Guided Missiles Tested Aboad Surface Ships?

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

Were there any plans and testing of guided surface to surface missiles aboad Kriegsmarine surface ships during World War II? I'm not talking about unguided rockets. I don't think there were any mentions of having V-1s launching from surface ships. U-boats yes. Catapult ships seems likely to have been good test ships for launching long ranged surface to surface missiles. I know there is no mention yet of these plans in the German Secret Weapons lists but it's just a thought!

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

[Hoover]

Hi,

no, the only guided Surface/surface rocket was the V2, and this only were tested from Northern Germany with target North Sea in March and April 1945.

But I don´t know if tests were planned. Maybe?

Bye
Frank

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

I don't know if Kriegsmarine surface vessels would have handle the big V-2 rockets. All I heard about guided missiles and other secret weapons planned and designed for the war at sea are from U-Boats. Secret weapons planned to be used aboard German surface ships seemed to be a neglected topic.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

Are there any website articles about plans to launch guided missles from Kriegsmarine surface ships? So far I couldn't any. The Soviet Union was I think the first country to come up with guided missle armed fast boats after World War II. I'm pretty surprised that the Germans didn't think about fast boats firing guided missiles during World War II.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

[vladalex]

Hello,
My personal opinion is that because of absolute air supremacy of the Allied Force, Germany not planned nothing refered to surface ships, not technology, not new system of fire, not anything ...
Regards,
Vladalex.

[shaba]

there was at least two projects to put missiles on ships late in the war but both where anti aircraft missisles.
one was for u-boats the other was for surface ships nussknacker was for submarines the other whos name i can not remember was for surface ships . here is nussnacker http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=5389[urlhttp://up-ship.com/blog/?p=5389][/url]

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your reply. I sort of knew that there were more plans of surface-to-air guided missiles that were plan to be launched from German sea-going vessels than surface-to-surface ones. The MF5 Nussnacker was little known indeed.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Hsiao

[thaddeus_c]

obvious with chaos of 1944-45 not many projects were feasible but wonder if 1943? the V-1 available if it could be fired from E-boat? IIRC they DID at least make a test shot from U-boat? certainly would have scrambled the hunt for launch sites.

the follow-on version of V-1 (F-1) cut the payload and weight and had a (projected) range of 300 miles.

my question is though what ships would have been feasible for V-1 launches?

[mescal]

my question is though what ships would have been feasible for V-1 launches?

(very) big ones.
Because the standard V1 were not the most precise weapons by far, and by launching them from a ship, the initial orientation of the launcher moves with pitch and roll (the stabilisation of ships did not work well by that time).

Meaning that, in everything but the biggest ship in the calmest sea, you will get errors at the end of the V1 run in dozen of miles.
Therefore you will mainly randomly dump explosives somewhere in England.

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Thank you for your replies. The possiblities of launching guided missiles from Kriegsmarine surfaces warships are little known even today.

Edward L. Hsiao