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Messerschmitt P1101-104
This heavy two-seat Zerstörer which followed at the end of June/early July 1944, in its layout and construction was a further development of the P1101-99. for the first time, however a ‘sickle’ or crescent wing platform was employed, the four HeS-001 turbojets mounted in the underwing paired nacelles projecting ahead of the wing, which had a leading edge sweep of 50° inboard and 37° outboard of the turbojets. As in the earlier project (Messerschmitt P1101-99), it had a swept butterfly tail. fixed forward firing armament consisted of a BK7.5(PaK40) cannon to starboard and three MK 108 on the port side, between which the retracted nose-wheel rested vertically. A further three MK108 cannon were arranged to fire obliquely upwards at mid-fuselage surrounded by the fore and aft fuselage fuel tanks, with additional tankage in the wing box main-spar structure. At the rear was a remote controlled FDL 108Z tail barbette.
Like the earlier projects, Dipl.-Ing.* Hans Hornung had design leadership for the P1101/XVIII-104. Priority given to the Jägernotprogramm (Fighter emergency Program) of July 1944 cause this proposal to be confined to the drawing board.
The essentially identical P1101/XVIII-105 ‘fast bomber’ with a reduced fuel capacity was able to carry an internal bombload of nine SC500 or four SC1000 bombs in its capacious 6.6m (2’7-3/4”) long bomb bay, the oblique upward firing MK108s having been deleted.
Plate01:An artists rendition of what the Messerschmit P1101-104 would have looked like in operation. Notice the classic ‘Zersötrer’ hornet painted on the lower nose section of the fuselage, as well as the huge BK
Plate02:The Heinkel HeS 8 (prefix being an abbreviation for “Heinkel Strahltriebwerk”-Heinkel Jet Engine) was an early jet engine designed by Hans von Ohain while working at Heinkel. It was the first jet engine to be financially supported by the RLM, bearing the official name 109-001. If naming had been common with other early german jet efforts, it would have been known as the Heinkel 001, but it does not appear this was used in practice.
Specifications: A projected thrust of 700Kg per engine.
Plate03:The Bordkanone 7.5cm (Pak40);this cannon, improved PaK 40 L was created specifically for the H’s 129th It was last run and the return device, an electrical firing has been installed and switched the supply to an electro-pneumatic system. Were housed in the magazine 12 rounds fed through the means of moving parallelogram loading table and the charger could be fired in single or continuous fire. Because of the high load of the aircraft, the muzzle energy of the weapon was 185 000 mkg, was shot in the use of single shots. The barrel with flash suppressor his towering about 980 mm (because the return was 900 mm) from the bow of the “flying can opener,” as they called the Hs 129 B-2/R4 armed with these weapons. Specifications: 75 mm caliber, 30 rounds min cadence /, mass 705 kg and 6105 mm length.
Plate04:The Rheinmetall Borsig Mk108 cannon(Maschinenkanone-108), better known as the “Pneumatic Hammer” due to it’s distinctive firing sound, was the main weapon of the Me 262. Four of these weapons were fitted in the nose of the machine, and could be fired in banks of either two or four simultaneously. With a rate of fire of about 11 shells per second. The destructive power of these four 30 mm cannon was nothing short of incredible. Since the “mine shells” used in the Mk108 exploded on impact, only a quick burst was needed to bring down a large four engined bomber.
Specifications: 30×90RB mm ammunition—30 mm calibre, 90 mm case length, reduced rim.
The initially proposed P1101-104 would have had three on the port side of the nose section, as well as a further three MK108 cannon to be arranged to fire obliquely upwards at mid-fuselage in what the Germans termed the “Schräge Musik” mount.
Plate05: Dipl-Ing Woldemar Volgt (1907-1980) headed the Messerschmitt Project Office and had great influence on all the company aircraft developments and projects, as well as mentoring Dipl-Ing Hans Hornung
*Diplom-Ingenieur German equivalent to a Masters Degree.
