 'concrete-piercers', Un-
-:=d States bombs designed for attacks
:;:-:si rernforced tarqets of concrete
:: sieel construction were, although
:::ridable, never to rival the British
::1',1es tn power and sze.
largest was the 725,7-kg (1,600-lb)
:rnour-piercinq AN-Ivlk I fitted with a
s:::gle tail fi$e, the AN-Mk 228 with a
- l3-second delay, Filled with pressed
-tplosive D'or TNT, the AN-Mk I was
::raed ftom a single piece of steel,
-::ged and machined, with a pointed
:-:se. parallel sides and slight boat tail-
-:-jl ieading to a male-type base plate.
l: thrs was fitted the normal box type
:a:l assembly while the body was
with side trunnions between
=quipped
-je hvo suspension lugs on the upper
s,-iment, with British single point be-
Sumlar to this type tn detail was the
AN-Mk 33, 272ks (6001b) lishter but
:apable ol being used aqatnst similar
:argets, which might also include bat-
leships and cruisers, These smaller
lcmbs were later modrfied (as were
:e Mk ls) for suspension by means of
screw-in lugs secured by bolts, thus
:eplacing those of the welded type
=ired to bands set in qooves in the
aeslngi.
A second tlpe of 454-kg (1,000-lb)
i,rnerican bomb, intended for use
:;arnst land targets of concrete or
I Houi"t rockets
l::e Soviet Union may well be able to
:iam that it pioneered the introduction
:- :he rocket as a modern aerial
,r-rpon, but this was when they were
::-iisaged as air-to-air weapons,
:esied first in 1937, the idea being that
.i ighters wouid be equrpped to carry
: baltery of srx to eigrht rockets on
::-iermng launchers. They were to
:::eive the desigmations RS-75 and RS-
ts2 'ne numencal suffix referring to
:-er diameters, 75mm (2,95in) and
:2 rm (3.23 rn) respectively.
;. girourd-attack version was de-
;=i:ped during the following year, and
-,:- -.l.as largier and of increased dia-
:-er=r. Thrs RS-I32 was rntended for
:::::g to bombers,
l,leanwhile the RS-75 was used for
1e :rsi trme over Mongolia, durinq the
l.::::cnhan Incident agatnst Japanese
:r:11t. but although some successes
;';::: claimed, the RS-75 and RS-82
:--r.ies ceased to be mentioned in re-
pc:- a-fter the opening months of the
rr:: aqamst Germany, although their
::-,-:1:pment was to make an impor-
:--: ::nirrbutron tn another fleld,
--:-s :cok the form of a specialized
;:--::i-aitack rocket, the RBS-82, that
r== ::oduced in 1941. itwas from this
:.:: : ;:e-,v vanant was produced with
::-pr:-;ed velocity and rncreased
-;::::11=t
capacity as the armour-
;-=::-::j ROFS-132, while much the
i-:-: --r::e saw the introduction of a
;::=:: :::e::.ded for use agamst con-
The US I 8 I 4-Icg (4,000-lb) light case
bomb was used for large-scale
demolition of targels sucfi as
factories.Ithad an explosive tilling to
weight ratio of 80 per cent.
steel construction, was the SAP (semi-
armow-prercing) type, This was cap-
able of having an altemative fitting of
either AN-M10242 or AN-M103 fuses
in the tail and nose respectively so that
fragmentation could be achieved on
suitable targets, These weapons il/ere
of single-piece cast or spun constmc-
tion wrth streamlined, semi-pointed
noses in which a threaded opening re-
ceived a fuse-seat liner and steel plug,
which could be exchanged for an in-
stantaneous fuse if required.
