THE 456th FIGHTER INTERCEPTOR SQUADRON

THE PROTECTORS OF  S. A. C.

 

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The Messerschmitt Me P.1101

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Me P.1101 V1

The Me P.1101 was the first variable geometry jet fighter, although it's wing sweep could only be altered from 35 degrees to 45 degrees whilst the plane was on the ground. The two-piece wing had steel spars with wooden skin and ribs, and was located in the high-mid position. The tail surfaces were also swept. The pressurized cabin was located well forward in the upper part of the fuselage, and behind it was the fuel tank and space for the retracted main undercarriage legs. Below the cockpit was the air intake and duct for the turbojet engine, which was mounted in mid-fuselage. The P.1101's development started early in 1944. The Messerschmitt advanced design office was looking for a single-engine jet fighter with the same endurance and range as the successful Me 262. After wind tunnel testing, construction of an experimental prototype was initiated in July 1944 but only near completion when the Allies captured the airbase where the plane was being built. The P.1101 provided the fundamental design ideas for the American Bell X-5 variable sweep research aircraft.

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Partly rebuilt captured Me P.1101 with mock-up canons.

Drawing of series productuction model.

 Me P.1101 near completion as captured by US troops.

Reassembled Me P.1101 after transfer to the US.

 Front view of the reassembled Me P.1101 Another Me P.1101 was captured in Oberammergau in May 1945.

A Model Of The P.1101

Messerschmitt P.1101 was the name attached to a single-seat, single-jet fighter developed in response to the July 1944 Emergency Fighter Program, which sought the second generation of jet fighters for the Third Reich. A characteristic feature of the Me P.1101 prototype was that the sweep of the wings could be changed before flight, making it the ancestor of modern variable-geometry aircraft such as the experimental Bell X-5, the General Dynamics F-111, and the F-14 Tomcat.

 

 

The Design And Development

 

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Below are various views of the Messerschmitt Oberammergau complex in Southern Germany. 
This facility was not known to the Allies, therefore it was not bombed and was a surprise when discovered.

Within nine days of the 15 July 1944 issuance of the design specifications for the Emergency Fighter, the Messerschmitt design bureau had formed a preliminary paper design for the P.1101. The aircraft which was developed initially had a short and wide fuselage, tricycle landing gear, and mid-mounted wings with an inner sweep of 40 degrees near the fuselage, and a shallower 26 degree angle outboard. The single He S 011 jet engine was to be mounted internally within the fuselage, being aspirated by two rounded intakes located on either side of the cockpit. The tail was of a V configuration, and mounted on a tapered boom which extended over and past the jet exhaust, while the cockpit was forward mounted, with the canopy integrated into the fuselage and forming part of the rounded nose of the aircraft.

By late August 1944, the still paper design had evolved into a sleeker incarnation, with the previously stout fuselage lengthened and narrowed, and a conical nose section was added in front of the cockpit. The double angled wing was also abandoned, with the outer wing of the Me 262 instead being "borrowed" for the design. The design was further developed, and after the wind tunnel testing of a number of wing and fuselage profiles, the design was further modified and finalized, with the decision made to undertake the construction of a full-scale test aircraft. This finalized design and associated test data were submitted to the Construction Bureau on 10 November 1944 and the selection of production materials was begun on 4 December 1944.

 

 

Production Prototype

 

The worsening war situation led to the expedited, but risky approach of building a full-scale prototype in parallel with detail construction and continuing statistical calculation, while existing components such as the wings, landing gear, and flight components were utilized where feasible. It was also intended for the test flights to be conducted with both 35 and 45 degree wing sweep. Production of the V1 prototype was begun at Messerschmitt's Bavarian Oberammergau Complex with a projected first flight in June 1945.

The Me P.1101 V1 prototype was of duralumin fuselage construction, retained the outer wing section of the Me-262 and as mentioned previously, the wing sweep could be adjusted on the ground from 30, 40, to 45 degrees, making it a forerunner of later variable-geometry designs. The tandem, fuselage mounted intakes of the preliminary designs were replaced by a single nose intake, and the canopy became a bubble design, which afforded better all-around vision than the initial integrated canopy offered. The production prototype also incorporated a more conventional T-tail design, which was constructed out of wood and remained mounted on the tapered tail boom. The tricycle undercarriage consisted of a steerable, rear retracting nose wheel and wing root mounted main gear, which was forward retracting. The prototype was fitted with a Jumo 004B jet engine, which could easily be replaced with the more powerful He S 011 in subsequent full production versions. In addition, the production model was to be equipped with a pressurized cockpit and armored canopy.

