Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Messerschmitt P.1101

Messerschmitt P.1101

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me P.1101-V1 experimental swing-wing jet fighter.  This project did not fly.

Messerschmitt P.1101

The Messerschmitt P.1101 was a single-seat, single-jet fighter project developed in response to the 15 July 1944 Emergency Fighter Program, which sought the second generation of jet fighters for the Third Reich.  A characteristic feature of the P.1101 prototype was that the sweep of the wings could be changed before flight.

The Me P.1101 V1 was about 80% complete when the Oberammergau complex was discovered by American troops on 29 April 1945, a few days before the war's end.  The fuselage was constructed out of duralumin, with space providedbeneath the cockpit for the air duct. Located behind the cockpit and above the engine was the fuel supply of 1000 liters (220 gallons).   The rear fuselage tapered down to a cone, where the radio equipment, oxygen equipment, directional control and master compass were mounted.  The underside of the rear fuselage was covered over with sheet steel, for protection from the heat of the jet exhaust.  Although a Jumo 004B jet engine was planned for the first prototype, the more powerful  He S 011 could be added on later versions with a minimum of fuss.  The wing was basically the same as the Messerschmitt Me 262 wing from the engine (rib 7) to the end cap (rib 21), including the Me 262's aileron and leading edge slats. A second wing assembly was delivered in February 1945, in which the leading edge slots had been enlarged from 13% to 20% of the wing chord. The wing covered in plywood, and could be adjusted on the ground at 35, 40 or 45 degrees of sweepback. Both the vertical and horizontal tails were constructed of wood, and the rudder could be deflected 20 degrees. Also under design was a T-tail unit and a V-tail also. The undercarriage was of a tricycle arrangement. The nose wheel retracted to the rear and was steerable. The main gear retracted to the front, and included brakes. The cockpit was located in the nose, with a bubble canopy giving good vision all around. The canopy was kept clear by warm air which could be drawn from the engine. Cockpit pressurization was to be incorporated in the production model, as was either two or four MK 108 30mm cannon. The production model was also to fitted with cockpit armour, and up to four underwing X-4 air-to-air missiles could be carried.

The V1 prototype was approximately 80% complete.  A few days before the Allied Army was expected to appear, Messerschmitt had all the engineering drawings, calculations and design work placed on microfilm and packed in watertight containers. These containers were then hidden in four locations in surrounding villages. On Sunday, 29 April 1945, an American infantry unit entered the Oberammergau complex, seized a few documents, and destroyed much of what remained with axes.  The Me P.1101 V1 incomplete prototype was also found, and pulled out of a nearby tunnel where it was hidden.  The wings had not yet been attached and it would appear they had never had skinning applied to their undersides.  Within a few days of the German capitulation, American specialists had arrived to assess the significance of the seized Messerschmitt complex. After questioning some of the Messerschmitt employees, it was learned of the missing documents.  When the American team tried to recover these hidden microfilmed documents, they found that the French Army had already recovered some of the documents.

 After the aircraft had been shipped to the USA, there was some lobbying by Messerschmitt Chief Designer Woldemar Voigt and Robert J. Woods of Bell aircraft to have the P.1101 V1 completed by June 1945.  This was precluded by the destruction of some critical documents and the refusal of the French to release the remaining majority of the design documents (microfilmed and buried by the Germans), which they had obtained prior to the arrival of American units to the area.  The airframe meanwhile became a favorite prop for GI souvenir photos.

(USAAF Photos)

(Green4life80 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me P.1101 V1, post war USO Troupe, Oberammergau, Germany.

Shipped to USA, the aircraft was stored at Wright Field until it was repaired and fitted with an American Allison J-35 engine.  Unfortunately it was damaged in the only attempt to take off.   Further tests were abandoned in August 1948, and the prototype went to the Bell Company.  The P.1101 was used as ground test-bed for the Bell X-5, but damage ruled out any possibility for repair although some of the Me P.1101's design features were subsequently used by Bell.  Bell used the Me P.1101 as the basis for the X-5, during which individual parts of the P.1101 were used for static testing.  The Bell X-5 was the first aircraft capable of varying its wing geometry while in flight.  Sometime in the early 1950s, the remainder of the Messerschmitt Me P.1101 V1 was scrapped.

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