Editing Surface-to-air missile (section)

====Axis efforts====
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 141-1898, Peenemünde, Start Fla-Rakete "Wasserfall".jpg|thumb|right|A ''Wasserfall'' missile lifts off during a test flight.]]

The first serious consideration of a SAM development project was a series of conversations that took place in Germany during 1941. In February, Friederich Halder proposed a "flak rocket" concept, which led [[Walter Dornberger]] to ask [[Wernher von Braun]] to prepare a study on a guided missile able to reach between {{convert|15000|and|18000|m|abbr=on}} altitude. Von Braun became convinced a better solution was a crewed rocket interceptor, and said as much to the director of the [[T-Amt]], [[Roluf Lucht]], in July. The directors of the ''Luftwaffe'' flak arm were not interested in crewed aircraft, and the resulting disagreements between the teams delayed serious consideration of a SAM for two years.{{sfn|Westerman|2001|p=78}}

Von Axthelm published his concerns in 1942, and the subject saw serious consideration for the first time; initial development programs for liquid- and [[solid-fuel rocket]]s became part of the Flak Development Program of 1942.{{sfn|Westerman|2001|p=112}} By this point serious studies by the [[Peenemünde]] team had been prepared, and several rocket designs had been proposed, including 1940's ''[[Feuerlilie]]'', and 1941's [[Wasserfall missile|''Wasserfall'']] and [[Henschel Hs 117]] ''Schmetterling''. None of these projects saw any real development until 1943, when the first large-scale raids by the Allied [[air force]]s started. As the urgency of the problem grew, new designs were added, including ''[[Enzian]]'' and ''[[Rheintochter]]'', as well as the unguided [[Taifun (rocket)|''Taifun'']] which was designed to be launched in waves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/collections/missiles/missile_info.cfm?missile_id=33 |title=Scheufeln Taifun |access-date=2006-07-16 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040110140650/http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/collections/missiles/missile_info.cfm?missile_id=33 |archive-date=10 January 2004 |website=RAF Museum }}</ref>

In general, these designs could be split into two groups. One set of designs would be boosted to altitude in front of the bombers and then flown towards them on a head-on approach at low speeds comparable to crewed aircraft. These designs included the Feuerlilie, Schmetterling and Enzian. The second group were high-speed missiles, typically supersonic, that flew directly towards their targets from below. These included Wasserfall and Rheintochter. Both types used [[radio control]] for guidance, either by eye, or by comparing the returns of the missile and target on a single radar screen. Development of all these systems was carried out at the same time, and the war ended before any of them was ready for combat use. The infighting between various groups in the military also delayed development. Some extreme fighter designs, like the [[Me 163|''Komet'']] and [[Bachem Ba 349|''Natter'']], also overlapped with SAMs in their intended uses.

[[Albert Speer]] was especially supportive of missile development. In his opinion, had they been consistently developed from the start, the large scale [[Combined Bomber Offensive|bomber raids of 1944]] would have been impossible.<ref>Albert Speer, "Inside the Third Reich", Macmillan, p. 492.</ref>