By the time an American infantry unit discovered the Oberammergau complex on 29 April 1945 the V1 prototype was approximately 80% complete. The airframe was removed from the nearby tunnel in which it was hidden and all associated documents were seized. There was some lobbying by Messerschmitt Chief Designer Woldemar Voight and Robert J. Woods of Bell Aircraft to have the Me P.1101 V1 completed by June 1945, but 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, which they had obtained prior to the arrival of American units to the area.

The prototype was finally shipped to the Bell Aircraft Works in Buffalo, New York in 1948, and the already damaged aircraft suffered further damage when it fell off a freight car. This damage ruled out any possibility for repair although the Me P.1101 design components were subsequently used by Bell as the basis for the Bell X-5, which was the first aircraft capable of varying its wing geometry while in flight.

 

 

Legacy

 

The Bell X-5, which bore a strong resemblance to the Me P.1101, went on to complete a ground-breaking series of test flights proving the concept of variable geometry. The remnants of the P.1101 were scrapped in the early 1950s, nevertheless, the legacy of the P.1101 design can still be seen in the variable geometry aircraft of today.

 

 

Specifications

(Me P.1101 V1 Prototype)

General characteristics

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Performance

Armament

 

References

  • Winchester, Jim. "Bell X-5." Concept Aircraft: Prototypes, X-Planes and Experimental Aircraft. Kent, UK: Grange Books plc., 2005. ISBN 1-84013-309-2.

 

 

The Messerschmitt Me P.1101

 

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Me P.1101 proposal dated October 3, 1944
Me P.1101 drawing dated November 8, 1944 
Me P.1101 drawing from November 13, 1944
The Messerschmitt Me P.1101 with T-Tail (top) 
and V-Tail (bottom) 
The Me P.1101 instrument panel 
The Me P.1101 wing assembly 
   A 1/10 scale drawing of the proposed Me P.1101's horizontal tail unit ("T-Tail") dated November 17, 1944 by Dr.Woldemar Voight
A surviving construction drawing of the Me P.1101
The Me P.1101 front landing gear arrangement drawing
The rear landing gear drawing for the Me P.1101
On November 15, 1944, an experiment was performed using the Jumo 004 engine on a Me 262 to measure the loss of thrust due to a long intake. The optimum shape was found to be a smooth, round intake, which resulted in only a 3% loss of thrust.

         On July 15, 1944, the RLM submitted Proposal 226/II to Germany's aircraft manufacturers. This "Emergency Fighter Competition" specified the following requirements (although these were later to change several times) for the second-generation of jet-powered fighters for the Third Reich:

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        Engineer Hans Hornung, of Messerschmitt, began to create the first of the Me P.1101 single-seat, single jet engine fighter designs. Only nine days after the specification was issued by the RLM (July 24, 1944), the first Me P.1101 had taken shape on paper. The fuselage was short and wide, with two round air intakes on either side of the cockpit, which fed the single He S 011 jet engine which was located in the lower rear fuselage. 710 liters (188 gallons) of fuel could be contained above and below the turbojet. The wings featured two different sweepback angles, a steeper angle (40 degrees) near the fuselage and a shallower angle (26 degrees) outboard. Flaps were located over the entire trailing edge to aid in slow speed operations. Another 170 liters (45 gallons) of fuel could be carried in wing tanks located in each of the inner wing sections, making a total of 1050 liters (277 gallons). The V-tail unit (110 degrees of separation) was mounted on a boom that extended above the jet exhaust, a feature that would be present on all future Me P.1101 designs. A steel plate was used on the underside of the tail boom, to protect the enclosed radio equipment from engine exhaust heat. The nose wheel of the tricycle landing gear retracted to the rear and the two main wheels retracted forwards into the wing roots. A single SC 500 bomb could be carried, partially stowed in a belly recess. The main armament was to consist of two MK 108 30mm cannon, located in the lower forward fuselage sides.

