German self-destruct fuzes on R4M rockets

[Maxrobot1]

I see no self destruct feature in the German R4M rockets.
They make a point about them not having a time fuze and only an impact fuze.
Maybe I'm missing something.
Did the Germans not worry about rockets that missed a bomber falling on their own country?
I thought their 30mm and some 20mm shells had self destruct features.
I was looking up the R4M rocket and see some interesting web sites on it.

 

[yosimitesam]

This is a good question.
The 30mm and 20mm self-destruct used a "burn-out" powder method (ignited like a tracer, at firing) that touched off the charge some number of seconds after firing. Of all the diagrams of the R4M I could find, none contain any indication of something like this. I believe the destruct feature is considered part of the explosive warhead and just not shown in the drawing below (and other drawings.) I'll bet it used a normal burn-out type self-destruct like the 30mm/20mm shells used in the part labeled "adapter bushing", in the yellow region of drawing below. The propellent burn would reach this on ignition. Note that this is just my not-very-well-educated guess.

 

[GrauGeist]

I see no self destruct feature in the German R4M rockets.
They make a point about them not having a time fuze and only an impact fuze.
Maybe I'm missing something.
Did the Germans not worry about rockets that missed a bomber falling on their own country?
I thought their 30mm and some 20mm shells had self destruct features.
I was looking up the R4M rocket and see some interesting web sites on it.

The AzR2 fuse was entirely contact actuated, with a slight delay to allow the warhead to detonate inside a target.

By late 1944, Germans had everything you could imagine falling from the sky: bombs, bullets, aircraft (whole and parts), bodies and more. So it seems that unspent rockets weren't much of a concern.

 

[Maxrobot1]

Sometimes I wonder how many spent shell casings or fragments of shells were found in rain gutters during and well after the war.

 

[special ed]

Finding empty .50 caliber shells in fresh gravel was a fun thing for me. On occasion a spent round was found, which could be pressed into an empty shell & polished for an impressive bookshelf ornament. Years later when I began reloading, I realised these old empty .50 cases were reloaded at least once from the primer. Gunnery practice used reloads!

 

[GrauGeist]

Sometimes I wonder how many spent shell casings or fragments of shells were found in rain gutters during and well after the war.

We had a thread, years ago, that discussed casualties from falling ordnance and debris.

In my earlier post, I forgot to mention falling shrapnel from AA barrages, which was a considerable danger, too.