Luftwaffe Mistel (Mistletoe)

History of the Luftwaffe mistletoe (mistletoe)

The Luftwaffe (1939-1945) during WWII launched many aircraft programs during the conflict - some never passed the paper or wind tunnel testing phase, while others became mature discoveries designed to keep Germany ahead total failure. In 1942, the German Glide Research Institute (DFS) developed the concept of a "composite" aircraft, in which a large UAV fuselage was loaded with explosives classified as guided bombs while being transported to a target by a compact, manned fighter jet.

The original concept involved a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter mounted atop a Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber, although theoretically any "mother" aircraft could be used as a primary carrier (including the new jets that emerged later in the war) . A composite aircraft made its first flight in July 1943, justifying the concept.

It was not until 1944 that the Luftwaffe authorities found the idea feasible and began an official program called "Mistel" ("Mistel") to develop a realistic battlefield solution. In the conversion of about 100 Ju 88 bombers, the crew and defensive weapons positions were all removed from the fuselage.

A simple net of struts was attached to the bomber's spine, to which the fighter section was added. The first prototype was a Bf 109E-4 fighter aboard a Junkers Ju 88A model series bomber.

The general idea behind the Mistletoe pair was to add an impressive war load to a simple front-line fighter. The support net is equipped with explosive bolts that are detonated when the payload approaches the target area.

Guidance comes from the mothership/carrier aircraft, and permission is at the discretion of the pilot. Once the bomb drop dropped, the fighter regained almost all of its fighter-like performance and handling qualities to protect itself.

A single bomb load can contain as much as 4,000 pounds of explosive materialenough to disable a warship, destroy a bridge, or penetrate a solid structure.

Many mistletoe derivatives have proven themselves (some realized, others only planned), including the Bf 109F-4/Ju 88A-4 combination named "Mistel 1". The Mistel S1 is designed to be their trainer platform, as such aircraft require special training to handle and dump large payloads. The "Mistel 2" was created by pairing the Fw 190A-8/F-8 fighter variant with the Ju 88G-1 bomber.

His coach is Mistel S2. Mistel 3A used Fw 190A-8 and Ju 88A-4, their trainer became Mistel S3A. "Mistel 3B" is a Fw 190A-8 with a Ju 88H-4 bomber. "Mistel 3C" is a branch consisting of Fw 190F-8 and Ju 88G-10.

The "Mist" combines the Fw 190A-8 and Ju 88A-4/H-4 bombers. "Mistel 4" will include a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, positioned above the Junkers Ju 287 jet bomber, with forward-swept wings. "Mistel 5" with a Heinkel He 162 jet fighter on an Arado E. 377A flying bomb.

Fw 190 was also proposed as a carrier for bomb-laden Ta 154 fighter jets and Arado Ar 234 "Blitz" jet bombers over Fieseler Fi 103 "Buzz Bomb". Various other forms were envisaged, but never beyond the paper stage.

The two models in service were the Bf 109F-4/Ju 88A-4 and Fw 190A-8/Ju 88A-4 combinations. The earliest use was during the Battle of Normandy (Operation Overlord) of the Normandy Beach landings on June 6, 1944. They were also used against Soviet troops on the Eastern Front, although the results were certainly mixed anyway, with German pilots claiming direct hits and target damage, although records from the opposing side state otherwise.

These exercises more or less meant that the Mistletoe project was a failure, as the project cost a lot of manpower and material resources.

The total yield of mistletoe is approximately 250 samples.

Specification

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