{"id":27727225,"date":"2026-10-12T11:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/?p=27727225"},"modified":"2026-10-12T11:04:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:04:17","slug":"henschel-hs-117-schmetterling-surface-to-air-missile-ww2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/henschel-hs-117-schmetterling-surface-to-air-missile-ww2\/","title":{"rendered":"Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling: Not the First SAM, but the Closest to Service"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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One answer was a weapon that did not yet exist anywhere: a guided missile fired from the ground at aircraft. Germany worked on several. The Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling, or &ldquo;Butterfly&rdquo;, was one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A post circulating on Instagram calls it &ldquo;the world&rsquo;s first surface to air missile&rdquo;. Most of what it says about the Schmetterling is right. That opening claim is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;border-left:4px solid #1a1a1a;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px\"><li><strong>Designer:<\/strong> Herbert A. Wagner, Henschel<\/li><li><strong>Origins:<\/strong> Proposed 1941, rejected, revived 1943<\/li><li><strong>First test launches:<\/strong> May 1944, Karlshagen near Peenem&uuml;nde<\/li><li><strong>Test launches:<\/strong> 59, more than half of them failures<\/li><li><strong>Propulsion:<\/strong> BMW 109-558 liquid rocket plus two Schmidding 109-553 solid boosters<\/li><li><strong>Guidance:<\/strong> Manual command to line of sight: operator, telescope and joystick<\/li><li><strong>Warhead:<\/strong> About 25 kg<\/li><li><strong>Fate:<\/strong> Cancelled in early 1945 before entering service<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Missile Steered by Joystick<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Herbert Wagner, who had already designed the Hs 293 anti-ship glide bomb, proposed the Schmetterling in 1941. The Air Ministry turned it down; nobody saw the need. Two years later, with Allied bombing intensifying, it was revived. The missile looked like a small aircraft, with short swept wings, a cross-shaped tail and two solid-fuel boosters strapped above and below the body to get it off the launch ramp. A BMW liquid-fuel rocket then sustained the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guidance was manual. An operator watched the missile through a telescopic sight, helped by a flare in its tail by day or a light at night, and steered it onto the bomber with a joystick. The commands went out by radio over the Kehl&ndash;Stra&szlig;burg link already used for the Hs 293. Proximity fuzes were planned but never materialised, so in tests the warhead was normally detonated by radio command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/henschel-hs-117-schmetterling-raf-museum-cosford-1024x586.jpg\" alt=\"Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling at the RAF Museum Cosford\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An Hs 117 at the RAF Museum Cosford, with its short swept wings and the mounting points for its two boosters. Photo: Clemens Vasters, CC BY 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ulPh-UzvFYg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Not the World&rsquo;s First<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Schmetterling was not the first surface-to-air missile, even in Germany. The Rheinmetall-Borsig Rheintochter began test firings in August 1943, and the Wasserfall, a scaled-down relative of the V-2, made its first test launch on 29 February 1944. Schmetterling launches only started in May 1944. Neither Wikipedia nor the Smithsonian&rsquo;s National Air and Space Museum, which holds one, calls it the first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What the Smithsonian does say is more interesting: of the German anti-aircraft missiles, the Hs 117 came closest to being deployed. Mass production was ordered in December 1944, with plans for operational use from March 1945 and a planned output that would have reached thousands a month by late 1945. The museum itself calls that timetable unrealistic.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Cancelled Before Combat<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The caption is right that the programme was cancelled in early 1945 before the missile saw combat. Sources differ on the exact date: English sources usually give 6 February 1945, German ones January 1945, both ordered by SS general Hans Kammler, who by then controlled Germany&rsquo;s missile programmes. An air-launched version, the Hs 117H, had flown 21 tests from a Dornier Do 217; its development ended in February 1945 too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the war the Soviet Union built copies of both the Schmetterling and the Wasserfall at its NII-88 institute, testing them from 1948. The Schmetterling copy, the R-105, was rejected because its layout made it unsuitable against jet bombers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/elqD2m1q78c\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Where to See One<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surviving Hs 117s are on display at the Smithsonian&rsquo;s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington, at