Fritz X Guided Missile

The Fritz X, also known as FX-1400, is an air to surface glide bomb, controlled by an observer in the parent launch aircraft who passed commands through radio link. The bomb has no propulsion unit. The weapon is based on an amatol-filled Esau 1,400 kg armour piercing bomb with the addition of small wings and a cruciform tail unit. A radio receiver and relays operated spoilers on the tail unit, which when raised into the airstream modified the falling bomb's trajectory. The operator in the parent aircraft followed the course of the bomb by watching flare candles in the extreme rear of the weapon. Manufacturer Ruhrstahl applied the suffix 'X' to all their cruciform tailed missiles. The total weight of explosive filling was 300 kg. The fuze used was a standard 'Rheinmetall 38 circle B type'. The 'b' designation denoted a slight delay which allowed the weapon to achieve good penetration before the charge was detonated. The Memorial's example retains its original paint and stencilling.

The design of the bomb began in 1939 under the direction of Dr Max Kramer with testing carried out at Peenemunde West and final acceptance trials completed near Foggia, in Italy, in early 1942. Operational use began in mid 1943 and its greatest success came in September 1943 when three bombs hit and sunk the Italian battleship Roma. The missiles were again employed against the Allied fleet off Salerno sinking and severely damaging a number of allied merchant vessels and warships including the British battleship Warspite which was put out of action for a year.

Fritz X missiles were launched from specially modified Dornier Do 217K-K2 as well as a small number of Heinkel He 177A-5/R2 aircraft. 1,386 missiles were delivered by the time the programme was abandoned in December 1944 and the Fritz X ended its operational career against bridges on the Oder River in April 1945. The Fritz X was historically one of the earliest successful guided missiles and one of the very few to have achieved significant results in warfare. It was limited by virtue of the requirement (as with all optically controlled guided weapons) for good visibility and stability, by availability and vulnerability of the parent aircraft, and by the weapon's susceptibility to radio jamming countermeasures.