Among the strangest was theBachem Ba 349 Natter.
A captured Bachem Ba 349 Natter at an airfield.
Surface-to-air missiles showed promise in countering the Allied bombing offensive, leading to a variety of experimental projects.
However, persistent issues with guidance and homing systems prevented any from reaching operational use.
However, the government dismissed the design as impractical, and it never advanced beyond the conceptual stage.
Bachem envisioned launching swarms of Natters against incoming bomber formations.
A Bachem Ba 349 Natter just clears the launch tower.
However, Bachem found an influential supporter in Heinrich Himmler, who pressured the RLM into approving the project.
The ministry ultimately ordered 50 aircraft, while Himmlers SS placed an additional order for 150.
Bachem’s design was simple and easy to produce.
The wings were plain, rectangular wooden slabs without ailerons or flaps.
Even the cockpit was stripped down and contained only minimal instrumentation.
The pilot would then steer the Natter toward its target and fire a salvo of rockets.
A captured Ba 349A-1 Natter on display at Freeman Field, Indiana, September 1945.
The original design didnt include the swastikas and were added later for the exhibition.
A Heinkel He 111 bomber carried it to 18,000 feet before releasing it.
Over the following months, ten more successful launches followed.
But the Walter rocket motor burst into flames when the fuselage hit the ground.
Lothar Sieber climbs into a Bachem Ba 349 Natter prototype on 1 March 1945.
Photo credit:Wikimedia Commons
Lothar Sieber (left) discusses with Erich Bachem before his fatal flight.
Trouble began almost immediately.
Seiber either broke his neck or was rendered unconscious.
The Natter continued to climb with an incapacitated pilot at the controls and disappeared into the clouds.
The aircraft then nosedived and crashed into the ground.
The entire flight lasted just 32 seconds.
The Bachem Ba 349 Natter taking Lothar Sieber rises into the sky on 1 March 1945.
American troops captured four, and the Red Army seized one.
Today, only two Natters are known to survive.
The fate of the other captured Natters remains unknown.
A preserved Bachem Ba 349 Natter launch pad in the Hasenholz woods.
Notable examples include the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier and the Soviet Yak-38.
A Bachem Ba 349 Natter at the National Air and Space Museum.
