DefenceToday 44 world focus Dornier Do-217K-3 armed with Hs-293A with armed Do-217K-3 Dornier STONES MILE glidebomb. Heinkel He-111H performing a trial drop trial a performing He-111H Heinkel of the Hs-293A. the of TV guided Hs-293D. guided TV Dr CarloKopp bomb. controlled radio Corps’ VB-1 US ArmyAir andthe PC 1400Xarmourpiercingguidedbomb, theRuhrstahl Hs-293 rocketpropelledglidebomb, These newarrivalsweretheLuftwaffe’s Henschel effect. often withremarkablecombat operationally,handful ofdesignsweredeployed butoftheseonlya both intheUSandGermany experimentalorprototypedesignswerebuilt Many electronics tosteeritimpact. whichuses potential inaguidedweapon, the these farsightedresearchersappreciated and This wastheeraofvacuumtubeelectronics, PGMresearch. independently pursuedtheirown years ofthewarwhenUSandGermanresearchers pre-Worldimmediate War IIperiodandtheearly fallintothe The originsofguidedbombtechnology campaignsasfarback1943. role inmilitary - precisionguidedmunitionsplayedasignificant smartbombs that show sixdecadesofhistory Alas, novelty.was thoughttobeadevelopmentofgreat ofwhat largewithimages presenting thepublicat Glidebomb Henschel’s Hs-293 W ’s standard500 kg SC-500 was the The basicwarhead forthisweapon rocket boosterpack. using a Walter HWK-109-507B hydrogenperoxide Hs-293A-0 wasthepreproduction configuration The a rocketboostertoincreasespeed andrange. andthisledtothedecisionadd these weapons, whichwastheintendedtarget typefor warship, terminal velocitytopunchthrough theskinofa Hs-293V-3 Theunpowered lackedthe 1940. tested inmid- 293V-2/FZ21 totheHs-293V-3, concept evolvedthroughtheHs-293V-1 andHs- This SchwarzPropellerwerke. 1937 byGustav in 1939usingaglidebombconceptdevised Henschel’s developmentteamstarted first toenteradvanceddevelopment. andthe first guidedbombstobeusedincombat, Henschel’s Hs-293familyofglidebombswerethe Smart Bombs using Operations Early this combat technology,this combat introduction tothepotency of world gotitsfirstmassmedia the coalition smartbombs, underadelugeof 1991, in ‘Mother ofallBattles’ hen Saddam’s Iraqlostthe to the Mediterranean early in 1943 in an attempt to to theMediterranean earlyin1943anattempt deployed mix ofHe-111Hand Do-217Kbombers, equippedwitha ItsfourGruppeformations, front. involvementontheEastern withheavy formation, startedasbomber KG100, KG 40’s siblingunit, KG 40’s overthe wereflown operations Atlantic. Mostof Ju-88C ‘Zerstorers’ -anightintruderunit. Gruppe equipped withJunkers 177; andfinally V. replacedbyHe- later 111H andDo-217Kbombers, He- GruppeequippedwithFW-200C, IV. I.Gruppe, equippedsimilarlyto Gruppe, 177; andthethirdIII. replacedbyHe- later 111H andDo-217Kbombers, initiallyequippedwithtwin-engineHe- Gruppe, four engineHe-177Greifbombers;thesecondII. replacedwith engine He-111Hbombersandlater supplementedbytwin- aircraft, maritime patrol was Gruppe, equipped withfour-engine FW-200C Condor I. Thefirst, Gruppe formations. tofive eventuallygrowing Merignac inFrance, Bordeaux- homebasedat , Theforemostofthesewas maritime airwar. Two Luftwaffeunitsgainedprominenceinthe detectedshipping. strikes against andair armed maritimereconnaissancepatrols butalso not onlywideareamaritimesurveillance, played anincreasinglyimportantroleinproviding theLuftwaffe war, limelight inthepropaganda WhiletheU-bootfleetoccupied blockade. tocrippleBritainbymaritime attempting facing, pressuresitwas stemmed fromthestrategic The Luftwaffe’s interestinguidedbombtechnology in foranti-shippingstrikeoperations. Mediterranean andKampfGeschwader40(KG40) (KG100)inthe with operationally The Hs-293wasdeployed KTAS. andspeedsbetween 235 and486 AGL release, claims include agliderangeof11kmfor3,300ft Performance whensteeringtheweapon. operator wasusedtocuethe flare onthetailofweapon Aredcoloured (CLOS) guidancesystemeverused. had thefirstairlaunchedCommandtoLineOfSight TheHS-293 commands