Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 (Amerika Bomber)

Multirole Heavy Flying Wing Aircraft Proposal

Nazi Germany | 1941

"The Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 Amerika Bomber was a German design study into the prospect of a multirole, long-range flying wing during World War 2."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/17/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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Even as early as 1938, Nazi Germany made plans for an eventual war against the United States. It was understood that the U.S. would come to the aid of its allies in Europe so, to force American attention on its own defense (and thus take resources away from allies in France and Britain), the United States would become a direct target of German bombers. The major problem for the Luftwaffe at this time was its lack of long-range heavy bombers capable of carrying out such a monumental journey with a full war load. Thus the foundation was set for the "Amerika Bomber" program requiring a bomb delivery platform capable of crossing the Atlantic and making the return home - an inherent range of 3,600 miles was the listed project goal. Targets of particular interest were along the American East Coast - New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, etc...

Ultimately there proved many takers in support of the program - Horten, Messerschmitt, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel, Junkers all threw their hats into the ring in one way or another - but the project did not gain official steam until early-1942 when the United States officially committed to the war effort. For its part, Messerschmitt developed the "Me P.08-01", a large, multirole "flying wing" which emerged from design work in 1941. It was thought that the massive aircraft would be worth the investment if it went beyond its expected heavy bomber role - serving the Luftwaffe as heavy-lift transport, an airspace denial platform, long range reconnaissance / maritime patrol system, and possibly "mothership" for towed glider-fighters.

The design utilized an all-wing approach, lacking any true, defined tail unit save for a sole vertical fin. The cockpit was seated at the apex of the "arrow" type shape and the wing planform had swept-back leading edges with a partially swept-back trailing edge design (the area near center mass was straight-edged). All of the crew sections were concentrated in the center mass of the aircraft with a hold separating the flight deck and rear quarters. The hold provided enough internal space to carry a combat tank, this loaded into the aircraft by war of a rear-facing ramp. A tricycle undercarriage was therefore a requirement of the design, adding enough ground clearance for the spinning propeller blades as well as enough overhead clearance for cargo to clear the belly of the aircraft when loading / unloading. It is assumed that there would have been various defensive armament positions in the form of cannon-armed turrets - either in the nose or tail of the aircraft (or both) - though nothing was defined regarding this.

Four engines would be required to get the aircraft aloft and maintain a viable cruising speed - this propulsion power fell to 4 x Daimler-Benz DB9-615 piston engines seated within the blended body-wing of the aircraft. Furthermore, the engines were arranged in a "pusher" configuration - that is, the propellers being driven aft of the engine as opposed to ahead of it ("puller") - with air brought in through rectangular intake slots at the wing leading edges. Estimated speeds reached 400 miles per hour and range varied based on battlefield role.

Proposed dimensions for the P.08-01 included a wingspan of 50.6 meters, a length of 15.35 meters, and a height of 8.6meters. Its crew would number four. Loaded weight reached an estimated 90,000 kilograms.

The design direction of a flying wing added many inherent benefits for such an aircraft. Lift was generated naturally by the large wing area and this also affected rate-of-climb positively. At the expense of drag, the body-wing blending gave much internal volume for cargo, fuel (extending operational ranges), and other internal components and spaces. For the intended bombing role, the internal bay could carry upwards of 20,000 kilograms of conventional drop stores. Listed ranges between the tactical and strategic bombers varied due to the fuel stores set to be carried - 2,500 km against 15,000 km respectively. For the airspace denial role, the aircraft could fit 4 x 88mm FlaK Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns and, as a dedicated heavy-lift transport, the P.08-01's hold could manage an impressive 25 tons of war goods. The tactical reconnaissance version would outdo them all in terms of range - flying out to distances measuring some 27,000 kilometers.

The Me P.08-01, like many of the other proposed Amerika Bombers, resulted in a design study and nothing more. It was eventually found that many of these initiatives proved overly complex and expensive under the stresses of wartime and detrimental to the German war effort faced with dwindling strategic resources and materials. In fact, a 1943 German Air Ministry (RLM) directive forbade the investment in heavy bombers as the Luftwaffe was now facing a more defensive-minded war in the skies against Allied bombers - this led to a plethora of emergency fighters and interceptors being developed by war's end. Few of these ever saw the light of day themselves.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 (Amerika Bomber) Multirole Heavy Flying Wing Aircraft Proposal.

4 x Daimler-Nez DB 9-615 piston engines developing an unknown amount of horsepower.
Propulsion

401 mph
645 kph | 348 kts
Max Speed

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 (Amerika Bomber) Multirole Heavy Flying Wing Aircraft Proposal.

4
(MANNED)
Crew

50.4 ft
15.35 m
O/A Length

166.0 ft
(50.60 m)
O/A Width

28.2 ft
(8.60 m)
O/A Height

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 (Amerika Bomber) Multirole Heavy Flying Wing Aircraft Proposal .

Bomber Role:
Assumed automatic cannon / heavy machine gun armament for local defense purposes.

Airspace Denial Role:
4 OR 8 x 88mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) FlaK guns

Bomb Load (estimated):
Up to 44,100 lb of internally-held drop ordnance.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 (Amerika Bomber) family line.

P.08-01 - Base Project Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 (Amerika Bomber). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units
Contractor(s): Messerschmitt - Nazi Germany

[ Nazi Germany (cancelled) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 500mph

Lo: 250mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (401mph).

Graph Average of 375 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

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HiHyper

ReEntry

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Image of the Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 (Amerika Bomber)

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Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

GROUND ATTACK

TRANSPORT

X-PLANE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Messerschmitt Me P.08-01 (Amerika Bomber) Multirole Heavy Flying Wing Aircraft Proposal appears in the following collections:

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