the RAF Museum Cosford in England, and, on loan from the RAF Museum, at the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DeHnvLVxQIq\/\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\"background:#fff;border:0;margin:24px auto;max-width:540px;min-width:280px;width:100%\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DeHnvLVxQIq\/\">View this post on Instagram<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sources: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (object A19890595000 and Rheintochter record); Wikipedia (English and German), Henschel Hs 117, Wasserfall, Rheintochter, Brakemine; HistoryofWar.org; Axis aircraft and missile archive (classicwings); Steven Zaloga and others via the Soviet air-defence history archive at nymas.org<\/em><\/p>\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Was the Henschel Hs 117 the first surface-to-air missile?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. Germany&rsquo;s Rheintochter began test firings in August 1943 and the Wasserfall first launched on 29 February 1944, before the Hs 117 Schmetterling&rsquo;s first launches in May 1944. The Hs 117 is better described as one of the first SAMs and the German one that came closest to service.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How was the Hs 117 Schmetterling guided?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Hs 117 used manual command to line of sight. An operator tracked the missile through a telescopic sight, aided by a tail flare, and steered it towards the target bomber with a joystick, sending commands by radio over the Kehl&ndash;Stra&szlig;burg link.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did the Hs 117 Schmetterling see combat?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. Mass production was ordered in December 1944, but the programme was cancelled in early 1945, usually dated 6 February 1945, before any missiles were deployed.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many Hs 117 missiles were test-launched?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">About 59 Hs 117 test launches were made from May 1944, more than half of which failed. The air-launched Hs 117H made a further 21 tests from a Dornier Do 217.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where can you see an Hs 117 Schmetterling today?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Hs 117 missiles are displayed at the Smithsonian&rsquo;s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, the RAF Museum Cosford in England and the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was the Henschel Hs 117 the first surface-to-air missile?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. Germany\u2019s Rheintochter began test firings in August 1943 and the Wasserfall first launched on 29 February 1944, before the Hs 117 Schmetterling\u2019s first launches in May 1944. The Hs 117 is better described as one of the first SAMs and the German one that came closest to service.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How was the Hs 117 Schmetterling guided?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Hs 117 used manual command to line of sight. An operator tracked the missile through a telescopic sight, aided by a tail flare, and steered it towards the target bomber with a joystick, sending commands by radio over the Kehl\u2013Stra&szlig;burg link.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did the Hs 117 Schmetterling see combat?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. Mass production was ordered in December 1944, but the programme was cancelled in early 1945, usually dated 6 February 1945, before any missiles were deployed.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many Hs 117 missiles were test-launched?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"About 59 Hs 117 test launches were made from May 1944, more than half of which failed. The air-launched Hs 117H made a further 21 tests from a Dornier Do 217.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where can you see an Hs 117 Schmetterling today?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Hs 117 missiles are displayed at the Smithsonian\u2019s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, the RAF Museum Cosford in England and the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/horten-ho-229-jet-flying-wing-stealth-myth\/\">Horten Ho 229: The Jet Flying Wing That Was Never a Stealth Fighter<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/black-thursday-over-schweinfurt-the-b-17-raid-that-nearly-broke-the-eighth-air-force\/\">Black Thursday Over Schweinfurt: The B-17 Raid That Nearly Broke the Eighth Air Force<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A viral post calls the Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling the world\u2019s first surface-to-air missile. It was not, but of all Germany\u2019s wartime anti-aircraft missiles it came closest to service before the programme was killed in 1945.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":27726927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27727225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hs 117 Schmetterling: Germany\u2019s WWII SAM, Fact-Checked | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling was a joystick-guided German anti-aircraft missile of 1944. 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