forthecontrolactuators. steering generating receiver inthebomb, receivedbytheFuG-230bStrassburg transmitter, steering commandsviaaFuG-203KehlIIIradio thelaunchaircraftwouldsend use, In operational transports. smallsurfacewarshipsand effect against withbest tobeamajorlimitation, shown was later Thiswarhead casing fittedwithanimpactfuse. (Sprengbombe Cylindrisch)thin-walledbomb cripple increasingly effective Allied naval attempt to stall the Allied advance from the operations in that theatre. KG 100 was later re- bridgehead. equipped with the He-177. Other claimed casualties for the Hs-293 include the The statistics of this effort are sobering. KG 40 frigate HMS Jervis, damaged in Condors sank 90,000 tonnes of shipping between January, 1944; the destroyer HMS Intrepid sunk in August and September of 1940, and a month later the Aegean, September, 1943; the destroyer HMS crippled the 44,000 tonne transport Empress of Inglefield sunk in February, 1944; the destroyer Britain. They are credited with 363,000 tons of HMS Boadicea sunk in June, 1944; and the Greek shipping destroyed by January 1941. Luftwaffe destroyer RHS Vasillisa Olga, sunk in September, totals between March and May 1941 sit at 179 1943. The weapon is credited with a total of ships sunk for a total tonnage of 545,000. It is little 400,000 tonnes of sunk shipping, including the PC-1400-Cutaway known that the Luftwaffe mostly outperformed the Liberty ship Elihu Hale sunk and LCT-35. UK U-boats in interdicting Murmansk convoys, sources claim that 2,300 Hs-293s were launched accounting for up 37 per cent of losses. One oft in combat operations. cited example is an attack in February 1941 when The novelty and complexity of the Hs-293 were five KG 40 Condors sank five ships in a sixteen reflected in frequent hardware failures and vessel convoy, in minutes. manufacturing faults, resulting in what German As the Allies suffered increasing losses, sources claim was a dud rate of 28 per cent per increasingly desperate measures were adopted, launch for KG 40 and 25 per cent for KG 100, including ‘expendable’ catapult launched Hurricane against a successful hit rate of 31 per cent for KG fighters. Anti-aircraft artillery defences were 40 and 55 per cent for KG 100. The Fw-200 Condor, introduced on merchant ships and escorts. He-177 Greif, He-111H and Do-217K carried the The Luftwaffe saw its new rocket propelled Hs-293 Hs-293. as a weapon that allowed attacks on shipping from The Hs-293A series was compromised when Allied well outside the defensive envelope of shipboard forces captured, intact, crated Fritz-X and Hs-293 artillery defences, with the precision to ensure a hit hardware at airfield, and were able to devise on a moving and manoeuvring surface target. a radio command link jammer, rapidly built and The first known combat use of the Hs-293 was on deployed to fleet units. August 25, 1943 when KG 40 Do-217 The late model Hs-293D was an important attacked a Royal Navy U-boat patrol in the Bay of milestone since it introduced a nose mounted Biscay. This attack damaged the HMS Landguard television camera and radio uplink to the launch and HMS Bideford. Two days later a strike by 18 KG aircraft, the aim being for the to attack 40 Do-217s sank the corvette HMS Egret, killing through overcast weather conditions. German 194 sailors, making this the first known sinking of sources claim 255 were built, and at least one Trial drop of an SD-1400X Fritz-X glidebomb. a ship by a . The HMCS Athabaskan source claims a Royal Navy warship was hit by a was damaged in this attack. Hs-293D. The Hs-293 proved to be a very useful In 1944, after the D-Day landings, Do-217 aircraft weapon, and it is unfortunate that its major used the Hs-293 to attack bridges at River See and operational contribution to World War II is so River Selume on the Cherbourg Peninsula in an frequently overlooked.

