Messerschmitt Me P.1101

History

The Messerschmitt Me P. 1101 was a single-seat, single-engine, swept-wing fighter developed for the Luftwaffe during the last years of World War II. The aircraft is the first to have variable-sweep wings that can be manually changed before flight when the aircraft is on the ground. Although the first prototype was nearing completion, the P.1101 program was halted when U.S. ground forces arrived to secure the Messerschmitt facility. From there, the captured P. 1101 went through an evaluation period that fostered the next generation of jets for countries other than home.

If the P. 1101 were to be completed in time, it can only be imagined how the aircraft would have responded to even the latest propeller-driven Allied fighters and bombers at the time.

Background

While all the major powers involved in World War II pursued jet technology in some form, it was the Germans and the British who remained at the forefront of the new frontier. The Germans lost more in this game, as their war was now a purely defensive engagement, with Allied bombardment seemingly weakening Germany's operational infrastructure every day.

The Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) all but abandoned bomber production in favor of designing and producing impressive - albeit technical - fighter jets of all makes and models. RLM is focused on building a fleet of jets never seen before in air combat.

Request is coming

On July 15, 1944, Germany followed, and the Reich Aviation Ministry presented Proposition 226/II as part of a collective initiative known as "Notjagerkampf". The specification calls for second-generation jet fighters to help defend the Third Reich.

These fighter proposals (specs changing over time) would require a top speed of 621 mph at altitude, nearly 46,000 feet in a pressurized cockpit, adequate armor protection for the pilot, and at least 4 times as many weapons MK 108 Shock Cannon. Power is concentrated in a Heinkel-Hirth He S 011 series turbojet engine with an internal fuel capacity of 264 gallons and a flight time of at least half an hour.

page 1101

On July 24, 1944, the Messerschmitt Company began work to meet the RLM's requirements (and thus secure a potentially lucrative production contract). Messerschmitt engineer Hans Hornung began developing a design called the "P. 1101", a robust single-engine jet fighter with a "V" tail configuration, fully retractable tricycle landing gear, The swept wings and split flanks are fitted with circular fin air intakes. The cockpit is located at the very front of the teardrop fuselage and is designed to provide good overhead visibility from the three-piece canopy. The leading edge of the wing is set at two different sweep angles (40 degrees inside and 26 degrees outside), while the trailing edge features a sweep that is consistent with the flap arrangement.

The wings are attached centrally to the sides of the elliptical fuselage, tapering towards the rear. The rear has an angled "V" wing. The engine will exhaust at the bottom of the tail, which is mounted about 3/4 of the way below the bottom of the fuselage. Armament is a pair of MK 108 series 30mm cannons mounted on either side of the front of the hull.

Arranged to carry a bomb in the middle of the fuselage, the bomb was placed in a semi-sunken casing.

Second Self p. 1101

On August 30, 1944, the second P. 1101 design appeared on paper. This particular approach is quite dart-like in appearance, with a sharp nose and cone arrangement in front of the two-piece hood system. The cockpit is positioned further aft, but still relatively forward in the overall design. The fuselage again tapers into an extended cantilever to which the V-tail is attached.

As with the previous design, the powerplant was located at the bottom of the fuselage and was depleted at the bottom of the tail. The engine draws air through a pair of circular air intakes mounted on either side of the cockpit.

The wings are swept back in the same and essentially the same way as the wings in the forward compartment of the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter-bomber. The proposed weapon should be centered around a pair of 30mm MK 108 series guns, or - this may be a little optimistic - a pair of 55mm MK 112 series guns.

Again it was arranged to carry a bomb under the hull.

Completed page 1101 version

To advance the project, it is proposed to build an airworthy prototype in parallel with data collection and evaluation tests. Because of this, work began in late 1944 to integrate a new P.1101 design approach, combining data collected so far for the project and using all available components from other existing aircraft.

The new aircraft, designed by Willie Messerschmidt himself, will feature the unique ability to manually adjust wing sweep during ground cruise. This arrangement would allow wing configurations to be tested at 35- and 45-degree sweeps as neededa precursor to variable-wing sweep fighters decades later.

The work was carried out at the Messerschmitt plant in Oberammergau, in the mountains of southern Germany. The target date for the first flight was set sometime in June 1945.

The final design form of the P. 1101 produced a relatively advanced turbojet-powered fighter. The single-seat platform had a nose air intake for the engine, which was located in the lower part of the fuselage. As with the previous P. 1101 design, the engine was exhausted at the stern under the fin tail. The bottom of the tail is covered with steel plates to protect the fuselage from thermal jet exhaust.

However, unlike the previous P. 1101 product, the new P. 1101 design uses a more traditional tail system, with a vertical tail and a pair of applicable horizontal planes ("V" and "Tee" . "Aft configuration is also in progress.) All aft surfaces are constructed of wood. The fuselage is strong and deep, providing adequate clearance for intake ducts, engine compartment, radios, cockpit pressure system and internal fuel storage.

