Editing Mistel

{{Short description|World War II aircraft}}
{{For|the River in Bavaria, Germany|Mistel (Red Main)}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2018}}
[[File:Mistel-4s.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A captured example of a ''Mistel'' trainer. [[United States Army]] personnel examined the aircraft.]]
[[File:Junkers Ju 88 Mistel.jpg|thumb|right|Ju 88H and Fw 190 combined to form a model 3B ''Mistel'']]

'''''Mistel''''' ([[German language|German]], '[[mistletoe]]', a parasitic plant) was the larger, unmanned component of a [[composite aircraft]] configuration developed in Germany during the later stages of [[World War II]]. The composite comprised a small piloted control aircraft mounted above a large explosives-carrying drone, the {{lang|de|Mistel}}, and as a whole was referred to as the '''''Huckepack''''' ('Piggyback'), also known as the '''''Beethoven-Gerät''''' ('Beethoven Device') or '''''Vati und Sohn''''' ('Daddy and Son').<ref name=Green>{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=William |title=The warplanes of the Third Reich |date=1970 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |isbn=0385057822 |edition=1st 1973 reprint }}</ref>

The most successful of these used a modified [[Junkers Ju 88]] bomber as the ''Mistel'', with the entire nose-located crew compartment replaced by a specially designed nose filled with a large load of explosives, formed into a [[shaped charge]]. The upper component was a [[fighter aircraft]], joined to the {{lang|de|Mistel}} by struts. The combination would be flown to its target by a pilot in the fighter; then the unmanned bomber was released to hit its target and explode, leaving the fighter free to return to base. The first such [[composite aircraft]] flew in July 1943 and was promising enough to begin a programme by Luftwaffe test unit [[KG 200]], code-named "Beethoven", eventually entering operational service.

Other ''Mistel'' composites included the [[Focke-Wulf Ta 154|Ta 154]]/[[Focke-Wulf Fw 190|Fw 190]], [[Arado Ar 234|Ar 234]]/[[Fieseler Fi 103|Fi 103]], [[Dornier Do 217|Do 217K]]/[[DFS 228]] and [[Siebel Si 204|Si 204]]/[[Lippisch DM-1]]. Projects included the [[Junkers Ju 287|Ju 287]]/[[Messerschmitt Me 262|Me 262]] and [[Arado Ar 234|Ar 234C]]/[[Arado E.377]].<ref name="Wood">{{cite book |last1=Wood |first1=A. |last2=Gunston |first2=W. |title=Hitler's Luftwaffe |date=1977 |publisher=Salamander |location=London |page=241}}</ref>

==Design and development==
Initial experiments in Nazi Germany concerning composite aircraft of any type were performed with the [[DFS 230]] troop glider as the "lower" component and using established, piston engine-powered Luftwaffe aircraft, such as the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 56]] or the [[Messerschmitt Bf 109E]], as the upper component in an attempt to provide the troop glider with a longer range than if it were simply towed in the conventional manner.

Later, the technique became more refined, and the bomber component (which was often a new aircraft rather than surplus) was fitted with a specialised 1,800&nbsp;kg (3,960&nbsp;lb.) [[warhead]]. The final stage of ''Mistel'' development was of specialised purpose-built [[jet engine|jet]]-powered bomber components, including ones developed from the [[Messerschmitt Me 262]], the [[Junkers Ju 287]] and the entirely new [[Arado Ar 234]]. None of these ambitious schemes, with the exception of the Me 262 {{lang|de|Mistel}}, had left the drawing board before the end of the war.

===Warhead and operational history===
[[File:HE 162 mit Bombe pic2.JPG|thumb|300px|Model of the proposed ''Mistel'' [[Heinkel He 162]] with an [[Arado E.377]]a glide bomb at the [[Technikmuseum Speyer]]]]

The definitive {{lang|de|Mistel}} warhead was a [[shaped charge]] weighing nearly two [[tonne]]s (the weight of a [[blockbuster bomb]]) fitted with a [[copper]] or [[aluminium]] liner. The use of a shaped charge was expected to allow penetration of up to seven meters of [[reinforced concrete]].

