Bölkow developments KG Stuttgart, Ottobrunn: The anti-tank rocket Document 810 COBRA. "1953 I visited Erich Heimann, the publisher of appearing in Geneva aviation magazine" Inter Avia "several times in Stuttgart. Soon he came to his real concern to speak. European aviation needed again in the future German participation. Lastly, there is also negotiating a stake the Germans to the EDC (European Defence Community). his view should be in such a case the German armaments industry developments involved. between the major powers will soon be a balance of terror specify what the nuclear weapons concerns.
conventional arms, however, would Russians then a disastrous superiority in the field of armoured vehicles aurweisen. Man must, Heimann, in the field of anti-tank involved. Also from the other side, I was distressed.
Theodor Benecke, former employees of the department later »Dienststelle Blank«, invited me to Bad Liebenzell, where we are together with Günther Beautiful, the German-French Institute of St. Louis worked met. Both were also of the opinion that in the area of anti-tank needs to do something. I suggested a possible cheap antitank weapon from plastic parts that can be cheaply and easily could be. Heimann brought me with the president of the company Oerlikon-Bührle.
The Swiss company declared its readiness to the drives for our anti-tank rocket to build the warheads. our team, the missile and the entire control and remote control. government at the time, there was still no money for such plans. Ker took it as a stroke of luck, that the 1954 I financier Wolfgang Hamburger Eating met, my defense was important proposals. dinner with promise, we dare up to the task, a light anti-tank rocket to develop the infantry in the area could be taken. economic base was a consortium.
From the initial letter was then also the name of the weapon system: COBRA = Contraves, Oerlikon, and Bölkow rocket. began in the 1956 trial in Switzerland. end of the year 1956 succeeded, with the Federal Ministry of Defence signed a contract for the delivery of the first 2000 COBRA. Well, we urgently need an assembly plant, but no operation was interested in a rocket wound from cardboard tubes with attached wings, a little aufgewickelten tax electronics and wires. example, we will then have the production in Nabern raised. "
(From: Ludwig Bölkow: The anti-tank rocket BO 810 COBRA, in the catalogue research and technology in Germany after 1945, Deutsches Museum Bonn, the German art publisher (Munich), 1995 (p. 352)) April 16, 2001 (Note: Theodor died Benecke after publication of the "guided missile" book.) May 6, 2001
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