The Fritz X, also known as the Ruhrstahl X-1, was a precision-guided, armor-piercing bomb used with deadly effect by Germany in World War II against Allied ships in the Mediterranean. Based on the PC 1400 bomb, the Fritz X was dropped from an aircraft and guided by an operator using a joystick and transmitter. The spoilers on the cruciform tail controlled the bomb's trajectory.
Germany's first and most spectacular success with the Fritz X came in September 1943, when Do 217 aircraft sank the Italian battleship Roma and damaged the battleship Italia as they were sailing to surrender to the Allies. Air defenses against Do 217s, which had to fly slow and level while controlling the bomb, soon made further use of it impossible. The Smithsonian obtained this Fritz X from the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics.
Display Status
This object is on display in Rockets & Missiles at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.
Object Details
Country of Origin
Germany
Type
ARMAMENT-Bombs
Designer
Ruhrstahl AG
Physical Description
metal; olive green with yellow stencils and fin leading edges; 4 forward fins & cruciform tail; hatch to guidance section missing?
Repainted light flat blue 2003. The hatch to the guidance section fabricated with clear lexan for display.
Dimensions
Overall: 11 ft. tall x 4 ft. 8 in. wide x 2 ft. 9 in. deep, 2755.8 lb. (335.28 x 142.2 x 83.8cm, 1250kg)
Materials
Steel (bomb casing), magnesium (guidance section and part of tail section), aluminum (tail fins)
Alternate Name
Fritz X Guided Bomb
Inventory Number
A19710760000
Credit Line
Transferred from the U.S. Navy, Naval Supply Center, Cheatham Annex, Williamsburg, Va.
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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