Some 250 {{lang|de|Mistels}} of various combinations were built during the war, but they met with limited success. They were first flown in combat against the Allied invasion fleet during the [[Operation Overlord|Battle of Normandy]], targeting the British-held harbour at [[Courseulles-sur-Mer]]. An RCAF Mosquito piloted by [[Walter Dinsdale]] was first to shoot down a {{lang|de|Mistel}} over Normandy, causing it to crash behind enemy lines and cause a large explosion. The night-fighter ace described the Bf 109 and Ju 88 composite as "lumbering" and a "cinch to shoot down".<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=4 August 1944 |title=Manitobans First To Bag Nazi Pick-A-Back Planes |url=https://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm%3A1377134?solr%5Bquery%5D=%28%22Walter%20Dinsdale%22%29%20AND%20%28pick-a-back%20OR%20pickaback%29&solr%5Bparams%5D%5BdefType%5D=edismax&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bsort%5D=score%20desc&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet%5D=true&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.mincount%5D=1&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.limit%5D=2000&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B0%5D=collection_title_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B1%5D=type_of_resource_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B2%5D=subject_topic_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B4%5D=hierarchicGeographic_country_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B5%5D=hierarchicGeographic_province_state_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B6%5D=hierarchicGeographic_county_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B7%5D=hierarchicGeographic_city_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B8%5D=hierarchicGeographic_citySection_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B9%5D=subject_name_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B10%5D=name_organization_facet_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.field%5D%5B11%5D=facet_group_title_ms&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfacet.range%5D%5B0%5D=mods_custom_date_facet_mdt&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.mods_custom_date_facet_mdt.facet.range.start%5D=1890-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.mods_custom_date_facet_mdt.facet.range.end%5D=NOW&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.mods_custom_date_facet_mdt.facet.range.gap%5D=%2B1YEAR&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.mods_custom_date_facet_mdt.facet.mincount%5D=0&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.hierarchicGeographic_country_facet_ms.facet.sort%5D=index&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.hierarchicGeographic_province_state_facet_ms.facet.sort%5D=index&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.hierarchicGeographic_county_facet_ms.facet.sort%5D=index&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.hierarchicGeographic_city_facet_ms.facet.sort%5D=index&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.hierarchicGeographic_citySection_facet_ms.facet.sort%5D=index&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bf.facet_group_title_ms.facet.sort%5D=index&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bhl%5D=true&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bhl.fl%5D=title_sort_ms%2Ccollection_title_ms%2Csubject_temporal_facet_ms%2Cname_personal_facet_ms%2Cname_organization_facet_ms%2Cdc.description&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bhl.fragsize%5D=400&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bhl.simple.pre%5D=%3Cspan%20class%3D%22islandora-solr-highlight%22%3E&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bhl.simple.post%5D=%3C/span%3E&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfq%5D%5B0%5D=-RELS_EXT_hasModel_uri_ms%3A%22info%3Afedora/islandora%3AnewspaperIssueCModel%22&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfq%5D%5B1%5D=RELS_EXT_hasModel_uri_ms%3A%28%22info%3Afedora/islandora%3AnewspaperPageCModel%22%20OR%20%22info%3Afedora/islandora%3AnewspaperCModel%22%20OR%20%22info%3Afedora/islandora%3AnewspaperIssueCModel%22%29&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfq%5D%5B2%5D=PID%3Auofm%5C%3A%2A&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfq%5D%5B3%5D=-RELS_EXT_isConstituentOf_uri_mt%3A%2A&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bfq%5D%5B4%5D=RELS_EXT_isViewableByUser_literal_ms%3A%22anonymous%22%20OR%20RELS_EXT_isViewableByRole_literal_ms%3A%22anonymous%20user%22%20OR%20%28%28%2A%3A%2A%20-RELS_EXT_isViewableByUser_literal_ms%3A%5B%2A%20TO%20%2A%5D%29%20AND%20%28%2A%3A%2A%20-RELS_EXT_isViewableByRole_literal_ms%3A%5B%2A%20TO%20%2A%5D%29%29&solr%5Bparams%5D%5Bqf%5D=title_mt%5E6%20dc.description%5E6%20pb_pbcoreDescription_descriptionType_Summary_mt%5E6%20name_personal_facet_mt%5E5%20OCR_t%5E5%20RELS_EXT_isMemberOf_uri_mt%5E4%20RELS_EXT_isMemberOfCollection_uri_mt%5E4%20subject_mt%5E3%20dc.title%5E2%20pb_pbcoreTitle_mt%5E2 |work=The Winnipeg Evening Tribune |location=Winnipeg |access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://flyingforyourlife.com/pilots/ww2/d/dinsdale/ |title=Walter Gilbert "Dinny" Dinsdale |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=flying for your life |publisher=The Canadian Fighter Pilot & Air Gunner Museum |access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref>

