List of weapons of military aircraft of Germany during World War Two
Encyclopedia
In World War II
, the Luftwaffe
(German air force), used a variety of weapons to keep their aircraft equipped with the most modern weaponry available at that time, until later in the war when resources got thin. Here is a list of some of these weapons:
Machine gun
(Maschinengewehr)
Cannons
[1] The official designation for MG FF and MG 151 was Maschinengewehr but they are cannons.
Rocket
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
(German air force), used a variety of weapons to keep their aircraft equipped with the most modern weaponry available at that time, until later in the war when resources got thin. Here is a list of some of these weapons:
Machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s
(Maschinengewehr)
- MG 15
- MG 17MG 17 machine gunThe MG 17 was a 7.92 mm machine gun produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use at fixed mountings in many World War II Luftwaffe aircraft.- History :...
- MG 81 & 81ZMG 81 machine gunThe MG 81 was a German belt fed 7.9 mm machine gun, used in flexible installations in World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, replacing the older drum magazine-fed MG 15....
- MG 131MG 131 machine gunThe MG 131 was a German 13 mm caliber machine gun developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig and produced from 1940 to 1945...
CannonsAutocannonAn autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...
(Maschinenkanone and related types)
- MG FFMG FF cannonThe MG FF was a drum-fed, 20 mm aircraft autocannon, developed in 1936 by Ikaria Werke Berlin of Germany. It was a derivative of the Swiss Oerlikon FF F cannon, itself a development of the German World War I Becker 20 mm cannon, and was designed to be used in fixed or flexible mountings, as...
and FF/M [1] - MG 151MG 151 cannonThe MG 151 was a 15 mm autocannon produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser starting in 1940. It was in 1941 developed into the 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon which was widely used on many types of German Luftwaffe fighters, fighter bombers, night fighters, ground attack and even bombers as part of or as...
, /15 or /20 [1] - MK 101MK 101 cannonThe MK 101 is the designation of a 30 mm autocannon used in German combat aircraft during World War II. Although accurate and powerful, with a high muzzle velocity, it was very heavy, with a low rate of fire, which limited its production....
- MK 103MK 103 cannonThe Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 was a German 30 mm caliber autocannon that was mounted in German combat aircraft during World War II. Intended to be a dual purpose weapon for anti-tank and air-to-air fighting, it was a development of the heavy MK 101. Compared to the MK 101, it was lighter,...
- MK 108MK 108 cannonThe MK 108 was a 30 mm caliber autocannon manufactured in Germany during World War II by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use in aircraft.-Development:...
[1] The official designation for MG FF and MG 151 was Maschinengewehr but they are cannons.
RocketRocketA rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
s and MissileMissileThough a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s
- Kramer Rk 344, air-to-air missile (rocket-powered)
- Henschel Hs 293Henschel Hs 293The Henschel Hs 293 was a World War II German anti-ship guided missile: a radio-controlled glide bomb with a rocket engine slung underneath it. It was designed by Herbert A. Wagner.- History :...
, anti-ship missile - R4M rocketR4M rocketThe R4M rocket, nicknamed the Hurricane due to its distinctive smoke trail when fired, was an anti-aircraft rocket. It was developed by the German Luftwaffe during World War II.-Development:...
High explosive
- SC 10
- SC 50
- SC 250SC250 bombThe Sprengbombe Cylindrich 250 was an air-dropped bomb built by Germany during World War II and used intensively during that period. It could be carried by almost all German bomber aircraft, and was used to notable effect by the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka . The bomb's weight was about 250 kg, from...
- SC 500
- SC 1000SC1000 bombThe SC 1000 bomb was an air-dropped general-purpose demolition bomb used by Germany in World War II. Over 1,000 lb Amatol. Weighing 1,000 kg, it was nicknamed the Hermann by the British in reference to the portly Luftwaffe commander, Hermann Göring. Many of them were dropped on the...
"Herrmann" - SC 1800 "Satan"
- SC 2000
- SC 2500 "Max"
- SC 500J
- PD 500
- PD 1000
- SB 1000
- SB 1800
- SB 2500
Anti-personnel
"Splitterbomben" (Shrapnel)- SD 1
- SD 2Butterfly BombA Butterfly Bomb, or was a German 2 kilogram anti-personnel submunition used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell which hinged open when the bomblet deployed gave it the superficial appearance of a large butterfly...
- SD 4/HL
- SD 4/HL RS
- SD 9/HL
- SD 10 A
- SD 50
- SD 70
- SD 250
- SD 500
- SD 1400 "Esau"
- SD 1700 "Sigismund"
- SD 500A
- SD 500E
Armour-piercing
"Panzerbomben" (Armor-piercing bombs)- PC 500* 'Pauline'
- PC 1000* 'Pol'
- PC 1400 'Fritz'Fritz XFritz X was the most common name for a German guided anti-ship glide bomb used during World War II. Fritz X was a nickname used both by Allied and Luftwaffe personnel. Alternate names include Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, Kramer X-1, PC 1400X or FX 1400...
(precision-guided munition) - PC 1600
- PC 1800 RS 'Panther'
Prototype only
- Henschel Hs 298, air-to-air missile (rocket-powered)
- MK 115
- SG 116
- Ruhrstahl X-4
- JagdfaustJagdfaustThe SG 500 Jagdfaust was an experimental airborne anti-bomber recoilless rifle designed for use in the Me 163 Komet rocket plane by the German Luftwaffe during World War II...
See also
- Schräge MusikSchräge MusikSchräge Musik, derived from the German colloquialism for "Jazz Music" was the name given to installations of upward-firing autocannon mounted in night fighters by the Luftwaffe and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II, with the first victories for each occurring in May 1943...
- List of Luftwaffe air-dropped ordnance, in German Wikipedia