- On January 10,1945 Hitler proposed to Göring that a 50-mm anti-tank cannon be fitted to the Arado Ar 234 jet bomber.
The Luftwaffe was already using Rheinmetall-Borsig BK 5 (Bord Kanone) automatic cannons mounted in Messerschmitt Me 410 A-2/U4 heavy fighters.
The 50-mm BK 5 was a very powerful weapon capable of disintegrating any Allied aircraft with a single shot.
Its great range would allow attacks on well defended formations of US bombers while the fighter remained a healthy distance from the defensive crossfire of American gunners, although the excessive weight of the cannon prevented the Me 410 from escaping the escort fighters.
Between February and April 1944, the 53 Me 410s of II./ZG 26 achieved some successes against the B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, but nine fighters were shot down by escorts P-51 D in a single day and the Gruppe was disbanded.
Unfortunately for the Germans, the powerful recoil of the available heavy cannons caused structural damage to single-engine fighters and large aircraft of the Ju 88, Do 217 and Me 410 types were not fast enough.
BK 5 (50-mm) cannon technical data
Developed from the KWK 391 anti-tank cannon.
Ammunition: 22 rounds belt-fed 50 x 419 R.
Pneumatic operation system.
Weight: 520 kg. Length: 3.79 m. Rate of fire: 45-50 rpm.
Mounted in Me 410 A-2/U4, Ju 88 P-1, Ju 288 and He 177.
To carry out Hitler's order, the OKL preferred to use the new 50-mm cannon Mauser MK 214 A (Maschinen Kanone), which weighed 50 kg less than the BK 5 and tripled its rate of fire.
To test the concept, two Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters (Werk. Nr. 111899 and 170083) were modified as Me 262 A-1a/U4, with the only two nose mounted MK 214 prototypes available.
Between 20 February and March 23, 1945, the first modified aircraft flew several test flights and two operational missions, without good results.
Production of the operational version of the Me 262 E-1 was dropped in favor of the Ruhrstahl-Kramer X-4 air-to-air guided missile that was already in the testing phase installed on the Me 262 Werk. Nr. 111994.
Also cancelled were the ground attack aircraft Arado Ar 234 C-3/R4 and the high-altitude heavy fighter Ar 234 D-3, which were to use an MK 214 A housed in the ventral nacelle.
The development of this cannon was only completed in March 1945 and the war in Europe was over before series production could get under way.
MK 214A (50-mm) cannon technical data
Developed from the PaK 38 anti-tank cannon
Ammunition: Belt-fed 50 x 419 R.
Panzergranate 40 armor piercing. Sprenggranate L-spur explosive. Minengesschos L-spur m-zerleger.
Weight: 490 kg. Length: 4.16 m. Muzzle velocity: 920 m/sec. Rate of fire: 150 rpm.
The Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 112/55 heavy cannon of the short range/fast firing class, was a scaled-up version of the MK 108/30 standard. The type weighed 300 kg, only fifteen prototypes were built but none was used in combat.
MK 112 (55-mm) cannon technical data
Weight: 300 kg. Length: 2 m. Muzzle velocity: 594 m/sec. Rate of fire: 300 rpm.
Ammunition: Belt-fed 55 x 175 RB
Between the end of May and the beginning of June 1944, Messerschmitt proposed to the OKL the construction of various types of heavy fighters, armed with 55 and 75-mm cannons. In order to compete for the new HeS 011 turbojets associated with the Jägernotprogramm, these designs were given project number P 1101.
The P 1101 (Drawing XVIII-92) of May 1944 was a two-seat, with 50-degrees swept wings and “V” tail, powered by two HeS 011 turbojets.
Messerschmitt P 1101-92 technical data
Wingspan: 13.28 m. Length: 13.10 m. Height: 4.10 m. Wing Area: 35 sq. m. Max Speed: 900 km/h. Power Plant: two wing-mounted HeS 011 turbojets each rated at 1,300 kg static thrust. Armament: one nose mounted Rheinmetall Borsig BK 7.5 anti-tank cannon with 12 shot rotating magazine and Zielfenrohr 4x telescopic gunsight.
BK 7.5 (75-mm) cannon technical data
Developed from the PaK 40 anti-tank cannon
Ammunition: drum-fed 75 x 714 R.
Weight: 705 kg. Length: 10.5 m. Muzzle velocity: 705 m/sec. Rate of fire: 30-35 rpm.
The P 1101 (Drawing XVIII-99) of June 6,1944 was a two-seat Zerstörer, with 45-degrees swept wings and tail, powered by four HeS 011 turbojets.
P 1101-99 technical data
Wingspan: 15.20 m. Length: 15.40 m. Height: 4.90 m. Wing Area: 47 sq. m. Max Weight: 18,600 kg. Max Speed: 960 km/h. Power Plant: four wing-mounted HeS 011 turbojets each rated at 1,300 kg static thrust. Armament: one nose mounted Rheinmetall Borsig BK 7.5 anti-tank cannon with 12 shot rotating magazine and Zielfenrohr 4x telescopic gunsight, one 55-mm Rheinmetall Borsig MK 112 cannon mounted in the starboard wing root and four MK 112 cannons mounted in the fuselage in Schräge Musik configuration.
The Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 112 cannon was basically a scaled-up MK 108 with 300 rpm and 275 kg weight. Used by the Fw 190 A-8 works no. 170002 as suicide ramming aircraft prototype for the Selbstopfermänner units.
The P 1101 (Drawing XVIII-104) of June 1,1944 was a two-seat Zerstörer, with 50/37-degrees cranked swept wings and “V” tail, powered by four HeS 011 turbojets.
P 1101-104 technical data
Wingspan: 17.35 m. Length: 18.10 m. Height: 4.10 m. Max Speed: 860 km/h. Power Plant: four wing-mounted HeS 011turbojets, each rated at 1,300 kg static thrust. Armament: one nose mounted Rheinmetall Borsig BK 7.5 anti-tank cannon with 12 shot rotating magazine and Zielfenrohr 4x telescopic gunsight, three nose mounted 30-mm Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 cannons, three fuselage mounted MK 108 cannons in Schräge Musik configuration and one rear-firing MK 108 cannon mounted in the tail barbette.
