It is little known that Germany produced helicopters in World War II. Here, Daniel Boustead discussed the successes and failures of the helicopters that Nazi Germany produced – as well as how the Nazis ultimately saw little benefit from them.
The Flettner Fl 282 helicopter at trials after World War II. It has the US military star marking.
The German helicopters of World War II are one of the little-known weapons of the Nazi German arsenal. These aircrafts were created to serve a specific military purpose and they did have some success in the role they were assigned. However, these roles were largely irrelevant because it bled the Third Reich dry of its resources and diverted time away from much needed weapons projects. Furthermore, these helicopters had some flaws which destroyed their effectiveness as weapons and as pieces of equipment for military use. The German helicopters were just another example of the Nazi wasteful squandering of precious time and resources that would ultimately yield no results or change the outcome of the war.
Helicopters in the war
The Third’s Reich’s helicopters that served in combat did have some successes. The FA-330 “Bachstelze” was a small gyroplane helicopter which was designed for the use as a submarine-based reconnaissance aircraft ([1]). The FA-330 Bachstelze (Wagtail) accomplished its job of reconnaissance by being towed behind a surfaced submarine or U-Boat ([2]). The FA-330 was attached to the submarine by a steel cable working from a winch on the deck (2). The airstream of the ship or submarine supposed to suffice to allow the FA 330 to lift up (3). The FA-330 would hold an altitude of 440 feet and could see about 25 miles with the assistance powerful binoculars and report back to the U-Boat by telephone (2). A total of some 200 FA-330s were built (3). As early as February 1943, the FA-330s were used successfully with the Type IX D2 U-Boat’s which were operating in the Far East (1). The FA-330s were also used in the Southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans where aircraft patrols were not common at the time (2). The FA 330 was also used by U-Boats in the Gulf of Aden (4). The U-Boat U-861 used the FA-330 gyro kite to patrol in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar. In the aftermath of the Japanese permitting the establishment of a German U-Boat base at Penang Malaya (in the summer of 1943), the Germans exchanged the FA-330 for a small Japanese float plane. On another occasion at the U-Boat base at Surabaya (Java) an FA-330 gyro kite was exchanged for a Japanese floatplane to supplement the two Arado reconnaissance aircraft which kept watch over the harbor.
Another German helicopter which made its impact during World War II was the Flettner FL 282. From November 1942 until the end of January 1943, the FL 282 conducted service trials mining operations on the German minelayer Drache alongside the ship Bulgaria in the central Aegean Sea (5). The service trials tests were successful as noted by the Naval Inspectorate report from February 10, 1943, which stated “The Fl 282 can now be operated successfully as a shipboard aircraft for patrol and anti-submarine tasks, even from small ships”. By 1943 the FL 282s were routinely being used by the Kriegsmarine for convoy protection and reconnaissance (6). The FL 282 would fly from platforms above gun turrets of convoy escort vessels in the Aegean, Baltic, and Mediterranean Seas. The Fl 282 was successful in searching Allied submarines and summoning other Luftwaffe aircraft to attack the U-Boats (7). In this case Fl-282s encountered and spotted U-Boats and other Luftwaffe aircraft during the fleet exercises which were done in conjunction with the 21st U-Boat Flotilla in Danzig Bay and north of Gotland Island from April 24, 1943, to May 15, 1943 (8). At the end of February 1945 FL 282s spotted the attack of the Red Army’s 1stand 2nd White Russian Front in Far Pomerania at the right time (7). However, because of the weakness of the German army units, their report could not stop the further Soviet advance. In 1945 surviving Fl 282s were stationed with the Luftwaffe’s only operational helicopter squadron the Transportstaffel (transport squadron) 40 at Rangsdorf and Ainring at Mulhdorf, Bavaria in their role as artillery spotters (8). The FL-282s of the Transportstaffel 40 made many flights during this time into and out of besieged and encircled towns transporting dispatches, mail and key personnel (9).
Diverting resources
In spite of the success of the German Helicopters, their deployment and development diverted precious resources away from more essential and important weapons programs. The most important weapon that the German Luftwaffe needed from 1942 to 1945 was something that would destroy the Anglo-American bombing raids over Germany and Austria. This was destroying German war production and the many of the Third Reich’s cities. The factories in Munich and Eisenach, that produced the Fl 282, were destroyed by Allied bombing (8). The Anglo-Americans also bombed the Flettner Johannisthal factory that produced the Fl-282 Helicopter. The fact that these factories existed for production of the Fl-282 showcase that these factories were diverting away precious people and materiel away from more important weapons projects.
