Editing Bachem Ba 349 Natter (section)

===Flight testing===
Construction of the first experimental prototype ''Natter, Versuchsmuster 1'', was completed on 4 October 1944. V1 was subsequently referred to as ''Baumuster1'' (''BM1'') and later still the "B" was dropped and the machine became known as the M1. Most subsequent prototypes were known by 'M' codes, as the later prototypes of the [[Heinkel He 162]] were. Manned glider flights began on 3 November 1944. The first glider M1 was towed to around 3,000 m by a [[Heinkel He 111]] bomber with a cable (''Tragschlepp'' mode) at [[Neuburg an der Donau]]. The pilot was Erich Klöckner, who made all four documented ''Tragschlepp'' ("towed") flights.

After carrying out the test programme of the M1, he bailed out and the machine crashed into the ground.<ref>Klöckner 1944</ref> It was found that the towing cable, and in the case of the M3, the undercarriage interfered with the flight characteristics of the gliders and consequently the results were difficult to interpret.<ref name="Reyle 1998, pp. 70-73"/> To resolve doubts about the Natter in the glider mode, Hans Zübert made a free flight in the M8 on 14 February, and showed that the Natter was indeed a good flying machine.<ref>Zübert 1945 {{page needed|date=November 2022}}</ref>

The vertical take-off trials were conducted on high ground called the Ochsenkopf at the ''Truppenübungsplatz'' (military training area) Heuberg near [[Stetten am kalten Markt]], [[Württemberg]]. The first successful unmanned vertical take-off from the experimental launch tower occurred on 22 December 1944.{{Sfn |Aeronautical Staff of Aero Publishers|1966| p =  35}} The test machine, the M16, was powered only by the Schmidding solid boosters,<ref name=c4>Christopher, p. 154.</ref> as were all the early vertical launch trials. Up to and including 1 March 1945, 16 prototypes had been used, eight in glider trials and eight in VTO trials.<ref>Gooden 2006, pp. 114–115.</ref>