Did the Luftwaffe ever experiment with JATO?

[edwest]

An Me-262 variant given the designation Interzeptor I was built "with two Jumo 004 turbojets and a Walter R-II/211 rocket engine with 1,700 kp takeoff thrust. An altitude of 12,000 meters could be reached in 4.5 minutes. (On one flight, the prototype was able to reach 8,000 m in three minutes)."

Source: The History of German Aviation, Willy Messerschmitt: Pioneer of Aviation Design, by Hans J. Ebert/Johann B. Kaiser/Klaus Peters. Published by Schiffer Publishing.

I think, at this point, it would be reasonable to prepare a list of all possibilities based on the reports. The Germans were very good at disguising damage and the idea of an airfield in such an area is not out of the question. I propose the following:

1) An unmanned Me-262 fitted with a guidance system and rocket propulsion under test in actual combat conditions.
2) An unmanned Me-163 operating in the same role.
3) A missile designed to resemble, or using actual Me-262 or Me-163 airframes, filled with explosives, rocket propelled and with a guidance system.

As to the type of guidance, I suggest the Freya-Langlatte/Erstling. This was developed for use with the A-4/V-2.





Ed