Made of duralumin.

The design of the P. 1101 was such that the first prototype would use the Junkers Jumo 004B jet engine, but changes could be made to the more powerful Heinkel He S 011 turbojet at a later date. The plywood-covered wings are shoulder-mounted components on either side of the elongated fuselage, taken directly from the Messerschmitt Me 262 design. At this point, the new wing can have three sweep angles of 30, 40 and 45 degrees as required. The landing gear, in turn, was a tricycle arrangement consisting of a steerable single-wheel nose landing gear strut and a pair of single-wheel main landing gear struts attached to the same retractor on the fuselage. The main landing gear is a modification of the Messerschmitt BF 109K fighter model.

Prototypes are not ready to be armed for the time being, although discussions range from a pair of 30mm MK-108 cannons or a set of four 30mm MK-108 cannons for production form. Pilot armor is also expected to be used in final production models, but not in prototypes. Additionally, as a sign of the coming future, four wire-based X-4 air-to-air missiles are envisaged affixed under the wings (two per wing).

In typical Messerschmitt fashion, the three-piece canopy opens on the starboard side of the aircraft.

Expected specs for the V1 prototype are as follows: a top speed of 534 miles per hour, a top speed of 32,808 feet per hour, and a rate of climb of 39 feet per second. Estimated empty weight is 4,815 pounds, takeoff weight is a whopping 7,066 pounds, and internal fuel accounts for 1,830 pounds.

One might suspect that the production P. 1101 (based on this prototype) would have improved performance specs, including a top speed of 612 mph and a service ceiling of 39,370 feet and a rate of climb of 73 feet per second. The range is 932 miles.

At least on paper, the P. 1101's third vision would be a formidable opponent for Allied bombers and fighters.

Program ends abruptly

While the Messerschmitt plan was advancing as best it could, the inevitable delays caused by the relentless Allied bombing campaign soon began to take its toll on the Oberammergau facility. Allied ground forces achieved time and again success, capturing most of the previously occupied German territory.

Their line of operations eventually brought them near the Oberammergau plant, where the Messerschmitt team began to make future plans for the fate of their P. 1101.

It should be noted at this point that, despite devastating Allied bombing raids throughout Germany, the Oberammergau facility was still unknown to Allied war planners. As a result, the facility operated without the interruptions inherent in continuous operations during successive air strikes. While most other installations across Germany came under attack from Allied bombers, Messerschmitt's base in the Bavarian mountains was allowed to move relatively unhindered.

At least the supply of parts needed to survive the P.1101 delayed the project, but the Oberammergau plant was never hit by Allied bombs. In fact, when the Allies stumbled across the Messerschmitt Oberammergau ruins during their final months at the European Theater, they took them by surprise.

Oberammergau Plant Case

Messerschmitt employees collected documents related to the development of the P. 1101 when U.S. ground forces moved in. This includes collected data as well as schematics. The information was microfilmed and hidden in nearby villages in the area, while P. 1101 was hidden in a nearby tunnel.

The area soon fell into the hands of U.S. ground forces on April 29, 1945, leading to the discovery and subsequent capture of the P. 1101 airframe. The prototype was not yet airworthy, although about 80 percent of the plane was completed at the time.

After days of Americans searching and obtaining more company documents at the facility, Messerschmitt employees quickly revealed the existence of microfilm data to Americans. However, French ground forces have entered the area and found valuable data, which they will inevitably send back to France for further evaluation.

Later, American researchers came to Oberammergau to study the existing P. 1101 V1 prototype up close.

French say "no"

Despite the joint efforts of Bell Aircraft's Robert Woods (member of the US assessment team) and Messerschmitt chief designer Waldemar Voigt to complete the P.1101 V1 as planned, what is now lacking The data proved insurmountable in the hands of the French. For whatever reason, the French are not interested in sharing their newly won trophy. One might think that, given the German invasion of France a few years ago, the French authorities were not in the mood to listen to what the Germans had to say.

So the Americans were left with the incomplete P. 1101 fuselage and other stuff. P. 1101 was examined "as is" and its remains were eventually sent to the United States for further examination.

Bell plane kicks the ball in the rim and ignites the flame

Buffalo Bell Aircraft Works is proud to acquire the P. 1101 V1 prototype, which was priced August 1948. Meanwhile, the prototype proved to be in a poor state, exposed to the elements of southern Germany and shipped to Europe. It was also victimized by brutish GIs who were keen to photograph trophies whenever possible.

In a final twist of fate, the unfinished prototype was ejected from the transport carriage, further reducing the likelihood that the airframe would one day be actually completed and flown. However, Bell Aircraft took a closer look at P. 1101 and still gleaned something from the Messerschmitt experiment.

The original P. 1101 was fitted with an American Allison J35 turbojet and was equipped with a fake gun weapon. Some ground tests of the system were carried out, and more data was subsequently collected.