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Channel: @M1945
Episode 141 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL and get access to exclusive film footage www.Patreon.com/Military1945
That outstanding 1943 footage shows testing of the FZG 76 which is now more commonly now known as the V-1, by the German Luftwaffe at the Karlshagen weapons development facility. If you are a Patreon supporter then the complete reel is available on Military1945.com. If you’re not, what are you waiting for? Here, in part 1 of a series I’ll show the first reel of a training film produced for the ground crew responsible for the this weapon.
The weapons original FZG 76 designation, or Flakzielgerät 76, actually implied that it would be used as an anti-aircraft weapon and was meant to keep the program secret as long as possible. In reality it became the world’s first cruise missile and represented a major technological leap forwards. Enjoy the video and please remember to subscribe the channel. We’re only just getting started here.
The FZ 76 is a flying bomb that is camouflaged to look like a small airplane. It is launched from a special cannon and is powered by rocket engine and directed by automatic steering. It can fly long distances and dive bombs its target with a powerful explosive charge. It has a length of 8.3 meters, and a wingspan of 5.4 meters. The flying bomb is made up of the following sections: hull, wings, tail assembly, power unit and at its tip the “air Log”.
The wings can be easily removed. The wing supports are replaceable and can be easily changed. Simple connectors make full assembly possible within just a few minutes. The body is made up of the nose cone tip, the nose cone, payload section, body and tail assembly.
There are various mechanisms in the body which serve to accomplish tasks necessary for the flying bomb to function correctly. In the tip of the nosecone is the “Air Log” and the electric impact sensor. Behind that is a compass in a wooden sphere. An electric firing pin is situated right in front of the explosive charge. In the body is a fuel tank that has a capacity of 680 liters. Behind that is a round pressure tank set at 160 psi. This has recently been upgraded to having two pressure tanks. To the front, behind the rocket engine, is the engine control unit. Then comes the automatic pilot unit for the pneumatic rudder and elevators, a battery for the radio, the radio and its antenna. The radio sends back the coordinates of the impact.
Here it is fully assembled. The body of flying bomb is made out of the highest quality steel. The tip the nosecone is made out of lighter metal in order to avoid effecting the compass’s accuracy. Here is the nosecone and Air Log mechanism. The Air Log’s function is to measure the distance flown. The payload is made of welded steel that is filled with high quality explosive charge. There are four couplings which connect the the payload to the body compartment which carries the fuel. Here is one of these couplings.
When launching, the 2.2 ton flying bomb is attached to a catapult with this slot. A special cart is used to move it into launching position. This is the antenna. After the hull has been assembled, the wings supports are attached and the wings slipped into place. The wings are standardized and can be switched between flying bombs. Based on the desired flight trajectory, the wings positioning is fine tuned during assembly. When transported to its takeoff position the adjusted settings are again checked to make sure that nothing has been bumped out of position. To hold them to the correct settings, screws are tightened. Due to the simplified construction, the assembly is completed in just a few minutes.
The aerodynamic shape of the flying bomb allows it to achieve speeds of over 600 kmh.
The rockets are produced by the Argus-Motoren company. This is how the rockets work… The pressure tank allows air to force itself into the fuel tank and push fuel through the controller and into the rocket. Air from outside rushes in through the rocket ventilators and mixes with the fuel in the combustion chamber. Only initial ignition is facilitated by an electric spark plug. From then on the burning fuel keeps itself ignited.
The ignition causes a wave of high pressure to travel down the length of the rocket tube to the end where it then changes to a low pressure wave. The wave travels back up the length of the tube and causes the ventilators to open which allows air into the combustion chamber which mixes with the fuel making it ready to ignite. In the same way, the higher pressure waves cause the ventilators to close which allows less air to enter and mix with the fuel. To repeat, the low pressure waves cause the ventilators to open and the high pressure waves cause them to close. By adjusting the air intake and fuel supply the thrust can be controlled. The controlling of the high and low pressure waves is the secret of the rocket engine. This process can be best observed when watching the firing rocket in slow motion.