Zeppelin attack on Washington DC( no not the aircraft carrier)

In the late 20's's the German high command investigates using a Zeppelin to bomb Washington DC. They had watched while the US Navy using the Akron and Macon with the airplanes on board. Colonel Dornberger came up with a plan to use a flying bomb. Various attempts at using then included. the Kettering "Bug". flying bomb (http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/bug.html). And the Italian Telebomba Crocco from 1918. While admitdly a low priority several designs were submitted. Some use piston engines for longer range and some using solid fuel rocket engines.


The army came up with a design for a storage pod to be hung from the keel of a Zeppelin to hold 15 of the bombs. The bombs were to be dropped and the engines start and fly from there. Even though the bombs didnt have much range, the project remains on the back burner for years. Eventually the project came up again after Hitler came into office and Some engineer brought in German engineer, Paul Schmidt, who working from design of Lorin tube, developed and patented a ramjet engine. The program created what was a crude V-1 type missile. It used a form of wire guidence from the Siemens torpedo glider(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_torpedo_glider). In 1936 a prototype was dropped from a DO 17 bomber and tested successfully.


Since the Luftwaffe did not have an aircraft that had the range to bomb the US, The army quietly updates the program for the Hindenburg and the still in design Graf Zeppelin 2. After the war broke out the SS took control of the Lz-130 in Frankfurt and installed the redesigned pod. While scouting the British radar network, The ship actually launched 4 of the missiles. The chase planes followed the missiles 200 miles before the missiles crashed into a target set up in Northern Germany.


Plans were made to have several u-boats sent in advance to scout potential launch zones, for Washington DC as well as NYC. Freighters were sent from Spain with the pods and the missiles for the airship to rendezvous with at sea. If possible these ships would allow the zeppelin to reload and fire at more targets. The zeppelin was routed from Germany through France and Spain out to sea where the u-boats let the ship know if the way was clear. While it was hoped that the ship would be able to refuel and return to Germany, a all volunteer crew was selected from former Zeppelin employees.


Well what do you think, could something like this work? Or too much like ASB? I know that by early 1942 the Graf was scrapped but is this plausable?


docfl
 
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It would need to be a suicide mission and it would likely be wildly out of range but yes it could. It would be much better economically as well.
 
It would be a waste of resources unfortunately. Also there is no way that the Luftwaffe would not be involved in it, Goering pretty much had a monopoly on all military aircraft.
 
Well yes chances are a one way trip, but I figure that if they launch a couple of hundred miles off shore unless they get spotted by a ship there is a chance. As for Goering, I figure the SS would keep him out of it.
docfl
 
Do minimal damage, be essentially a one way trip (certainly if they got home and tried it again they'd not make it back a second time).

2nd thought! YOWZA!!! You thought the US was mad after Pearl Harbor? You ain't seen nuthin' yet, boy!
 
Yea, other than Germany effectively attempting intimate relations with a fire ant mound no real strategic effect. FDR has a much easier time selling the Germany First policy.
 
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