While ''Mistel'' pilots claimed hits, none of these match Allied records; they may have been made against the hulk of the old French battleship [[French battleship Courbet (1911)|''Courbet'']], which had been included as a component of the [[Mulberry harbour]] at [[Arromanches]] and specially dressed up as a [[decoy]] by the Allies. Serious blast and shrapnel damage from a near-miss was suffered by [[HMS Nith (K215)|HMS ''Nith'']], a [[River-class frigate]] being used as a floating headquarters,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110705041230/http://www.leithshipyards.com/ships-built-in-leith/1939-to-1945/132-hms-nith-yard-no-327-river-class-frigate-royal-navy-built-1942.html "HMS NITH Ship No 327 (River Class Frigate)"]</ref> on 24 June. Nine men were killed and 26 wounded, and ''Nith'' was towed back to England for repairs.

A second opportunity to use the {{lang|de|Mistels}}, in [[Scapa Flow]] in 1944, was abandoned after the sinking of the [[German battleship Tirpitz|German battleship ''Tirpitz'']] led to the departure of all of the [[Royal Navy]]'s major surface units from the target.

As part of [[Operation Eisenhammer|Operation Iron Hammer]] in late 1943 and early 1944, {{lang|de|Mistels}} were selected to carry out key raids against [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] weapons-manufacturing facilities—specifically, electricity-generating [[power station]]s around Moscow and [[Nizhny Novgorod|Gorky]]. These plants were known to be poorly defended by the Soviets and irreplaceable. However, before the plan could be implemented, the [[Red Army]] had entered Germany, and it was decided to use the {{lang|de|Mistels}} against their bridgehead at [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą|Küstrin]] instead. On 12 April 1945, {{lang|de|Mistels}} attacked the bridges being built there, but the damage caused was negligible and delayed the Soviet forces for only a day or two. Subsequent ''Mistel'' attacks on other bridges being thrown across the [[Oder River|Oder]] were similarly ineffective.

==Survivors==
[[File:Focke-Wulf Fw190A-8 R6 -733682- (47076572501).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|A Focke-Wulf Fw 190, equipped to be attached to a ''Mistel'' drone aircraft, [[Royal Air Force Museum Midlands]], 2018]]
[[File:Focke Wulf Fw190A-8 (50108016201).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|The underside of the RAF Museum's Fw 190. One of the attachment points to the lower aircraft can be seen on the right.]]
A [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]] (''Werk Nr.'' 733682), preserved at the [[Royal Air Force Museum Midlands]], was the fighter part of a ''Mistel'' system. It was one of four  that were captured by British forces at [[Tirstrup]] in Denmark in 1945. In service, it had been flown by a unit that trained ''Mistel'' crews. After capture, the aircraft were flown as a combined pair in Allied hands as they were ferried to [[Schleswig Air Base]], along with two other captured ''Mistels'',<ref>{{cite web|last1=Simpson|first1=Andrew|title=INDIVIDUAL HISTORY [733682]|url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1998-0214-A-FW190-A-8.pdf|website=Royal Air Force Museum|access-date=5 March 2017|date=2013}}</ref> The Fw 190 was later flown to Britain while its Ju 88 partner is thought to have been scrapped.<ref name="RAFM">{{Cite press release |date=2013-10-14 |publisher=Royal Air Force Museum |url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/press_releases/cosford/Focke-Wulf%20Fw%20190.pdf |language=English |last1=Simpson |title=Focke-Wulf FW190 now on display at Cosford|first1=Andrew |access-date=2022-06-19}}</ref>

