Fritz X

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Fritz X

side view
Type anti-ship missile / guided bomb
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
In service 1943 - 1944
Used by Nazi Germany (Luftwaffe)
Wars World War II
Production history
Designer Max Kramer
Manufacturer Ruhrstahl
Specifications
Weight 1,362 kg (3,000 lb)
Length 3.32 m (11 ft)
Width 1.40 m (5 ft)
Diameter 85.3 cm (2 ft 8 in)
Warhead amatol explosive, armour-piercing
Warhead weight 320 kg (705 lb)
Operational
range		 5 km (3 miles)
Speed 343 m/s (1,235 km/h or 770 mph)
Guidance
system		 Kehl-Strassburg FuG 203/230; MCLOS
Another angle of the Fritz X also known as Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X
Another angle of the Fritz X also known as Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X

Fritz X was the most common name for a German air-launched anti-ship missile, used during World War II. Fritz X was an allied code-name; alternate names include Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, X-1, PC 1400X or FX 1400. The latter is also the origin for the name "Fritz X". Along with the USAAF's similar Azon weapon of the same period in World War II, it is one of the precursors of today's anti-ship missiles and precision-guided weapons.

Contents

[edit] History

The Fritz X was a further development of the high-explosive bomb SD 1400 (Splitterbombe, dickwandig, 1400; German for "fragmention bomb, thick-walled, 1400 kg"). It was given a more aerodynamic nose, four stub wings, and a box shaped tail unit. The missile was steered by radio from the aircraft (a Heinkel He 111, He 177, or Dornier Do 217 bomber). The crewman who guided the bomb had to be able to see the target at all times, and the bomb had a flare in the tail so it could be seen from the controlling aircraft. The disadvantage with this - in comparison to glide bombs like the Henschel Hs 293 or VB-6 Felix - was the aircraft had to be flown over the target. Unlike the Hs 293, Fritz X was intended to be used against armoured ships. The minimum release height was 4,000 m (12,000 ft).

The Luftwaffe recognized the difficulty of hitting moving ships during the Spanish Civil War.[1] Dipl. engineer Max Kramer, who worked at the DVL, had been experimenting since 1938 with remote-controlled free-falling 250 kg bombs, and in 1939 fitted radio-controlled spoilers.[2] In 1940, Ruhrstahl was invited to join the development, since they already had experience in the development and production of unguided bombs.

[edit] Combat service

Fritz X was deployed on 29 August 1943. On 9 September, the Luftwaffe achieved their greatest success with the weapon. After the Italian armistice with the Allies, the Italian fleet had steamed out from La Spezia and headed to Malta. To prevent the ships from falling into Allied hands, 12 Dornier Do 217s from the III. Gruppe of KG100 (III/KG100) took off, each carrying a single Fritz X. The Italian battleship Roma, flagship of the Italian fleet, received several hits and sank after her ammunition magazines exploded. 1,352 men, including Admiral Carlo Bergamini, died. Her sister ship Italia was also damaged.

One week later, the Germans scored another three hits with Fritz X on the British battleship Warspite at Salerno. One bomb penetrated six decks before exploding against the bottom of the ship, blowing a large hole in her. The ship took on a total of 5,000 tonnes of water, lost steam (and thus all power, both to the ship herself and to all her systems) but casualties were few. She had to be taken in tow to Malta and then returned to Britain via Gibraltar and was out of action for near 9 months; she was never completely repaired, but returned to action to bombard Normandy in the invasion of Europe.

The control system used for the Fritz-X, known as Kehl-Strassburg (and also used by the Hs 293 missile), was susceptible to electronic countermeasures - either straightforward jamming, which blocked the control signals from the bomber, or spoofing, in which the missile was given a signal sending it out of control, into a stall or spiralling dive. By the time of Normandy landings, a combination of Allied fighters, to keep bombers at bay, and ship-mounted jammers meant the missiles had no significant effect on the invasion fleet. Some accounts say the Norwegian destroyer Svenner was hit by a Fritz X at dawn on D-Day. This is highly unlikely as III./KG 100, the unit which carried the Fritz-X into combat, had migrated to the Hs 293 missile by that time for its anti-ship missions.

When working properly, the missile was able to pierce 130 mm (5.1 in)[3] of armor.

Other ships damaged by Fritz X included:

The Fritz-X is often incorrectly listed as having been responsible for the loss of the hospital ship HMHS Newfoundland at Salerno as well as the destroyer HMS Janus and the light cruiser HMS Spartan at Anzio. However, these ships were hit by Hs 293 missiles, as is clearly demonstrated by a careful analysis of Luftwaffe records regarding the deployment of III./KG 100[4], the nature of the damage inflicted[5], as well as reports from witnesses.[6] (In the case of HMS Janus, either a Hs 293 or a conventional torpedo was responsible.)

The closest Allied equivalent to Fritz X was Azon.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. "Fritz-X", in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 10, p.1037.
  2. ^ Fitzsimons, "Fritz-X", p.1037.
  3. ^ Fitzsimons, "Fritz-X", p.1037.
  4. ^ RL 10/493: Tätigkeitsbericht über Einsatzperiode das K.G. 100 mit F.K. in der Zeit von 12.7.43 - 30.4.44. [Activity Report of Missions of KG 100 with Guided Weapons in the Period from 12.07.43 to 30.04.44.]
  5. ^ DNC 6/R.322: "Report by the Admiralty Department of Naval Construction: Board of Enquiry 9th February 1944 in Naples." This is the offical report into the loss of HMS Spartan. This report clearly identifies the Hs 293 as the weapon used, and the nature of the destruction described in detail is fully consistent with an Hs 293 and inconsistent with the Fritz-X
  6. ^ See for example Captain John Eric Wilson's first-hand account as presented in “Sinking of the Hospital Ship SS Newfoundland’, Newfoundland Times, September 1994, pp 9-15. The Newfoundland Times is the semi-annual publication of the HMS Newfoundland Association, formed by veterans of the cruiser (not hospital ship) HMS Newfoundland.

[edit] External links


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