The aircraft that was the perfect choice to destroy Allied Bombers and their Fighter escorts was the German ME 262 Jet. The ME 262 Jet Fighter had a maximum speed of 540 miles per hour at 19,685 feet (10). The ME 262 Jet Fighter was equipped with four 30 millimeter MK 108 cannons (11). On May 22, 1943, German Fighter Ace Adolf Galland tested the ME 262 Jet and felt it could allow the Luftwaffe a qualitative superiority over the Allied quantitative superiority (12). According to a detailed analysis of the records of combat from August 1944 to May 1945, ME-262 Jets contributed to the losses of 52 bombers and 10 fighters that belonged to the Eighth Army Air Force (13). This means that a total of 62 aircraft from the Eighth Army Air Force were lost by the ME 262 Jets from August 1944 to May 1945, while 200 ME 262 Jet Fighters were destroyed during this period of time (13). Even though these figures may be exaggerated, they at least set the terms upon which the ME 262s combat performance has to be evaluated (13).
Options
In contrast the German helicopters of that period were not shooting down any enemy aircraft, making the need for their existence less necessary. However Nazi Germany’s leader Adolf Hitler destroyed the ME 262 Jet Fighter’s chances of success by his Fuhrerbefehl or Leader Order of June 8, 1944, which limited the ME 262’s role to a bomber, a role it wasn’t suited for (14). Hitler’s fateful order hastened the demise of the Third Reich because it delayed the ME 262s production and introduction to combat.
Another aeronautical weapon that could have halted the Allied air supremacy over the Third Reich was the X-4 air-to-air missile. By 1943 it was becoming apparent that existing aircraft machine guns and cannons were insufficiently lethal against Allied Heavy Bombers (15). The X-4 missile was developed and it was a wire-guided system (16). The guidance system used a pair of trailing wires derived from the Dortmund/Duisberg system developed earlier for anti-ship missiles. After the launch, the pilot tracked the missile by following its tracer flare and steered the missile using a Knirps joystick control. The warhead was triggered either by a Rheinmetall-Borsig Kranich acoustic proximity fuse or an impact fuse. The ME 262 Jet was supposed to have four X-4 Missiles per plane. The X-4 program was cancelled on February 6, 1945, by Kammler’s edict which shut down many of the German missile programs. The Nazi Luftwaffe’s entire production should have focused on producing only the ME-262 Jet and the X-4 air-to-air missile.
Faults with the helicopters
The major German helicopters also had some faults which reduced their effectiveness as weapons. In May, 1943 U-Boat losses reached 41 U-Boats that were lost at sea and the losses continued to get worse after that point (17). The reason for these losses were improved Allied radar technology, long-range airplanes, breaking the German Enigma Code, better anti-submarine weapons, and better anti-submarine warfare tactics. These losses were to become apparent in the Indian Ocean and Southern Atlantic, when Allied long range aircraft appeared in these areas (2). This forced the U-Boats to crash dive quickly in these areas which resulted in them not be able to recover the FA-330 autogyro pilot from the ocean (2). The fact that the U-Boat war was effectively lost after “Black May” 1943 eliminated the need for the FA-330 Autogyro. On January 3, 1943, while the Fl-282s were undergoing test trials, they were attacked by Allied Bombers and Torpedo planes (5). Though no damage or casualties were sustained, a statement was issued in the aftermath of this incident. The ship that received the statement was the “Aegean”, which requested, “to permit the operation of the two valuable FL 282s only when there is no prospect of enemy countermeasures”. The means it could be destroyed while on a ship. In 1945 when the Fl-282’s were operating at the Berlin-Rangsdorf they fell victim to Soviet fighters and Soviet flak (7). The fact that the FL-282 could be shot down by anti-aircraft guns or fighter planes further reduced its effectiveness as a weapon (7).
