Natter
This German piloted, rocket-propelled interceptor aircraft for the defense of
vulnerable points against heavy bomber formations was basically a single-seat
monoplane with a Walter rocket motor and armed with a battery of 73 mm Fohn
rockets in the nose or, alternatively, a battery of single-shot 30 mm guns. It
was to be launched vertically from a guide-rail, climbing at 425 mph, with a
flight duration of about four minutes, after which the pilot would glide back
close to his base and parachute out, leaving the aircraft to crash-land.
Work began in August 1944, and after glide tests showed the aircraft's stability
to be good, a manned flight was ordered by the SS in February 1945. Against the
designer's advice, this took place and the pilot was thrown out of the aircraft
and killed. A total of 30 Natter aircraft were built, of which four survived to
be captured by the Allies in 1945. It never achieved service status.
