Surface to air missile development began in 1942 in earnest in Germany and saw numerous simultaneous engineering teams attempting to make a workable surface to air missile and receive a lucrative Nazi Government contract. The Richtochen used a solid fuel liquid propellant that drove the 21 foot long missile. It featured control surfaces, in the nose, six fins aft of the first stage. It is said to be copied from the 7.62 mm round.
Some six prototypes were launched in January 1945. It was tested with both long and short range radio control. It was hoped that these surface to air missiles would reverse the increasingly effective Allied bombing raids.
It was never operational and the program was cancelled in 1945.
