Bachem Ba 349 Natter
A semi-expendable rocket interceptor launched vertically to defend against Allied bombers.
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The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a German rocket-powered interceptor built for point defence in the final years of the Second World War. It was designed to operate like a manned surface-to-air missile, launching vertically to reach high altitude quickly—62 seconds to 12 kilometers—which meant it did not need a traditional airfield. Most of the flight toward enemy bombers was handled by an autopilot, allowing pilots with minimal training to fly it.
The pilot’s main job was to aim the aircraft at a bomber and fire rockets from the nose. After the attack, the pilot would dive to lower altitude, then separate from the fuselage, both descending under separate parachutes for recovery. The nose section was disposable, making the aircraft semi-expendable.
The Natter was first conceived in August 1944 as the BP-20 by engineer Erich Bachem, driven by the urgent need to counter Allied strategic bombing. It was not built to the official Emergency Fighter Program specification but served the same purpose. The design emphasized simple construction by unskilled labor using cheap materials, mostly wood.
After gaining support from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the BP-20 was quickly refined into the Ba 349. The first experimental prototype was completed on 4 October 1944. Several prototypes underwent testing in level flight, towed and free gliding, and unmanned vertical launches.
Manned test flight
The only manned vertical take-off flight occurred on 1 March 1945 near Stetten am kalten Markt, ending in the death of test pilot Lothar Sieber due to a canopy failure. In that one-minute flight, the Natter covered about 14 kilometers at an average speed of roughly 800 km/h. No operational missions were ever flown; at least one Natter was sent to the United States for evaluation after the war.
Background
Development began in 1943, when the Luftwaffe’s air superiority was eroding under Allied attacks. German officials sought radical solutions, and surface-to-air missiles seemed promising, but guidance problems kept them from becoming operational.
Putting a pilot in the missile to handle the final attack phase offered a workaround. In early 1944, the Luftwaffe requested simple target-defense interceptors under the Emergency Fighter Program. Several designs were proposed, including the Heinkel P.1077 Julia, where the pilot lay prone to reduce frontal area.
Lore & Background
The Natter was first conceived by aeronautical engineer Erich Bachem in August 1944 after witnessing an American bombing raid on a major German city. His BP-20 design was a development from an earlier Fieseler concept, but was considerably more radical than other submissions for the Emergency Fighter Program.
Bachem approached Luftwaffe general Adolf Galland, who recommended development to the Ministry of Aviation, but the technical department took a poor view of this unorthodox approach. Bachem then secured backing from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, who gave full support, and the project received highest development priority. The RLM officially designated the BP-20 as the Ba 349A.
The Natter was built using glued and nailed wooden parts with an armour-plated bulkhead and bulletproof glass windshield. It lacked landing gear, saving weight and cost.
A typical mission began with vertical take-off from a 20 m-tall steel launch tower, using four solid fuel rocket boosters that provided 4,800 kg thrust for ten seconds. The majority of the flight was controlled by an autopilot, with the pilot taking control only to aim and fire rockets from the nose cone. After the attack, the pilot would dive to lower altitude, release the nose section, and land separately by parachute while the fuselage containing the rocket engine also descended by parachute for recovery.
The first and only manned vertical take-off flight occurred on 1 March 1945 near Stetten am kalten Markt, ending in the death of test pilot Lothar Sieber due to a canopy failure. No operational flights were ever conducted. At least one Natter was transported to the US for evaluation after the conflict.
Reader's Guide
The Natter represents a radical response to the Allied strategic bombing offensive, embodying the desperation and technological ambition of the late-war German war effort. Its design prioritized simplicity and low cost, using unskilled labour and inexpensive materials like wood, while eliminating the need for airfields through vertical launch. The semi-expendable nature of the aircraft—with the pilot and engine recovered separately—was intended to make it a reusable system despite the disposable nose section.
Although the Natter never saw operational use, its concept of a manned point-defence interceptor guided by autopilot and launched vertically influenced post-war thinking about rocket-powered interceptors and vertical take-off aircraft. The project's shift to SS control under Obergruppenführer Hans Kammler marked a rare instance of SS interference in aircraft design. The Natter has sometimes been listed as a suicide craft due to its inherent dangers, though Bachem stated clearly it was not a suicide weapon and incorporated safety features for the pilot.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Bachem Ba 349 Natter (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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