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         The next Me P.1101 design dated from August 30, 1944. It was basically similar to the first design, but sleeker. The fuselage had a more pointed nose section, and was designed to hold a variety of armament. As in the first design, two circular air intakes, located on either side of the cockpit, fed the single He S 011 jet engine which was located in the rear fuselage. There were two protected fuel tanks above the engine and behind the cockpit that held 830 kg (1830 lbs) of fuel. The wing was "borrowed" from the Me 262 outer wing, was swept back at 40 degrees and mounted mid-fuselage. A V-tail was also to be fitted on this design, with the jet engine exhausting below the tail boom. The nose wheel retracted to the rear and rotated 90 degrees to lie flat beneath the weapons bay in the nose. Both main wheels retracted inwards towards the wing roots. Provisions were made for a drop tank, and even for a towed fuel tank using the V-1 wing! The armament was to be either a MK 112 55mm cannon or two MK 108 30mm cannons, with a possible third MK 108 or MK 103 30mm cannon being able to be squeezed in. One of the more advanced weapon proposals for this design variant of the Me P.1101 was for the upward firing  SG 500 "Jagdfaust" (Fighter's Fist). This was basically a thin cased 50mm high explosive rocket propelled shell housed in a vertical tube. Two of these would have been placed in the fuselage nose, and a single SC 500 bomb could also be carried beneath the fuselage.

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         Even a ramjet powered P.1101 was proposed, the Me P.1101L (L for the Lorin ramjet). The fuselage was enlarged to accept the Lorin ramjet tube, and the undercarriage was kept simplified and low to the ground. Since a ramjet does not operate until a certain speed is reached, eight solid-propellant rockets with 1000 kp thrust each would be ignited to reach the ramjet's operating speed. Only a very short takeoff distance would be needed, but the aircraft's range would be limited, thus the Me P.1101L would have to be deployed near key Allied bombing targets.
          After obtaining many differing results from a variety of wing profiles and fuselage shapes from windtunnel testing, Messerschmitt decided to actually build a full-scale, flying test aircraft. Since many of the components were already built (wing assembly, undercarriage, engine and controls), it was felt that the aircraft could be flying and giving more accurate test results in a relatively short time. There was no official backing from the RLM of Luftwaffe High Command for the construction of this test aircraft. On November 10, 1944, Engineer Hans Hornung brought the initial design phase of the final variant to a close by handing over all documents and design data to the Construction Bureau. The selection of the construction materials was begun shortly thereafter on December 4, 1944, with component manufacturing commencing under the direction of Mortiz Asam( who, after the war, helped design the Aero Spacelines "Super Guppy" for the US). A time-saving, yet risky approach was tried on the final version of the Me P.1101: Production was to run parallel with statistical calculations and with detail construction. Despite delays due to the worsening war situation and transportation of some of the components, construction slowly took place at Messerschmitt's Oberammergau complex in the Bavarian mountains of southern Germany. This complex was unknown to the Allies, and never suffered any bombing raids during the war. An experimental testing program was also being devised. It was intended to begin the test flights with the wing sweep set at 35 degrees, and later to try a 45 degree sweep, since the wing was designed to be set at different sweepback angles while on the ground. The first test flight was to take place in June 1945. Also, a combat version was also being developed from the research version then being constructed.

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         The Me P.1101 V1 was about 80% complete when the Oberammergau complex was discovered by American troops on April 29, 1945, a few days before the war's end. The fuselage was constructed out of duralumin, with space provided beneath 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 armor, and up to four underwing X-4 air-to-air missiles could be carried.
          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, April 29, 1945, an American infantry unit entered the Oberammergau complex, seizes 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. 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.
          One of the men in the American research team was Robert J. Woods, of the Bell Aircraft Works. He and Messerschmitt chief designer Woldemar Voight lobbied for the completion of the Me P.1101 V1 prototype in June 1945. This proved to be impossible, due to the fact that most of the design documents were now in France (which they refused to share at this point in time), and other key information had been destroyed. The prototype was by now showing damage due to the rough treatment it had been receiving, such as sitting outside in the elements and even as a photographical curiosity for American GIs.
          The Me P.1101 V1 was shipped to the Bell Aircraft Works in Buffalo, New York in August 1948. More damage was sustained when the aircraft fell off a freight car, which in effect ruled out any possibility for repair and flight testing. The P.1101 was fitted with an Allison J-35 jet engine, and mock-up weapons (6 x Mg 151 and 4 x MK 108 cannon) were pasted on the fuselage sides. 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. Sometime in the early 1950s, the remainder of the Messerschmitt Me P.1101 V1 was sent to the scrap yard, thus ending this unique and distinctive aircraft's history.