A modified version of the generally
similar AN-M58 weighing only 227 kg
(500 ]b) was produced by the removal
of 4.3i ks (9.5]b) of the Amatol fi1ling
and replacing it with 14.29 kg (31 5]b)
of steel to improve penetration. They
were then re-designated AN-MS8AL
Specification
AN-I\4k I
T'ype: armour-piercing high explosive
bomb
W eight: 72L2 kq ( 1, 590 lb) A good example of the high concentration of bombing obtained by US day
Dimensions: length2, t I m(6 ft I I in) bombers: the targetin this casewas Marifu railyard, two miles south of Otaka,
Filling: compressed expiosive 'D' or Japan, whichyvas bombed by Boeing B-29s of the 2 I st Bombardment Group
castTNT dwingAuglu!t 1945.
crete defensire positions, the BETAB-
l50DS,
It is perhaps not fu1ly realized that
one of the contributions to the acclaim
heaped on the llyushin il-2 aircraft as
the war progressed was the type's
effective use of B2-mm rockets, which
were deployed wlth success against
targets such as soft-skinned transport
and troop concentrations, particularly The 1 00-kg (220Jb) high-explosive bomb was a
ifthe latter were caught unprepared in standard weapon used by I lyushin ll-Zs tor ground
the open, attackwork. The fatnous heavily-armoured attack
Introduced at a later date were the aircraft could carry six of these bombs.
RS-132 variants: similar to the ROFS-
132, these could be fitted with two
types of head, the solid verston being
rntended for burlding demolitton,
while that with a hollow-chargre head
was directed against armour,
Specification The Soviet Union commenced production of airborne
RS-82 rocke t we apons in I 9 37, the first being the RS - 7 5, a
Type: air-to-ground aircraft-launched 750-mm diameter rocket. At first this was used for
rocket air-to-air combat, but later these weapons were used
Weight: 24,9 kg (55 ]b) for ground attack. The rocket shown is equipped with
Dimensions: lenqth 0,864 m (2 ft 10 tn); a fragimentation head.
diameter82 mm(3,23 in)
The Souiet U nion's rocket we apons
for airborne usewere produced in
flrreesr'zes, RS-75, RS-82 and RS- I 32,
the numerals denoting the diafieter
in millimetres. The RS- I 32 shown has
an explosive headfor piercing
strongpoints. Il-2s used these bombs
and 37-mm cannon to gireateffect.
A MiG-S of the I Zth Fighter Regiment in I 942 carries RS-82 rocket weapons
under thewings.This 82-mm rocketcouldbeused as an air-to-airor air-lo-
giround weapon. Firings of rockets of 75, 82 and 132-mm diameter began in
tfi e USSR in J 933, and the RS -Z 5 was firs t produced in I I 37.
Armed Forces of the World
TheAir Force
A vital component in NATO's front-line strength,
West Germany fields an air force of 1,200 aircraft,
650 of which are combat-capable. The number ls to
be reduced slightly as replacement continues of
Lockheed Starfighters by a smaller number of Pana-
via Tornados, but strike/attack potential will be con-
siderably enhanced. ln order to maintain an efficient
fighting force, a 1S-year defence programme has
just begun, the major features of which will include
200 new fighters deslgnated JF-90; a replacement
tactical reconnaissance system; and new jet train-
ers. The JF-90 will almost certainly be provided by a
European programme and will involve 144 aircraft,
plus reserves and a training allocation, for four oper-
ational wings.
ln its present form, the Luftwaffe comprises
three major commands: Taktische Luftf lotten Kom-
mando (Tactical Air Force Command); Luftflotten-
amt (Air Force General Office); and Luftwaffe Unter-
stutzungskommando (Air Force Support Com-
mand), which has no flying units. Tactical Command
operates all the combat aircraft, sub-divided into Nr
1 Luftwaffe Division for attack units in the south of
the country; Nr3 LwDlvfor northern attack units; Nr
2 LwDiv for southern air-defence units; and Nr 4
LwDiv for northern air-defence units. ln total, these
administer eight fighter-bomber, two interceptor
and two tactical reconnaissance wings (usually of
wvo squadrons each), two OCUs and a training orga-
nization in the USA.
