Aircraft that should have been built
http://mitglied.lycos.de/lastdingo/c714.htm
Some of the best:
Avions Marcel Bloch M.B.157
It reached the fantastic speed of 710km/h (443mph!) under german control in 1942
It could have flown already in 1940!
Henschel Hs127
The German Mosquito
Maiden flight in 1937 or 1938.
The german air force cancelled the best reconnaissance plane and high-speed bomber of the years 1938-1941
North American XB-28 "Dragon"
Data: Two turbosupercharged 2028PS (1840PS at 7620m) R-2800-11 Double Wasp radials, 599km/h at 7620m, 10000m service ceiling,
3283km range with 2724kg bombload at 7620m altitude with 410km/h cruise speed, 11611-16888kg, 23.4m wingspan, 18.07m length, 60.84m2
wing area, crew of five, 2724kg maximum internal bombload, 3x2 remotely controlled 12.7mm M2 MG, 3 fixed 12.7mm M2 MG firing forward.
Compare this to the B-17G data: crew of nine or ten necessary, 16391-29710kg, same range and bombload with ONLY 293km/h cruise speed!
Junkers Ju288A
The top Speed of a Spitfire IX was just around 11km/h higher than that of a Ju288A with already released bombload, and the combination of
relatively short penetration until hitting a british target (compared to attack on germany) and the extremely high cruise speed (probably 500km/h
with two 1.000kg guided bombs) would have reduced the time from first echo on british CH radar until release of bombs down to half an hour!
The R4/M Orkan wonder weapon, 1945
It was tested on Me262A-1a by the infamous elite unit JV44 and contributed a lot to the fame of the JV44 and the Me262A-1a.
Around 60 Me262A-1a recieved each 14 R4M under each outer wing, and the Mk108 gunsight was used for this weapon, too, because of the similar ballistics. In just one sortie, 25 B-17G were killed without losses with the R4M (out of 425). But "conventional" fighters like the Fw190 had also stunning success with this weapon; a group of 24 Fw190 killed without losses 40! B-17G during a strong bomber raid in april, 1945.
Against jet planes were faster rockets necessary than this, but it was in WW2 such a potent bomber-killer that I have to say:
4- and 6-engine-bombers were´nt able to survive against a state-of-the art defense in 1940-1945.
This simple small rocket would have killed all such bombers with ease, even advanced designs like the B-29, Ta400, He177...
The irritating fact is just that it didn´t happen.
Well, after WW2, unguided rockets became the main anti-bomber weapon of US fighters. Some of these fighters didn´t use any
other weapons than HVAR rockets (Lockheed F-94 Starfire, for example).
Invented in 1942, 1943 or early 1944, the R4M would have stopped the 8th Air Force daylight bombing campaign with 100% probability!
http://mitglied.lycos.de/lastdingo/c714.htm
Some of the best:
Avions Marcel Bloch M.B.157
It reached the fantastic speed of 710km/h (443mph!) under german control in 1942
It could have flown already in 1940!
Henschel Hs127
The German Mosquito
Maiden flight in 1937 or 1938.
The german air force cancelled the best reconnaissance plane and high-speed bomber of the years 1938-1941
North American XB-28 "Dragon"
Data: Two turbosupercharged 2028PS (1840PS at 7620m) R-2800-11 Double Wasp radials, 599km/h at 7620m, 10000m service ceiling,
3283km range with 2724kg bombload at 7620m altitude with 410km/h cruise speed, 11611-16888kg, 23.4m wingspan, 18.07m length, 60.84m2
wing area, crew of five, 2724kg maximum internal bombload, 3x2 remotely controlled 12.7mm M2 MG, 3 fixed 12.7mm M2 MG firing forward.
Compare this to the B-17G data: crew of nine or ten necessary, 16391-29710kg, same range and bombload with ONLY 293km/h cruise speed!
Junkers Ju288A
The top Speed of a Spitfire IX was just around 11km/h higher than that of a Ju288A with already released bombload, and the combination of
relatively short penetration until hitting a british target (compared to attack on germany) and the extremely high cruise speed (probably 500km/h
with two 1.000kg guided bombs) would have reduced the time from first echo on british CH radar until release of bombs down to half an hour!
The R4/M Orkan wonder weapon, 1945
It was tested on Me262A-1a by the infamous elite unit JV44 and contributed a lot to the fame of the JV44 and the Me262A-1a.
Around 60 Me262A-1a recieved each 14 R4M under each outer wing, and the Mk108 gunsight was used for this weapon, too, because of the similar ballistics. In just one sortie, 25 B-17G were killed without losses with the R4M (out of 425). But "conventional" fighters like the Fw190 had also stunning success with this weapon; a group of 24 Fw190 killed without losses 40! B-17G during a strong bomber raid in april, 1945.
Against jet planes were faster rockets necessary than this, but it was in WW2 such a potent bomber-killer that I have to say:
4- and 6-engine-bombers were´nt able to survive against a state-of-the art defense in 1940-1945.
This simple small rocket would have killed all such bombers with ease, even advanced designs like the B-29, Ta400, He177...
The irritating fact is just that it didn´t happen.
Well, after WW2, unguided rockets became the main anti-bomber weapon of US fighters. Some of these fighters didn´t use any
other weapons than HVAR rockets (Lockheed F-94 Starfire, for example).
Invented in 1942, 1943 or early 1944, the R4M would have stopped the 8th Air Force daylight bombing campaign with 100% probability!
