Let's add to Erich's surface-to-air missiles. Here's the synopsis in brief of others-
Even before massive Allied bombing raids were crumbling Germany, several projects were commenced. The weapons systems would be cheap compared to interceptor aircraft and no pilots' lives would be risked. Ground radar guidance or telescopic human visual guidance would have directed them to targets. Safer, solid fuel powered them.
Before the Feuerlilie (Fire Lilly) Rheinmetall-Borsig did some research on a project missile called the Hecht (Pike). It was an 8.1-foot missile weighing 309 lbs. but little else survives of data.
The Feuerlilie F.55 took shape beginning in 1942. It featured a length of 15.75 feet and had a tail fin spanning 8.2 feet. It weighed 1,036 lbs. and its four liquid fuel Rheinmetall 109-515 motors of 13,970 lbs. thrust propelled it to 932 MPH by the end of its 15-mile flight to target guided by autopilot and radio command carrying a 220 lb. warhead. This SAM did not reach operational status. Two test firings were made.
The Schmetterling (Butterfly) Hs 117 was close to entering service by the end of the war. This one was 14 feet long with a 6.5-foot fin span. It weighed 981 lbs. at launch with its 55-pound proximity fuse warhead.
After the two Schmidding 109-553 launch boosters accelerated it to 680 MPH they separated and the 827 lb. thrust BMW 109-558 sustainer held a constant 537 MPH over the course of its 20-mile range. Guidance was radio link where the operator steered the missile to a bomber formation with the aid of a 10x telescope. Launch was experimented with using He 111s. From the ground an altitude of 32,808 feet could be reached.
Fifty-nine were test fired and plans for 150 per month initially in March 1945 would rise to 3,000 per moth by November 1945. Sixty sites were earmarked for launch locations.
Rheintochtor (Daughter of the Rhine) R I was more ambitious a missile from Rheinmetall-Borsig. It was a two-stage bird with an overall length of 20.75 feet and had stub wings measuring 87.4 inches in span. Dual boosters gave the missile a 165,344 lb. kick for 0.6 second. The sustaining motor pushed at 8,818 lbs. thrust for ten more seconds.
The R III was lighter by 500 lbs at 3,307 lbs. and had a 16.25-foot length. Both models had a 25-mile range but the R III could ascend to 49,213 feet where the R I could hit just 19,685 feet. The R I carried a 220 lb. warhead while the R III had one of 351 lbs. Neither saw service.
Eighty-two launches were made in test.
The Wasserfall (Waterfall) was a relatively large and sophisticated missile that came from Wernher von Braun and the Peenemunda team that worked on the A-4. It went from concept in 1942 to first launch in March 1944. Guidance was a combination of visual and electronic with the Kehl-Strassburg radio control system. Like all the missiles employing proximity fuses, the operator detonated on command or the fuse did so automatically when close to target. Warhead weight was 518 lbs.
The Peenemunda P IX motor developed 17,160 lbs. thrust for 42 seconds running on Visol (vinyl isobutyl ether) and SV-stoff, which was Salbei, or fuming nitric acid. The rocket was 25.6 feet long with an 8.2-foot fin span. All up it weighed 8,400 lbs. and reached out 22 miles at 1,700 MPH and hit an altitude of 58,071 feet but never reached the production lines.
Thirty-five were tested.
Holzbrau-Kissing took Messerschmitt's converted Me 163 design turned it into the Enzian (Gentian, violet-like flower). Models ran from the E-1 to the E-6. The end result looked little like the rocket fighter, save for the 13.1-foot wings, perhaps. The Walter 109-502 rocket of 3,300 lbs. thrust ran on the same C-stoff/T-stoff fuel that the Me 163 used. T-stoff was hydrogen peroxide and C-stoff was a nasty blend of 30% hydrazine hydrate, 57% methyl alcohol and 13% water.
The 11.5-foot was three feet in diameter and it weighed 4,350 lbs. at launch with its 550 lb. proximity fuse warhead. The E-4 was 7.9 feet long weighing 3,968 lbs. To launch this SAM four Schmidding 109-553 solid fuel boosters of 3,850 lbs. thrust each for 4.0 seconds were lit. Then the Walter ran for 70.0 seconds. 600 MPH was achieved but range was just 15.25 miles. Vertical altitude of over 50,000 feet was possible though.
The Enzian used Kehl-Strassburg or Kogge-Brigg command radio guidance systems. But more advanced hardware was planned with a Madrid IR (infrared) homing device, Moritz radar and even the Archimedes acoustic homer.
Thirty-eight trial firings were made.
Messerschmitt had a final missile planned, the E-6, which was a wire-guided anti-tank missile but no details are available.
The Taifun (Typhoon) was a last minute missile by Peenemunda at unguided, inexpensive technology. The idea was that only 1.1 lbs. of explosive was actually needed to bring down a bomber so at a cost of sixty-two 1945 US cents the 76-inch, 46.3 lb. missile was viable.
The little Visol/SV-stoff motor accelerated it to 2,237 MPH in 2.5 seconds with accuracy to aim point. Though range was but about five miles 49,213 feet in altitude was achieved. The concept was to launch salvos of these missiles against incoming bombers. Effectiveness was as good as conventional anti-aircraft guns. 600 were produced though not used.
Had any mixture of these land-based SAMs been in service sooner they would have caused some damage to Allied bomber strikes. Batteries of missiles would have freed up fighters to clean up after formations were split after missile barrages and not take the brunt of the bomber boxes' defensive armament.