Schiffer Military History-Aviation-X Planes of the Third Reich - Bachem Ba349 Natter.pdf - Military History - keziak

An Illustrated Series on Germany's

Experimental Aircraft of World War II

David Myhra

Bachem-Werke

Ba 349 "Natter"

David Myhra

Schiffer Military History

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Bachem Ba 349

The Bachem Ba 349 [BP-20] " Natter " — meaning

viper or snake—was, near war's end, one of the des-

perate attempts by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler

to somehow stop American B-17 " Flying Fortresses "

in aerial bombing Germany back to the stone age.

Dipl.-lng. Erich Bachem of Waldsee/Württemberg

(about 25 miles [40 kilometers] from Lake Constance

in southern Germany) had proposed a semi-dispos-

able flying machine carrying a battery of two dozen

Henschel Hs 217 R4M 73 mm rockets in its nose

and code-named " Anseon " to Oberst Siegfried

Knemeyer, leader of the RLM's Technical Department.

He and others laughed Bachem, with his uninvited

proposal, right out of the RLM. Bachem then sought

the assistance of General der Jagdflieger Adolf

Galland. Although supportive, his power in the RLM

was waining, having been fired as General of the Fight-

ers by Hermann Göring. Galland had been pretty much

without a job until Hitler allowed to form a fighter group

of so-called " expertern " in January 1945 flying Me 262s

and known as JV 44. Bachem's proposed " Natter "

project continued to be ignored, and instead the RLM

may have hardened their resistance because Bachem

had now sought to get it approved via nontraditional

means, that is, seeking out the General der Jagdflieger.

Now having failed twice, it was at this time that Bachem

in desperation sought an audience with perhaps the

single most feared man in the Third Reich... Reichs-

führer-SS (Schutzstaffel) Heinrich Himmler. Bachem

was invited in to see Himmler. Bachem told the

Reichsführer about his Natter and how it would be

launched vertically via a metal tower, or a 70 foot high

pole fresh-cut from a pine tree could serve, as well.

This " Natter " would be powered by a single HWK 109-

509A2 bi-fuel liquid rocket engine producing 3,307

pounds [1,500 kilograms] thrust. Four Schmidding 109-

533 solid-fuel rocket boosters giving 1,102 pounds

[500 kilograms] thrust each would provide additional

assistance during lift-off. HWK 509s were widely avail-

able since the abandonment of the Me 163. Later, said

Bachem, he'd like to try powering the " Natter " with a

BMW 003R combined turbojet engine and a bi-fuel

liquid rocket engine. Himmler listened. Bachem con-

tinued on, saying that the machine would be built en-

tirely out of wood by former wood furniture makers.

Bachem said that he had initially taken his proposal

to the RLM's Technical Director Oberst Siegfried

Knemeyer. But he and his powerful colleagues, such

as Hans Ants, Helmutt Schelp, Roluf Lucht and

Gottfried Riedenbach, laughed at him and told him to

get out. Dr.-Med. Siegfried Ruff of the DVL believed

that the 349's pilot would survive the anticipated 2.2

times gravity he'd experience at take-off. This was

based on his research at DVL. (Dr. Ruff was the same

age as Reimar Horten, and he helped him build the

Ho 1 and Ho 2 sailplanes when they were teenagers

in Bonn.) After his rejection, Bachem continued, he

went to see Adolf Galland. He liked the idea and said

he would try to get Knemeyer to change his mind, but

Galland was unsuccessful, too. Himmler bid good bye

to Bachem and that he'd hear from him in a few days.

Twenty-four hours after Erich Bachem had spoken to

Heinrich Himmler, a caller from the RLM informed him

that they had reconsidered his proposed BP-20 inter-

ceptor. He now had immediate approval to begin work

on the project with the RLM designation of Ba 349. It

was now August 1944. The project was classified as

A Ba 349A camouflaged in Light Blue upper surface with

a dense mottle of Gray-Violet 21 as seen from its port

side during horizontal flight. Scale model by Jamie

Da vies.

