Focke-Wulf Projekt Kamikaze Carrier

History of the Kamikaze of Project Focke-Wulf

During a brief moment in the history of World War II (1939-1945), some members of the German hierarchy faced the prospect of a suicide kamikaze attack on strategic Allied targets. This idea was further reinforced as Germany began to lose positions in the Allied offensive and reduced its air initiative due to relentless Allied bombardment day and night.

Combined with despair over the Japanese's successful use of suicide bombings on Allied naval targets, the idea of ??German suicide fighters deserved serious consideration.

In January 1944, members of the German Academy of Aeronautics jointly studied the possibility of such a weapon and agreed that they should urge the Luftwaffe to support such an attack. The sacrifice of a lone German pilot's life in action was seen as a very effective measure of disruption to the Allied forces - some in the German leadership wanted to demand a favorable surrender at this point in the war.

If a bridge, depot or fuel depot could be destroyed at the expense of aircraft and their pilots, while preventing a handful of bombers from getting proper supplies, the German kamikaze concept was considered feasible. However, the idea of ??self-sacrifice for the common good is not a fundamental idea in Western thought, as in places like Japan where honor and loyalty to the emperor are above all else.

Giving up one's own life in this way requires a pilot with a certain amount of courage.

The six engines will be Daimler-Benz DB 603N type, 12-cylinder development, each producing 1,900 hp. The engine was already shared by various other German fighter jets in the conflict, including Focke-Wulf's own Ta 152 high-altitude fighter, so it proved to be a proven asset.

Performance estimates for the Fw Kamikaze Carrier include a top speed of 348 mph - certainly not fast enough to avoid an intercept, but this was offset to some extent when changing tactics to avoid hitting the carrier with a jet (Ar 234B), including two miles target area. The kamikaze fighters have now been released, they have promised to escort their jets with them, and airlines are now free to return home to resupply.

From the looks of it, this large aircraft could not only be used to support kamikaze raids, it could also easily act as a heavy transport when serving front-line troops. Its high-wing design will also encourage short landings, and its landing gear can land on rough surfaces.

Portability will be a key quality of the series.

As expected, the German kamikaze program failed at the end of the war. All the intended design goals of the project were undoubtedly successful, and the wartime situation in Germany has only derailed the development of many aircraft over the past few weeks.

The concept was never fully reliable or tested, and nothing worked beyond the drawing board until it was over. The idea that the German pilot could even survive the rescue was a recurring problem, and the materials needed to make this expensive project a success were few and far between.

This makes Focke-Wulf's "Kamikaze" just one of many German wartime "paper airplane" projects that simply weren't supposed to be.

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