Time is now running out for the F-'104 Starfighter,
316 of which were delivered, the greater proportion
lf them from European manufacture. Over 250
^ave been lost in accidents, as a result of which the
-rftwaffe Starfighter has gained an unenviable
'eputation although, on balance, it is no more
:angerous than the F-1 04s of other users. Only one
'ghter-bomber wlng now flies the type: Jagdbom-
::rgeschwader (JBG) 34 at Memmingen, with a
--rminal strength of 54 F-l04Gs and eight TF-1 04G
:-: ners. Since 1983, however, extra TF-'1 04Gs have
::en operated. following disbandment of the
S::rfighter conversion unit, Waffenschule 10. A
:-all unit at Manching, Luftwaffenschleuse 11, is
':sponsible for handling F-1 04s being prepared for
-,-:.sfer to Greece and Turkev.
Completely overshadowing all other aircraft in the
inventory is the Tornado, 228 ot which are being
received (togetherwith 96 for the naval air arm)from
production by MBB. Apart from nuclear weapons
and conventional bombs, the Tornado will carry the
bulky MW-l stores dispenser under the belly for
anti-armour and airfield attacks; Hughes Maverick
ASMs; and, Iater, a stand-off stores dispenser. An
electronic combat and reconnaissance (ECR) model
is also being studied, in which lamming capability
will be provided by the same ALO-99 equipment
fitted to the USAF's General Dynamics EF-1 11
Ravens.
Conversion to the Tornado as an aircraft is under-
taken in the UK at the Trinational Tornado Training
Establishment (TTTE), RAF Cottesmore, while
weapon system instruction is the responsibility of
JBG 38 at Jever. Some 22 German Tornados are
based at Cottesmore, and a similar number with
Part 2
The air fiorces ofNATO constantly practise and
refine operational techniques. Here a Luftwaffe
McDonnell Douglas F-4F takes fuel from a USAF
KC- 1 35 Stratotanker above Northern Europe.
JBG 38. The Federal German navy formed the first
Tornado wing, followed by the Luftwaffe's JBG 31.
which was established at Norvenich in August 1983.
JBG 31 (which is named in honourof the Germanair
ace, Boelcke) was formerly a Starfighter wlng, as
was JBG 32 at Lechfeld, the recipient of Tornados in
August 1985. At Brichel, JBG 33 relinquished its
F-l04s in April 1985 before receiving Tornados four
months later, and it will be augmented (probably lr.
1 987) by JBG 34 to complete the Tornado progran'-
me as currently envisaged.
McDonnell Douglas Phantoms are important ele-
ments of the combat force, includlng 79 of the 8E
RF-4E tactical reconnaissance aircraft ordered 'r-
1968 for Aufkliirungsgeschwader 51 'lmmelman' a:
Bremgarten and AG 52 at Leck. Beginning in 1973
these have been converted to dual-role capabilrt
with the addition of a weapon sight and equipmen:
for external stores. Next, between 1 973 and 1 976.
the Luftwaffe received 175 F-4Fs (of which '1 62
remain), half of them assigned to the f ighter-bombei'
wings, JBG 35 at Pferdsfeld and JBG 36 at Hopster
A further 10 F-4Es were bought in 1977, but these
are operated in full USAF markings from George
AFB, California, by the 35th FTW for training Ge-
man personnel. Afler conversion, crews report ::
the Zentrale Ausbildungsstaffel (Central Training
Squadron) at Hopsten, where they become acc;s-
tomed to a European environment by flying in tne
F-4Fs of an extra (third) squadron of JBG 36. F-4:s
have recently completed an update programme :.
enable them to carry a wider range of weapcns
including the Maverick ASM, the AIM-9L verslcn c'
the Sidewinder AAM, and laser-guided bombs.
Destined to form the backbone of the Luftwalfe's
strike/attackforce tothe end of the century, the
Panavia Tornado is in the process of equipping
four operational wings. I llustrated is a'lizard'-
camouflaged machine of JBG 31 .
Armed Forces of the World WestGermany T
Synonymous with Luftwaffe oper ations over the
last two decades, the LockheedF-104G Starfighter
has rapidly diminished in terms of frontJine
commitmentas the PanaviaTornado has entered
service. This is an aircraft ofJtsG 34, the last
op er a tio nal fr ont- Iine unit.

