During World War II, many remarkable weapons were developed in Germany. One of them was a four-stage tactical surface-to-surface missile with solid-fuel engines, called the Rheinbote. It was developed at Rheinmetall-Borsig by a team led by technical director Klein and Dr. Vüllers. Development took place from 1941 to 1944. For the Wehrmacht, the work was coordinated by Oberstleutnant Alfred Tröller.
The rocket was made of sheet steel, the diameter of the individual stages decreased from the first to the fourth stage. It carried an explosive warhead weighing 40 kg. However, there was only 20 kg of explosives itself. Originally, the rocket was to be launched from a modified 88 mm Flak gun mount, but in the end a modified Meilerwagen carrier was used. The rocket's range was up to 200 km. Serial production, approved by Gen. Kammler, began production in the autumn of 1944. 300 were ordered. Only about 220 were produced by the end of the war. The rockets were tested by the Versuchkommando Tröller test unit. This was transformed into a single combat unit, Artillerie Abteilung 709. It was still led by Oberstleutnant Alfred Tröller. The Abteilung consisted of a staff, a supply platoon, a measuring and computing platoon, and two rocket batteries. Each battery consisted of four Meilerwagen launchers and Sd.Kfz 8 tractors. It entered combat on December 24, 1944, near Nuspeet, Netherlands, when it fired 24 rockets at Antwerp. It continued to fight and fired more than 200 missiles by the end of the war. Since Oberstleutnant Alfred Tröller and his men did not know the exact impact locations, most of the missiles missed their target. Gen. Kammler stopped the development of the Rheinbot in February 1944, as it was clear that it was no longer useful with the end of the war. Some historians state that, alongside the V-1 aircraft missile, the V-2 rocket and the V-3 long-range cannon with reactive shells, the Rheinbote ranks among the Vergeltungswaffe, designated V-4.
- 1/72 Rheinbote has never been kitted before
- V-4 part of the so-called V-weapons - retaliatory weapons
- subject with both interesting concept and history
Kit #SA72028 will be available soon from Special Hobby - Price: 24.90 Euros
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