Potential and causes of failure: anti-aircraft missile Wasserfall (Germany)
Test launch of the Wasserfall rocket, September 1944. Photo of the Bundesarchiv of Germany
During the Second World War, Nazi Germany tried to develop advanced anti-aircraft missile systems. At the same time, several similar projects were created with different features and capabilities. So, a few months before the end of the war, they managed to test the new Wasserfall missile. Despite high marks and hopes, this development had a number of serious shortcomings and dubious prospects.
Short story
Work on the future project Wasserfall ("Waterfall") began in 1941 at the initiative of Walter Dornberger, one of the leaders of the rocket research center at the Peenemünde test site. It was proposed to create a liquid-propellant rocket with radio command control, capable of hitting enemy bombers in service. According to forecasts of that time, already in 1944 Germany could receive missile defense of key cities and regions.
The preliminary study of the project continued until the autumn of 1942, when the technical requirements for the new air defense system were released. By this time, the main design features, the composition of the units, the principles of operation, etc. had been determined. Based on these ideas, the rocket itself and auxiliary units were developed. In the spring of 1943, the first laboratory tests began.
However, the project faced serious difficulties. There was no workable control system, the development of some other systems was required. With all this, the project was hampered by a lack of resources and constant competition, and the missile center and related organizations were regularly subjected to Allied airstrikes.
The layout of the rocket version W-5. Luft46 graphics
As part of the Waterfall project, three variants of the rocket were successively developed under the designations W-1, W-5 and W-10. The tests used products of all three versions. The last modification was supposed to go into the series and go into service.
Flight tests of experimental missiles could only be started in the summer of 1944. The development of the propulsion system and other systems was delayed. Thus, the first supersonic flight was carried out only in February 1945. At the same time, work continued on the control system, which was planned to be tested on a rocket in the near future.
As part of flight tests, according to various sources, 35-40 launches were performed. Full-fledged tests with guidance and defeat of a real target were not carried out. However, the simplified launch program showed the need for improvements. No more than 15 starts were recognized as successful.
Nevertheless, in the spring of 1945, the project developers and the military-political leadership of the Third Reich highly appreciated the new missile and made optimistic plans. Over the next few months, they planned to begin production of a new air defense system, and then put it on duty. Naturally, these plans were not carried out. All materials for the project, manufactured samples and infrastructure went to the Allies.
Diagram of the W-5/10 missile from a US report. United States Air Force graphics
Technical features
When developing the Wasserfall rocket, they took the design of the ballistic A-4 (V-2) as a basis. The hull was halved and built on the basis of load-bearing tanks. At the same time, the original contours and a pair of sets of planes on the outer surface were preserved. In addition, the same layout solutions were used. As the project developed, the design changed slightly.
The rocket received a specially designed single-chamber liquid-fuel engine. The so-called was used as fuel. vizol from the group of fuels on a vinyl base. The use of liquid oxygen was abandoned. Instead, red fuming nitric acid was chosen as the oxidizing agent. Such components could be stored in tanks for a sufficient time without the risk of leakage and damage to the structure. On board there were 450 kg of fuel and 1500 kg of oxidizer, which should have been enough for 42 hours of engine operation.
A high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 235 kg was placed in the head compartment, which included charges of solid and liquid explosives. Undermining was carried out by a radio-controlled fuse. In the future, it was planned to develop and implement an autonomous proximity fuse. It was assumed that such combat equipment would allow hitting several bombers, or at least compensate for a miss.
For the "Waterfall" several options for the control system were developed, and in the end they chose one of the simplest ones. The missile used radio command control. On board there were a command receiver and the simplest actuators. Flight control was carried out using gas (at low speeds) or aerodynamic rudders.
Schematic diagram of the Wasserfall complex in position. Luft46 graphics
The late W-10 rocket had a length of 6,13 m with a body diameter of 720 mm and a stabilizer span of 1,6 m. The mass of the product reached 3,5 tons. The design speed was more than 790 m / s. Range - 20-25 km, target engagement height - up to 18 km.
The ground part of the air defense system included a launcher and auxiliary equipment, two radars, an operator console, a command transmission radio station, etc. A curious method of control and guidance was proposed, based on already known ideas. Two radars were supposed to simultaneously track the target and the missile. Labels from them were displayed on the general screen. The operator, using a joystick, had to combine two marks, bringing the rocket to the line of sight. The computing equipment converted the movements of the control element into commands for the rocket. The operator was also responsible for undermining the warhead.
Objective assessment
All materials on the Waterfall project in the spring of 1945 went to the winners. Soviet and American specialists carefully studied this development and even conducted their own tests. They used both captured rockets and products assembled independently according to German documentation. All this made it possible to determine the real possibilities and potential of the German rocket.
Based on the results of the study, only solutions in the field of engine and fuel system received high marks. Unlike other liquid propellant rockets of the time, the Wasserfall could remain fueled for some time without any risk. The selected fuel components and engine design were of interest for study.
US missile testing, 1946. US Air Force photo
Attention was drawn to the calculated flight characteristics of the rocket. A range of up to 25 km and an altitude of 18 km made it possible to fight against any aircraft of that time. In this regard, the Wasserfall project was ahead of all other developments of that time.
Otherwise, the German rocket could not surprise foreign experts in any way. In addition, the characteristic shortcomings of both the ammunition and the ground facilities of the complex were quickly found. The main problem of the entire project was the chosen method of target tracking and missile control.
Two radar stations and a command transmission station, due to technical imperfections, were subject to interference. If the Wasserfall air defense system had reached combat duty, jamming stations would have appeared on the Allied bombers. With their help, pilots could disrupt the detection, tracking and guidance of missiles, as well as the timely undermining of their warheads.
The Waterfall rocket and the complex as a whole were based on early technologies, which is why they were not distinguished by ease of production and operation, as well as low cost. At the same time, not all such shortcomings could be corrected by introducing new materials and solutions. In fact, it required the development of the project from scratch.
Partially disassembled Wasserfall product in one of the American museums. US Air Force photo
As a result, scientists and designers of the winning countries, having studied the captured German developments, drew conclusions and took only individual ideas and components for further development. Other developments were abandoned due to the lack of any prospects for them and the availability of more effective solutions.
Useful failure
In the last years of its existence, the Third Reich tried to simultaneously develop several promising anti-aircraft missiles at once. Five similar projects, incl. complex with a heavy rocket Wasserfall, reached flight tests. However, none of these missiles reached the series, deployment and combat duty in the troops.
A number of factors prevented the successful completion of all projects. It was the lack of required technologies and the need to create them from scratch, the overall complexity of projects, constant competition for limited resources, etc. In addition, constant air strikes on factories contributed to the deterioration of the situation, and new air defense systems were created to counter them.
As a result, all projects, including "Waterfall", turned out to be too complicated and took too much time. It was not possible to complete them before the end of the war, and the Nazi regime fell without receiving a fundamentally new air defense system. At the same time, the resources needed by other industries and areas were spent on virtually useless projects, which to some extent accelerated the collapse of the Nazis. And as a result, all the useful developments on the projects went to the winners and, to one degree or another, influenced the further development of anti-aircraft systems.
Information