 

Messerschmitt Me P.1101 Dimensions
Variant Span Length Height Wing Area Track Width Wing Sweep Angle
First Design 
(July 24, 1944)		 7.15 m 
23' 5"		 6.85 m 
22' 9"		 2.45 m 
8'		   2.1 m 
6' 11"		 26 & 40
Second Design 
(August 30, 1944)		 8.16 m 
26' 9"		 9.37 m 
30' 9"		 3.08 m 
10' 1"		 13.5 m² 
145.31 ft²		   40
Third Design 
(Prototype)		 8.06 m 
26' 5"		 8.98 m 
29' 6"		 3.5 m 
11' 6"		 13.6 m² 
146.39 ft²		 2.124 m 
6' 11"		 35/40/45
Fourth Design 
(Production)		 8.25 m 
27' 1"		 9.175 m 
30' 1"		 3.71 m 
12' 2"		 15.85 m² 
170.61 ft²		 2.2 m 
7' 3"		 40

 

Messerschmitt Me P.1101 Weights
Variant Empty Weight Takeoff Weight Max. Wing Load Fuel
First Design 
(July 24, 1944)		   3000 kg 
6613.86 lbs		   800 kg 
1763.69 lbs
Second Design 
(August 30, 1944)		 2642 kg 
5824.61 lbs		 3554 kg 
7835.22 lbs		 263 kg/m² 
53.92 lbs/ft²		 830 kg 
1829.84 lbs
Third Design 
(Prototype)		 2184 kg 
4814.89 lbs		 3205 kg 
7065.81 lbs		 236 kg/m² 
48.27 lbs/ft²		 830 kg 
1829.84 lbs
Fourth Design 
(Production)		 2594 kg 
5718.78 lbs		 4064 kg 
8959.57 lbs		 296.5 kg/m² 
52.51 lbs/ft²		 1250 kg 
2755.77 lbs

 

Messerschmitt Me P.1101 Performances
Variant Max. Speed Climb Ceiling Range Landing Speed/Distance
First Design 
(July 24, 1944)		 1050 km/h @ 6000 m 
652 mph @ 19685'		 26.8 m/sec 
88 ft/sec		 12000 m 
39370'		    
Second Design 
(August 30, 1944)		 1080 km/h @ 7000 m 
671 mph @ 22966'		 30 m/sec 
98 ft/sec		 14800 m 
48556'		 1500 km 
932 miles		  
Third Design 
(Prototype)		 860 km/h @ 7000 m 
534 mph @ 22966'		 12 m/sec 
39 ft/sec		 10000 m 
32808'		   170 km/h  /  900 m 
106 mph  /  2953'
Fourth Design 
(Production)		 985 km/h @ 7000 m 
612 mph @ 22966'		 22.2 m/sec 
73 ft/sec		 12000 m 
39370'		 1500 km 
932 miles		 172 km/h  /  570 m 
107 mph  /  1870'

 

 

The Messerschmitt Me P.1101 in Germany Photo Gallery

 

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The Me P.1101, outside at the Messerschmitt Oberammergau complex... A good side view, showing the He S 011 
mock-up engine installation 
Although a poorer quality photo, this shows off the typical side-hinging Messerschmitt canopy  A rear view of the Me P.1101 
 		 Another rear view of the P.1101 
 
The damaged nose section of the P.1101 Bell Aircraft workers check out the Me P.1101. 
Note the replaced damaged nose section.  		A nice front view of the Me P.1101 
 
A close up showing the mock-up placement of 
the MK 108 cannon on the P.1101  		The Me P.1101 after the installation of a Allison J-35 jet engin A close-up of the Allison J-35 jet engine in the P.1101 

The Me P.1101 at Bell Aircraft Company in Buffalo, New York 

 

 

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Last Updated

06/08/2009

 

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