Geheimprojekt Bachem "Natter"

[Robin Landseadel]

Very, very GR. I'm in the thick of it right now, with Pökler  being  
spun around with Ilse by forces implacable.. This is an Incredible  
find, very on point and something I never really considered—that there  
may be a historical parallel to the penultimate moment  of Gravity's  
Rainbow, Gottfried's final ride.
On Mar 1, 2010, at 5:17 AM, Otto wrote:

> Geheimprojekt Bachem "Natter" - Höllenritt auf der Holzrakete
>
> Letzter Ausweg Wegwerfflieger: Noch bis 1945 werkelten die Nazis
> fieberhaft an Geheimprojekten für die Wende im Weltkrieg. Eines davon
> war die "Natter", eine bemannte Einwegrakete aus Sperrholz, die
> alliierte Bomber vom Himmel holen sollte. Tödlich war sie am Ende nur
> für einen. Von Achim Schnurrer
>
> http://einestages.spiegel.de/static/topicalbumbackground/6219/hoellenritt_auf_der_holzrakete.html
>
>
> - - - - -
>
>
> The Bachem Ba 349 Natter (Adder) was a World War II era German
> experimental point-defense rocket-powered interceptor aircraft which
> was to be used in a very similar way as manned surface-to-air
> missiles. After vertical takeoff which eliminated the need for
> airfields, the majority of the flight to the bombers was radio
> controlled from the ground. The primary mission of the (inexperienced)
> pilot was to aim the aircraft at its target bomber and fire its
> armament of rockets. The pilot and the main rocket engine should then
> land under separate parachutes, while the wooden fuselage was
> disposable. The only manned test flight, on 1 March 1945, ended with
> test pilot Lothar Sieber being killed.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachem_Ba_349
>
> Sieber gets into the rocket:
>
> http://einestages.spiegel.de/hund-images/2010/02/24/47/3b3eb66b1739f952c423dbcd00a645cb_image_document_large_featured_borderless.jpg