The death from above: guided missiles of Luftwaffe

[pampa14]

I share with you this interesting article showing photos, drawings and diagrams of various types of guided bombs and missiles tested or used by the Luftwaffe during WW2. The photos can be viewed by visiting the link below:


http://aviacaoemfloripa.blogspot.com.br/2011/01/a-morte-que-vem-do-ceu-misseis-guiados.html


Best Regards!

 

[Remington 1858]

On 25 November 1943, HMT Rohna, a British troop transport was attacked by German bombers in the Mediterranean. The ship was struck just above the waterline by an Hs293 glider bomb, knocking out all power and disabling the pumps. The ship went down within minutes, taking 1138 men with it. The number includes 1015 U.S. troops. This was the greatest single U.S. loss of life at sea in WWII. The incident was kept secret until after the war.
The Hs293 was a guided missile, slung under a bomber and launched with a rocket motor that pushed the missile out in front of the aircraft. After the motor burned out, a flare in the tail permitted the bombardier to guide the bomb, now in glide mode to it's target, using radio control.
This weapon was a serious threat in Med until the Allies figured out how to jam the radio link.