The Nazi piggyback bomber that was designed to be a flying explosive device.
In short: In August 1944, Royal Canadian Air Force pilots encountered a bizarre aircraft over Normandy. This video explores the Mistel, a desperate German innovation that strapped a fighter plane to a bomb-laden bomber, and explains why this strange weapon failed to impact the war.
The Mistel was a late-war German weapon consisting of a Junkers Ju-88 bomber packed with explosives, guided to its target by a smaller fighter aircraft mounted on its back. The concept was born from desperation as the German military sought unconventional ways to strike Allied forces.
Despite its potential, the aircraft was cumbersome, traveling at only about 150 miles per hour. When Flight Lieutenant Walter Dinsdale and Pilot Officer Jack Dunn intercepted one in August 1944, they found it an easy target. Like many German innovations from this period, the Mistel arrived too late to influence the outcome of the conflict.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Weirdest Plane of WWII
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