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Bachem Ba-349 Natter

Bachem Ba-349 Natter

The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a World War II German point-defence rocket-powered interceptor, which was to be used in a very similar way to a manned surface-to-air missile. The design team at Bachem-Werke GmbH for the Bachem Ba 349 Natter was led by Dipl Ing Erich Bachem, formerly technical director at Fieseler-Werke. The Ba 349 was designed as an inexpensive, semi-expendable, rocket-powered interceptor to deal with the waves of allied bombers bombing Germany late in World War II. The Ba 349 was built using glued and nailed wooden parts with an armor-plated bulkhead and bulletproof glass windshield at the front of the cockpit. The aircraft was launched vertically and most of the flight to the Allied bombers was to be controlled by an autopilot. The primary role of the relatively untrained pilot was to aim the aircraft at its target bomber and fire its armament of rockets. The pilot and the fuselage containing the rocket motor would then land using separate parachutes while the nose section was disposable. The Ba 349 was tested in early 1945. However, it never saw operational use due to Allied advances.

Initial test flights were undertaken by an unpowered glider prototype. Once these proved the stability of the aircraft, powered flights from a launch tower were undertaken. The first successful launch took place on 22 December 1944, followed by seven more. The last of these with the M22 prototype contained a dummy pilot. After being launched and reaching altitude, the aircraft separated, the dummy landed with its own parachute and the rocket motor descended with its own salvage parachute. Unfortunately there was still some propellant in the rocket engine and it exploded on impact.

The first and only manned vertical take-off flight of the Bachem Ba-349 Natter then took place on 1 March 1945 and ended in the death of the test pilot, Lothar Sieber. Investigations indicated that under the G forces caused by the launch, the control column was involuntarily pulled back, causing the Natter to become inverted at 15 degrees. At this point the canopy fell off causing the pilot’s head to strike the solid wooden rear upper cockpit bulkhead, and either knocking Sieber unconscious or breaking his neck.

A total of 36 test and operational aircraft constructed at the Bachem-Werk, with production A-1 models ready for deployment. The planned operational site at Hasenholz, south of the Stuttgart to Munich autobahn was abandoned with the approach of the US 10th Armored Division. Subsequently four Ba 349 Natters were captured by US forces at Sankt Leonhard im Pitztal, Austria.

Photographs of the Bachem Ba-349

Construction of the Bachem Ba-349

Natter under construction — Natters under construction

Bachem Ba-349 Glider Prototype

Armament of the Bachem Ba-349

The Natter's nose-mounted cellular launch tubes — The Natter’s nose-mounted cellular launch tubes

Launch Tower

Launching of the Bachem Ba-349

Unmanned Bachem Ba 349 Natter M17 being launched

Unmanned Bachem Ba 349 Natter being launched — Unmanned Bachem Ba 349 Natter M17 being launched

Bachem Ba-349 M23 Launch With a Pilot

Lothar Sieber speaking with Erich Bachem before boarding M23

Bachem Ba 349 Natter M23 on the launch tower — Lothar Sieber speaking with Erich Bachem before boarding M23

Captured Bachem Ba-349s

Captured Bachem Ba 349 Natter at Sankt Leonhard im Pitztal

Dornier Do 215 in Soviet Service

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Dornier Do 215 in Soviet Service

The Soviet Union purchased two Dornier Do 215 B-3 long range reconnaissance aircraft for evaluation. Originally ordered as Do 215B-2s by the Luftwaffe, which had cancelled its order in favour of the Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 177, they were redesignated Do 215B-3s. They were not equipped with either defensive armament of cameras when delivered.

Dornier Do 215 in Luftwaffe Service

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Dornier Do 215 in Luftwaffe Service

The Dornier Do 215 was designed as an export version of the successful Do 17 bomber. Three prototypes were built: The V1 was essentially the same as the Do 17Z ans ws powered by Bramo 323 Fafnir radial engines; The V2 was powered by Gnome-Rhône 14-NO radial engines, while the V3 was powered by Daimler-Benz DB 601 Ba inline engines. With the more powerful engines, the V3 was faster and attracted interest from Sweden, who ordered 18 aircraft.

Due to deteriorating international conditions leading up the Second World War, Germany embargoed the Swedish aircraft and they were used by the Luftwaffe, where they were designated Do 215 B-1.

Official figures indicate that 105 Do 215s were produced between 1939 and 1941 by Dornier. The last machines were retired in late 1944.

Click on the links below to go see photos of the different variants used by the Luftwaffe.

Dornier Do 215 B-1
- Renamed remaining 15 aircraft of A-1 version operated by Luftwaffe.
Dornier Do 215 B-2
- Rebuilt with sliding cover under bomb bay and equipped with three Rb 50/30 cameras in bomb bay used for reconnaissance missions.
Dornier Do 215 B-3
- Two aircraft similar to B-2 sold to Soviet Union.
Dornier Do 215 B-4
- Improved reconnaissance version developed from B-2 version and equipped with Rb 20/30 & Rb 50/30 cameras.
Dornier Do 215 B-5
- Night fighter version called Kauz III. 20 aircraft converted from B-1 and B-4 versions with Do 17 Z-10 “Kauz II” nose-equipped with IR searchlight for the Spanner infrared detection system. Do 215 B-5s were armed with four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns grouped above the IR light and two 20 mm MG FF cannon in the lower nose. The Spanner system proved to be useless and the Lichtenstein 202 B/C radar was installed on some aircraft starting from the middle of 1942.
Unidentified