The Nazi helicopters received very little attention in the period of World War II and thereafter. The aircrafts were designed for a specific role. However, these roles became irrelevant because the Third Reich was being bombed into submission. The aircraft that was most needed to stem the tide for the Luftwaffe was the ME-262 Jet Fighter to destroy the Allied Air onslaught and not a helicopter. The Nazi helicopter projects were mainly ineffective, and it wasted the Nazis resources which could have been used for more ME 262-Jets and X-4 air-to-air missiles.
What do you think of German helicopters in World War II? Let us know below.
Now, you can read World War II history from Daniel: “Did World War Two Japanese Kamikaze Attacks have more Impact than Nazi V-2 Rockets?” here, “Japanese attacks on the USA in World War II” here, and “Was the Italian Military in World War 2 Really that Bad?” here.
[1] Nowarra , Heinz J. German Helicopters 1928-1945. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History Publishing. 1990. 37.
[2] “The Focke Achgelis FA 330 Bachstelze(Wagtail)”. Uboat.net. Accessed on November 29th, 2021. https://uboat.net/technical/bachstelze.htm
3 Lindberg, Leo. German Helicopters WW2. Middletown: Delaware. “Self-Published” and available on Amazon. Com. November 29th, 2021. 24.
4 Lindberg, Leo. German Helicopters of World War 2. Middletown: Delaware. “Self-Published” and available on Amazon.com. November 29th, 2021. 30.
5 Johnston, David. Translator. The Luftwaffe Profile Series No. 6: Flettner FL 282. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 1996. 27.
6 Lindberg, Leo. German Helicopters of World War 2. Middletown: Delaware. “Self-Published” and available on Amazon.com. November 29th, 2021. 65.
7 Nowarra, Heniz J. German Helicopters 1928-1945. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History Publishing. 1990. 28.
8 Lindberg, Leo. German Helicopters of World War 2. Middletown: Delaware. “Self-Published” and available on Amazon.com. November 29th, 2021. 72.
9 Lindberg, Leo. German Helicopters of World War 2. Middletown: Delaware. “Self-Published” and available on Amazon.com. November 29th, 2021. 72 to 73.
10 Boyne, Walter J. Messerschmitt ME 262: Arrow to the Future. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History/Aviation History Publishing Ltd. 1994. 118.
11 Boyne, Walter J. Messerschmitt ME 262: Arrow to the Future. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History/Aviation History Publishing Ltd. 1994. 130.
12 Boyne, Walter J. Messerschmitt ME 262: Arrow to the Future. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History/Aviation History Publishing Ltd. 1994. 32 to 33.
13 Boyne, Walter J. Messerschmitt ME 262: Arrow to the Future. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History/Aviation History Publishing Ltd. 1994. 55.
14 Boyne, Walter J. Messerschmitt ME 262: Arrow to the Future. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History/Aviation History Publishing Ltd. 1994. 36.
15 Zaloga, Steven J. German Guided Missiles of World War II: Fritz-X to Wasserfall and X-4. New York: New York. Osprey Publishing Ltd. 2019. 40.
16 Zaloga, Steven J. German Guided Missiles of World War II: Fritz-X to Wasserfall and X-4. New York: New York. Osprey Publishing Ltd. 2019. 40 to 41.
17 Miller, David. U-Boats: The Illustrated History of Raiders of the Deep. Washington; District of Columbia. Brassey’s. 2000. 129.
Works Cited Page
Boyne, Walter J. Messerschmitt ME 262: Arrow to the Future. Atlgen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History/Aviation History Publishing Ltd. 1994.
Johnston, David. Translator. The Luftwaffe Profiles Series No.6: Flettner FL 282. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 1996.
Lindberg, Leo. German Helicopters of World War 2. Middletown: Delaware. “Self-Published” and available on Amazon.com. November 29th, 2021.
Miller, David. U-Boats: The Illustrated History of the Raiders of the Deep. Washington: District of Columbia. Brassey’s. 2000.
Nowarra, Heinz J. German Helicopters 1928-1945. Atglen: Pennsylvania. Schiffer Military History Publishing. 1990.
“The Focke Achgelis FA 330 Bachstelze (Wagtail)”. Uboat.net. Accessed on November 29th, 2021. https://uboat.net/technical/bachstelze.htm
Zaloga, Steven J. German Guided Missiles of World War II: Fritz X to Wasserfall and X-4. New York: New York. Osprey Publishing Ltd. 2019.