Luftwaffeflying units
Unit Equipment Base
JBG 31 Tornado Norvenich
JBG 32 Tornado Lechf eld
3./JBG 32 HFB 32OECM Lechfeld
JBG 33 Tornado B r.ichel
JBG 34 F-1 04 Starfighter Memmingen
JBG 35 F-4F Phantorrr Pf erdsf eld
JBG 36 F 4F Phantom Hopsten
JBG 38 Tornado Jever
JBG 41 Alpha Jet Husum
JBG 43 Alpha Jet Oldenburg
(JBG 44-) Alpha Jet (Leipheim)
JBG 49 Alpha Jet FLI rstenfeldbruck
3./J BG 49 P.'1 49D/Skvservant FU rstenfeldbruck
AG 51 RF-4E Phantom Bremgarten
AG 52 RF-4E Phantom Leck
LTG 61 Transall C.160D Landsberg
3 /LTG 61 UH-1 D lroquois Landsberg
LTG 62 Transall C.160D Wunstorf
- l-. attack missions are flown by the 175 Das- service until 2010. Lufttransportgeschwader 61, 62 2.ILIG 62 C.1 60D/Skyservant Wunstorf
- .3,eguet/Dornier Alpha Jets delivered up to and 63 at Landsberg, Wunsdorf and Hohn share the (Detachment
-,.-,, 1983. Conversion trarning is by JBG 49 at C.1 60s, although LTG 61 has an addit onal squadron at Beja)
-..:r'eldbruck (invarably shortened to 'FL.lrsty'), of 25 Ds, and ITG 62 maintarns a transport
.

- :^ :
UH-'1 LTG 63 TransallC.l60D Hohn
so hasathirdsquadronwrth Piaggio P.149D training flight (also including Skyservants) wrth a HG 64 UH-1D lroquois Ahlhorn
- : :ires and Dornier Do 2BD-2 Skyservants for detachment at Beja. The remain ng three squadrons JG 71 F-4F Phantom Wittmundhaven
-. ::'eening and initial navrgator train ng. (Most of UH-'1 Ds are at Ahlhorn with Hubschrauberge- JGl4 F-4F Phantom Neuburg
-:- .'. 1gs havethree orfourSkyservants, from 90 schwader 64 and the helrcopter crew school (l-1ub- FBS Boeing 707, Hansa, Cologne/Bonn
--: ^ ^g, for communrcat ons.) Weapons trarning schrauberschule). HG 64 is responsible for many of VFW614,
. -: . :ce at Beja, in Portugal, on B Alpha Jets of 1 the SAR and base rescue f lights of lroquo s helicop- Skyservant
: - .::.e Luftwaffenkommando Beja, these being ters detached to several airfields. VIP and long- JetStar
=- :-e 'shadow' identity and base of JBG 44 at distance f lying is the responsibility of the SpecialAir .AusbStff
'1
T-37, T-38Talon Sheppard AFB
--: - n the event of wartime mobilizatron. The Missions Squadron (Flugbereitschaftstaffel) at Col- 2.AusbStff F-4EPhantom George AFB
-
=- - rna Jetwings are JBG 41 at Husum and JBG ogne/Bonn Airport with four Boeing 707-320Cs, TTTE Tornado RAF Cottesmore
.. 3 denburg, and their combat duties would three VFW 614s, four Skyservants, four UH-1Ds, LwS '11 F-'1 04 Starfighter Manching
r. :-: y nvolve
antr-helicopter operations. three Lockheed JetStars and six HFB 320 Hansas. EStelle 61 various Manching
-- ::'ence units include the F-4F Phantoms of The JetStars and Hansas are in the process o{ re-
.:;=::rwader 7'1 'Richthofen' and JG l4'Mal- placement by seven Canadair 601 Challengers. Luftwaffe missile u nits
-- :.::d at Wittmundhaven and Neuburg re- Training operations at home are adminrstered by '1A
FKG Pershing Landsberg
=-..:. and armed with AIM-9L Sidewinders the Ausbildungskommando within the Luftwaffen- 1

- ,'-., ..'ie has no medium-ranqe radar-quided amt, flying being restricted to the 40 P.149Ds of FKG 2 Pershing 1A Geilenkirchen
