HECHT FEUERLILIE
The LFA Braunschweig had a development program on a glide bomb, Hecht, and on a flak rocket, Feuerlilie, which moved very slowly. The glide bomb Hecht was developed in the period from early 1940 to late 1941. A few drops were made but nothing came of the development.
The work on Feuerlilie began in early 1942, was given high priority in early 1943, stopped late in 1943, later revived, and again stopped in early 1945. Three models of smaller size, designed F-25 were fired in May, 1944, and one of the intended size F-55 was fired also in M$.y, 1944. Much theoretical work was done on the theory of homing missiles and the theory of beam-guided missiles. The actual tests made were not very satisfactory.
The LFA was finally instructed to use Enzian or Schmetterling for its beam-guiding experiments but no such experiments were actually made.
The Feuerlilie weighed 600 kg and had a maximum speed of about 422 m/sec. Its maximum altitude was about 8 km. It was 55 em in diameter and 480 cm long.
This project suffered because of lack of support by an industrial group. Two statements by Blenk, director of the LF A, which were made in 1942, illustrate the situation. Reporting on missile research in Germany in 1942, he says: "Work is in progress on remote-controlled bombs in Germany in various places in industry and in aeronautical research laboratories. In spite of the many-faceted aspects of the problem it is desirable that the experiences collected in these projects should come to the knowledge of all agencies active in this field more quickly and completely than hitherto. In this the communication of negative results is especially important since much time would be saved thereby.
"While industry is capable of making rapid progress in these problems because of their large workshops, the research laboratories must take up ever slower negotiations with industrial firms to have their designs constructed at least in a few samples and to test them. Here some support is to be desired for the more rapid completion of such jobs."
In a report on the LFA guided.missile research in 1942, Blenk states that he, Braun, Kerris, and Retert had been working on an air-to-ground rocket-propelled remote-controlled missile since the beginning of the war and on a ground-to-air rocket-propelled remote-controlled missile for about one year. He said that numerous problems were encountered, for example:
(1) Necessity of automatic stabilization in roll.
(2) Suppression of the phugoid motion.
(3) Influence of jet propulsion on the flight characteristics.
(4) Stability at extreme inclination of flight path.
(5) Development of suitable antennas.
(6) Influence of jet on radio receiver.