The Fw 190 retains its ''Kugelverschraubung mit Sprengbolzen'' ("ball joints with [[explosive bolt]]s"), fittings that attached it to the other aircraft.<ref name=Forsyth>{{cite book |title=Mistel: German Composite Aircraft and Operations, 1942–1945 |last=Forsyth |first=Robert |year=2001 |publisher=Midland Publishing |isbn=1903223091 }}</ref><ref name="RAFM" />

The aircraft became the property of the RAF Museum in 1998 when its title was transferred from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. It was put on display at the RAF Museum Cosford in 2013 after previously being on long-term loan to the [[Imperial War Museum]].<ref name="RAFM" />

==Variants==
Variants of the Mistel included:<ref name="Ford">{{cite book|last1=Ford|first1=Roger|title=Germany's Secret Weapons of World War II|date=2013|publisher=Amber Books|location=London, United Kingdom|isbn=9781909160569|pages=224}}</ref>
*'''Mistel Prototype''': Ju 88 A-4 and Bf 109 F-4
*'''Mistel 1''': Ju 88 A-4 and Bf 109 F-4
*'''Mistel S1''': Trainer version of Mistel 1
*'''Mistel 2''': Ju 88 G-1 and Fw 190 A-8 or F-8
*'''Mistel S2''': Trainer version of Mistel 2
*'''Mistel 3A''': Ju 88 A-4 and Fw 190 A-8
*'''Mistel S3A''': Trainer version of Mistel 3A
*'''Mistel 3B''': Ju 88 H-4 and Fw 190 A-8
*'''Mistel 3C''': Ju 88 G-10 and Fw 190 F-8
*'''Mistel Führungsmaschine''': Ju 88 A-4/H-4 and Fw 190 A-8
*'''Mistel 4''': Ju 287 and Me 262
*'''Mistel 5''': Arado E.377A and He 162

==Mistel combinations==

===Operational===
*Ju 88 A-4/Bf 109 F-4
*Ju 88 A-4/Fw 190 A-8

===Projected===
*Ju 88 G-1/Fw 190 A-6
*Ju 88 A-6/Fw 190 A-6
*Ju 88G-1/Fw 190F-8
*Ju 88H-4/Fw 190A-8
*Ju 88H-4/Fw 190F-8

===Design proposals===
*Ju 88 G-7/Ta 152H
*Ta 154/Fw 190
*Ar 234/Fi 103
*Do 217K/[[DFS 228]]
*Si 204/[[Lippisch DM-1]]
*Ju 287/Me 262

==Operators==
;[[Germany]]
* ''[[Luftwaffe]]''

==See also==
* [[Operation Aphrodite]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Prelude to 'Stand-Off'". ''[[Air Enthusiast]]'', Thirty-four, September–December 1989. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll. ISSN 0143-5450. pp.&nbsp;43–47, 80.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mistel Project}}

* [http://www.2worldwar2.com/kg200.htm Short description with Mistel photography]
* [http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-54868-30.html Photograph of Mistel aircraft from Spiegel Online]
* [http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/mistral.html Mistel Composite Aircraft at Luftwaffe Resource Center]

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[[Category:Composite aircraft]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944]]