put it out of action until the landings. Ruhrstahl’s SD-1400X The 42,000-ton Italian Vittorio Veneto class `Fritz-X’ Heavyweight Roma commissioned in 1940 was much less fortunate than the Warspite and Savannah, and Development of the SD-1400X started in 1939, led represents the highest value kill achieved by KG 100 by Dr. Max Kramer of the DVL (German Aviation using the Fritz-X. The Roma sank on the 9 September Research Institute / Deutsche Versuchsansalt fuer 1943 after fires caused by two Fritz-X hits ignited her Luftfahrt). While the PC 1400X shared the FuG-203 magazines, killing over 1600 sailors, including the Kehl III / FuG-230b Strassburg guidance package Commander in Chief Carlo with the Hs-293, it was an entirely different weapon, Bergamini. based on the PC 1400 `Fritz’, a 3,000 lb class armour The Roma has the dubious distinction of being the and concrete piercing bomb, which carried 320 kg of first capital ship to be sunk by a guided bomb. Other Amatol explosive. casualties included the Brooklyn class light The new SD-1400X used a cruciform , angled at USS , which lost several crew to a Fritz- 28 degrees, and a segmented annular tail, with X attack. electromagnetically activated spoilers for pitch and The Bellona class light cruiser HMS Spartan was yaw control. The operator tracked the weapon sunk off Anzio on 29 January 1944 after a Fritz-X through the standard Lofte 7 bombsight, using a attack (some sources claim a Hs-293 attack but the smokeless white/blue tail mounted flare or lamp. extent of the damage makes this unlikely). Forty-six The SD-1400 delivery profile involved typically personnel died. overflight at 20,000 ft AGL, bomb release after The Fritz-X was also claimed to have been used in an VB-Series-PGMs. throttling back, with the bombardier then using a attempt to destroy the Selune river bridge at joystick to steer the bomb until impact. The Fritz-X Pontaubault, a critical link between Brittany and proved to be a devastating weapon when used Normandy, to stop the advance of the US 6th effectively. During the September landings in Armoured Division, on 7 August 1944. , the Brooklyn class light cruiser USS Savannah Most reported deliveries of the Fritx-X were by Do- was hit by a , killing nearly 200 crew members 217K-3 or He-177 aircraft of KG 40 and KG 100. and putting the ship out of use for 12 months. While the Fritz-X was a far more effective weapon On 16 September 1943 the Queen Elizabeth-class than the Hs-293, it was shorter ranging and battleship HMS Warspite sustained heavy damage demanded higher operator skills. Around 1400 Fritz- after taking three hits by Fritz X rounds. One of the X rounds were built, with around half expended in rounds penetrated six decks through to the No 4 trials and training. The closest contemporary boiler room and produced a hole in the bottom of the analogues to these weapons are the US EGBU-15 hull. This crippled the Warspite, killed nine crew and and AGM-130, carried by the F-15E.

DefenceToday milestones 45 DefenceToday 46

eieymtos and willbecoveredinafutureissue. methods, delivery numerousadvancesinguidance techniquesand which saw conflict, world intheevolutionofsmart bombswasthe The subsequentchapter Vietnam of period guidance. despite thelimitations togoodeffect, theUSAAFwasable toexploitthistechnology superiority, andwhiletheLuftwaffehadlimitedsuccess dueto Allied air early period, bridgeswasalsopioneeredduringthis The useofsmartbombstoattack systems. establishedairdefence defeats isintroduced that when anewweapon especially onshipping, effectsofairattack tothedevastating testimony Alliedshipping lossestotheHs-293andFritz-X remaina weapons. albeitwithmoreadvanced strikes andremainsthemodelusedtoday, focusGermany’s useoftheHs-293andFritz-X formaritimeair setthepattern during contribution tocombat World War IIandtheKorean War. evenifnotdecisive, smartbombsmadeasignificant, terms, In operational Conclusions Tarzon it. modifiedB-29swererequired tocarry wassolargethat The foratotal of30dropsclaimed. sixbridges, credited withdestroying The Tarzon wasusedduringtheKorean conflictand is flare inthetail. witha guidance usedacommandlinktransmitterandreceiver, andthe Itusedtandemannularsurfaces, penetrating bomb. oftheRAF’s whichwasaguidedderivative 12,000lbearth Tarzon, The largestoftheearlyUSsmartbombswasBell VB-13/ASM-A-1 theseoftenrequiringmultiplehits. bridges, 15 arecreditedwithdestroying Razonattacks Despitethis, problems. 