Nachtschwalbe
Messerschmitt’s response to the mid 1930’s RLM invitation to aircraft manufacturers to submit designs for a fast multi role bomber was doomed from the outset. The Daimler Benz alternative to the Junker’s Jumo Elektrisch 211 power cell was crippled with design issues. Politics also played a major part in the cancellation of the project but not before 3 prototypes had been built.
Given the company designated number of 512, the second prototype 512 V2, did make some successful trial flights showing good performance and handling but was too little too late. It did not help that 512 V1 was lost in a fire during an engine ground run which set the project back by six months.
An effort to revitalise the project in 1940 also came to nothing and the remaining airframes were used as test beds for engine and equipment use. Messerschmitt had originally taken the multi role concept quite literally and designed the rear fuselage aft of the forward cabin, but including the rear cabin area, to be easily modified to take various mission equipment. The ease in which the rear section could be modified meant flight trial mounting of new and experimental equipment could be realised in a very short time with little airframe modification.
By early 1943 the RAF bombing of Germany was well underway and airborne detection equipment was constantly being upgraded. The 512 was perfect for this role now the power unit problems had been solved and both prototypes were in constant employment in this field. At the request of the RLM, 512 V2 was to be modified for night interception trials. The latest and very powerful DB super lift power units were installed along with a 4 x 20mm ventral gun pack.
Heinkel were currently working on a promising night interception aircraft but it would be some time in reaching an operational status and so in the meantime the ME 512/B would be put into limited production. It proved to a be a success but its crowning glory came after the decision to trial the Schräge Musik armament concept in conjunction with even more powerful DB super lift ELG units.
This modification went into service just as the Avro London was making its presence felt over Germany. The London had rudimentary close skin ballistic shielding although the shielding was prone to low percentage charging and frequent all out failures. However, when it worked the London could be difficult to down.
The ME 512/C now christened Nachtswalbe, was to prove a constant thorn in the side of RAF bomber command. The tactic of using the so called “over lift” to rise up behind the target and firing in order to neutralise the rear gunner and quickly discharge the shield capacitors left the London wide open. The Nachtswalbe would then drop away under negative lift to close in under the bomber and allow the rear mounted Schräge Musik to serenade the bomber.
The wing root tanks of the London were the target area of choice often because a full bomb load detonation could result in both hunter and prey being destroyed. However, as with the ballistic shielding of the London, the Nachtswalbe’s Super lift ELG units also had some issues.
Super positive and negative lift generation could result in field spool over spin that could not be countered unless there was a lot of height available to allow for shutdown and re spin up. This was also an issue for the mighty Junker Jumo Elektrisch 211. Nowadays of course we have super redundant digital systems taking care of all that sort of thing but in the dark days of the 1940’s it could all get a little hairy very quickly.