-- .': .-l .nust rely on RAF Phantoms and USAF JBG 49 used for grading at 'Fursty' Other actrvities FRR 1 lmproved HAWK Freising
I - - -= louqlas F 15 Eagles, whrch have such a are now in the USA. under the control of Tactical FRR 2 Nike-Hercules Lich
--.. -alvever, JG 71 and 74 are'war onJy' Command. After grading, students report to Nr 1 FRR 3 lmproved HAWK Heide
: ::::-se the post-1945 Allied peace treaty, Ausbildungsgruppe USA, otherwise known as the FRR 4 lmprovedHAWK Bremervorde
- ,- .-: .-SSR insists on retaininq, permits only B0th Fly ng Training Wing, USAF, at Sheppard AFB, FRR13 Nike-Hercules Soest
: ,:-: :rd French aircraft to police West Ger- Texas. The BOth FTW operates some 40 each of FRR 14 N ike-H e rc u les O lden bu rq

: - . -::::: n the future, however, F-4Fs are to Cessna T-37Bs and Northrop T-3BA Talons remain- *'shadow' for DtLwKdo Beja
- ,:' :: .'.'i. new radar and Hughes AIM-120 ing from 41 and 46, respectively, bought with Ger-
: - -'.': : o ve an all-weather, look-down/shoot man f unds and painted in USAF markings. Pilots f ly Abbreviations
- : - :-.: On the ground, the Luftwaffe has 1 32 hours on T-37s and an advanced course of 1 30 AG Auf kldrunosgeschwader
:...,^: s x reg rnents) of Baytheon Mllvl-23B hours with the T-38, although plans are in hand to (reconnaissance wrng)
acquire new trainers in the course of the current AusbStff Ausbildungsstaffel(trainlngsquadron)
.::-.:.
------- Seltls, the latterto be replaced later 15-year defence programme. The 10 F-4E Phan- EStelle Erprobungsstelle (experimentai
= :. ;avtheon MIM 104 Patrots. Euro- toms at George AFB are known as Nr 3 Aus establishment)
- - 'I --',1 SAMs are also being acqulred for bi dungsgruppe. FBS Flugbereitschaftstaffel (specialarr
. , --'--:: :-JO ement ng 20-mm cannon. Re Miscellaneous aircraft to be seen in service ln- missions squadron)
- - : -'. '. .": -
ss les are Martin MGM-3i Per- clude seven Hansas fitted for ECM training and FKG Flugkorpergeschwader (missile wing)
-
-. ---
=,- SSVs of Flugkorpergeschwader 1 operated by the Flugmessstaffel at Lechfeld, where FRR Flugabwehrraketenregiment (ant -
it is attached to the Tornado wing, J BG 32. There are aircraft missrle regiment)
also two BAC Canberra B.Mk 2s used for survey HG H ubsch rau bergeschwader (helicopter
j 1 3s s expected to total only work by the Military Geographic Off ice (MilGeoAmt) wing)
from Schleswig-Jagel; and 16 Rockwell OV-l08 JG Jagdgeschwader {interceptor wing)
:- - -' '' a.-', -'orce command, the Luft-
-: Broncos and24FiaI G91 R/Ts at Lubeckand Husum, JBG Jagdbombergeschwader (f ig hter-
-- .-:-sr.rt Jn,ts, wth a main fleet
:'- -.:- flown by civilian firms rn the target facrlities role. bomberwing)
.. - l. '-: I 1O Dornier-Bell UH-1D Lastly, there s Erprobungsstelle 61 at Manchrng, LTG Lr.r'ttransportgeschwader (air
: : :-: '-:^- T i0 and l35 deliveries which is the central nnilitary aircraft test establish- transport wing)
: ...-- . I - 6Cs t"vere transf erred to ment, operating a small f ieet of current operational LwS Luftwaff enschleuse (air f orce
'e'r'b shed fo- types and a few back-up aircraft. forwarding unit)