32percentfailedduetoreliability Of thetotal489RazonsusedinKorea, 1950. untillate bridges, to attack uptoeightRazonroundswereused B-29softhe19thBGcarrying In Korea, into theSouth. Cripplingthisnetworkwasvitaltostoppingresupply occupation. Japanese tothe largelydating The NorthKoreans network, hadarobustrailway significant useuntiltheKorean conflict. didnotsee Around 3,000Razonswerebuiltduring1945buttheweapon for control. theaftassemblyused Razons usedtwotandemannularwingassemblies, The VB-3 wasbasedonthe1,000lband VB-4 the2,000lbwarheads. The which usedadualchannelcontrollinkforrangeandazimuthguidance. ATSC Razon, developedthemoresophisticated In parallelwiththe Azon, guided bombs. usinglaser- revivedasthe technique waslater ‘master bomber’scheme, This toimpact. P-38guidingtheweapons withthemoresurvivable dropped, permitted B-24sdelivering Azons toevadefireassoonthe Azons were This 38 Lightning ‘droop snoot’leadbomberswith Azon transmitters. P- defencespromptedtheUSAAFtoequipsomedual-seat Japanese Heavy armed B-24sbutsomesourcesdisputethis. destruction ofthefamousKwaiRiverbridgehasbeencreditedto Azon The 27ofthesebridgesusingatotal493rounds. Azons destroyed defendedbyguns. These weredifficulttohitandheavily ontheuseofwoodenbridgestoconnecttheirrailroadnetwork. heavily relied andtheJapanese campaign wascharacterisedbydifficultterrain, The Burmese the onB-24softhe10th Azon wasdeployed AF. In Burma, onthe attacks Ancona-Rimini railroadline. withrepeat The ontheDanubeRiverlocks, Azon wasusedinattacks thuscuttingakeysupplyrouteforthe Wehrmacht inItaly. Italy and Austria, whichconnects to cutthe Avisio viaductandclose thecriticalBrennerPass, The mostnotable15th usingthe AF attack Azon wasa25March1944strike Europe. primarilyinSouthern operating Itwasalsoadoptedbythe15th AF, Holland. railbridgein KroppandtheRavenstein ammunitiondumpsat attacked It the 8th SeineriverbridgesinFrance. AF 458thBGflyingB-24Jsagainst initiallytrialledby 1944, The intheETOfromFebruary, Azon wasdeployed November 1944bywhichtime15,000unitswerebuilt. The Azon kitwasproduceduntil wassimilartoadumbbomb. delivery The Azon couldonlybesteeredinazimuthandthusitsrangeerroron Itenteredproductionin1943. bomb body. toastandardM44andlater controlled tailkitattached AN-M65 1,000lb The VB-1 Azon (‘AzimuthOnly’)wasaradiocommandlink operationally. The VB-1/VB-2 Azon serieswerethefirstUSguidedbombstobeused VB-3/VB-4 RazonGuidedBombs ATSC VB-1/VB-2Azonand J Presidency PGM stallsfuture tpe nohsodrbohrsmnl.Therestishistory. stepped intohisolderbrother’s mantle. son and JFK familyregroupedafterthelossoftheirfavourite The Kennedy Luxembourg. usedtoshell buttwoofthegunswerelater concrete wasstillwet, byNo617SquadronLancasterbomberswhilethe been earlierdestroyed The V-3 complexhad andhisflightengineer. instantlykillingKennedy out, onthismissionthe Torpex explodedbeforethecrewcouldbail However, a tookofftoengage explosive-filled Liberator V-1 Pas-de-Calais. siteat The pilotedbyJPK. The maidenflightof Anvil wassetfor12 August 1944, target. mothership woulduseradiocontroltoguidethe ‘’intothe thenarmthewarheadandparachutetosafetywhile into theair, Theirjobwastogettheaircraft engineer onboardtheone-waybomber. crude systemmeantthedifficulttaskoftakeoffrequiredapilotandflight The ‘mothership’ whothenrelayedflyinginstructionsbacktothebomber. weretransmittedbyradiotoanotherpilotintheescorting images Thecamera a pilot’s eyeviewoftheoutsideandinstrumentpanel. Two televisioncameraswerefittedinthecockpitofbomberproviding time-expired B-17bomberforsimilarmissions. US Army Air Force woulduse operations pounds) of Torpex explosives. (for to useamodifiedPBY4Liberator Anvil) stuffedwith9,600kg(21,170 Anvilandits Air Force cousin wereconceived ‘Aphrodite’ precise weapon. but targettheyneededanequallypowerful thishighthreat to destroy For theallies reinforcedconcrete. under animmensearrayofprotective, To protectthe V-3 thesystemwastobeburied fromalliedcounterattack 12seconds. every round couldbefiredintoLondon90kmaway France whereone V-3 nearMimoyecques, complexwas tobelocated The propellant chargesarrangedinsymmetricalpairsaroundthebarrel. usingmultiplebooster each130mlong, barrels, 150mm artillery The V-3 25 was tohave focused onthefearsomenew V-3 cannon. (Vengeance Weapons), countermeasure toGerman “Vergeltungswaffe” theprecision-guided JPKvolunteeredforOperation Anvil, In 1944, aircraft. maritimepatrol 1943toflythePBY4Liberator inlate Theatre wings hewassenttotheEuropean his Afterbeingawarded aviator. School tobecomeaUSNavy Law leftHarvard Joe Kennedy With theoutbreakof World War II munition. configured asaprecisionguided bomber flying aLiberator killed inactionduring World War II these hopesfadedwhenJPKwas but famous family’s politicalhopes, expected tobearhis waswidely Jr, Kennedy and successfulJosephP. thehighlypopular brother, Kennedy’s older ohn F.