The Bachem-Werke Ba 349 "Natter" 3

Geheime Reichs Sache, which was a more secret

category than GeKdos meaning that only designers

and construction personnel concerned with the

weapon knew about it. This had happened about De-

cember 1944 when Oberst Dr.-lng. Haider of the Flak

Entwicklung in the RLM was fired by the Reichsfuhrung

SS. Oberst Haider had been in charge of all Flak, rock-

ets, and rocket propelled aircraft. When Haider was

fired by the SS, they took over all responsibility for

such weapons, and it was all entrusted to SS Führer

Dr.-lng. Kammler, including the "Natter" project. As of

December 1944, the RLM had no further insight into

development of the Ba 349.

by large USAAF B-17 and other bomber formations.

It was to take-off vertically, and after making its attack

was to be abandoned by the pilot, who would then

land by parachute, as would the rocket unit of the in-

terceptor. It was designed to be built entirely of wood

in small wood-working shops for rapid production.

Systems for take-off and landing were automatic, and

this would reduce pilot training to a bare minimum.

The major factors in achieving this aim were:

by Willy Fiedler, partner in the Bachem Werke, that

only 600 man-hours were required for the production

of the airframe minus the HWK 509 bi-fuel liquid rocket

unit. Manufacturing the HWK 509 was relatively simple

compared to that of a BMW 003 or Jumo 004 turbojet

engine. Other advantages Erich Bachem claimed for

his project were a substantial savings in fuel and steel,

the ability to take-off from small cleared spaces in the

woods, ease of transport, camouflage, and the ability

to reuse the fuselage and power unit. Bachem claimed

that his Ba 349 could be used as a ship-born fighter,

too, but no details are available.

(1) Utilization of vertical rocket-assisted take-off, to-

gether with separate landing of the pilot and the power

unit by parachute. In this way pilots need be taught

only to fly and shoot, and the long period spent in learn-

ing to land and take-off would be eliminated.

Description:

Officially, the Bachem Ba 349 was a HWK 509 rocket

propelled fighter-interceptor aircraft which would de-

stroy an enemy bomber with the least expenditure of

effort. It was planned for the purpose of providing a

defense for vital targets which were being attacked

Airframe

The fuselage was of simple construction, consisting

of wooden bulkheads and stringers, all covered by a

thin plywood sheeting. It was a mid-wing monoplane

of very low aspect ratio (3.33) with a fin and rudder

disposed above and below the tailplane. It was not

symmetrical, although it was intended to be flown the

right way up or inverted with equal ease. The wings

were of rectangular planform without sweep-back or

dihedral, having a symmetrical section and parallel

with the fuselage axis and 25 mm below it. The wing

contained wooden spars, ribs, plywood skin, and were

11.75 ft [3.5 meters] in span. The wing section was

NACA 0012, and they contained no ailerons. Vertical

and horizontal stabilizers, as well as rudders and el-

evators, were of all wood construction. The vertical

stabilizer extended above and below the fuselage,

while the horizontal stabilizer was mounted high on

the vertical stabilizer above the fuselage. The rudders

operated conventionally, while the elevators were fit-

ted with controls (Siemens K-12 servomotors) which

(2) The Ba 349 was built of wood without the use of

glueing presses. Parts could be made in small wood-

working shops throughout the Third Reich without in-

terfering with existing aircraft production. It was stated

A Bachem Ba 349A " Natter " seen shortly after lift-off and just before it began its

horizontal flight heading straight into an Allied bomber formation. In the 349B ver-

sion, of which only three are believed to have been built at Waldsee/Württemberg,

the 4 xSchmidding 533 booster rockets were positioned on the rear fuselage so that

their jet nozzles were parallel to the jet nozzle of the HWK 509 engine. The " B "

version carried more T and C-Stoff and thus was expected full thrust for 4 minutes

36 seconds compared to the " A " version which had a powered endurance of 2 min-

utes 23 seconds. Scale model by Jamie Davies.

4 The Bachem-Werke Ba 349 "Natter"

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