The 21cm “Maikäfer Flakrakete 42” was an experimental German anti-bomber rocket that was never used in combat. It was developed from the Army’s 21cm Nebelwerfer 42 artillery rocket for use in an air-to-air role against Allied bombers during WWII, but its lack of accuracy and other limitations prevented its deployment. The name “Maikäfer” translates to “May beetle,” referring to the German term for a type of flak rocket, and it was developed by Major Herbert Eggers’ team
Development and limitations
- Design: The “Maikäfer” was an attempt to adapt the large 21cm Nebelwerfer 42 artillery rocket for use on Luftwaffe fighter aircraft like the Fw 190.
- Purpose: It was intended to be used against Allied bomber formations, with the blast radius designed to break up the formations and leave individual bombers vulnerable to fighter attacks
Limitations:
- Inaccurate: The rocket was notoriously inaccurate, and a direct hit was rare, as noted in this Facebook post.
- Limited effectiveness: The rocket’s engine only fired for just over one second, limiting its range and effectiveness
Lack of proximity fuse: The lack of a proximity fuse further reduced its effectiveness, as it would not detonate on contact with the bomber’s hull
Combat performance
- No combat use: The “Maikäfer” was never deployed in combat, according to this Facebook post.
- Experimental: It was an experimental weapon system that was a failed attempt at creating a mass-deployable flak rocket system
The 21cm Maikäfer Flakrakete 42 program stemmed from a Hitler directive in August 1943 to develop an anti-bomber Flak weapon based on the existing 21cm Nebelwerfer artillery rocket according to Gen.der Flak a.D. von Renz’s “Development of German Anti-aircraft Weapons and Equipment of All Types up to 1945” (pp. 349 et passim). The program was a failure, though various Allied intelligence reports do mention the associated rocket. The lingering mystery is the launcher. The old Polish book “Rakety Bojowe” has a photo that appears to show the launch cell, but not the entire launcher. Has anyone seen any photos or drawings of the actual launcher?