The 44M Lidérc (Hungarian:

succubus A succubus is a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious tradition, a succubus needs male semen to survive; repeated sexual activi ...

) was an experimental air-to-air rocket developed in Hungary during World War II. It had an acoustic proximity fuse invented by Károly Pulváry ( Technological University of Budapest). The acoustic device was a highly advanced technology in 1944 and the research of necessary electronics was quite a complex project. The sensor consisted of a super-sensitive microphone, and a squelch principle circuit with two electron tube amplifiers. Cutaway plan of the Lidérc''

'' (tortenelem.444.hu) The fuse worked excellently with the artificial American bomber-engine sound in the Aerotechnical Institute's wind tunnel. During air combat every Messerschmitt Me 210, Me 210 Ca-1 destroyer-aircraft (Hungarian: romboló, German: zerstörer) would have launched 2-4 Lidérc into a bomber group which was expected to cause great damage and significantly impact the morale of bomber crews. The main goal was to disarrange bombing sorties rather than destroy airplanes in order to protect civilians from terror-bombings. A total of a few hundred rockets were produced, but the bombing raids made it impossible to finish the acoustic system. The weapon was produced in Csepel at Weiss Manfred Works, but due to the bomb attacks on the factory, DIMÁVAG continued it. The Hungarian troops used them in the defensive operations of

Csepel Island Csepel Island (Hungarian: ''Csepel-sziget'', ) is an island on the Danube in Hungary. It is long; its width after sections of bifurcation and rejoining (confluence) varies from . It has an area of and its population is 165,000. The isle extend ...

Érd Érd (; german: Hanselbeck; hr, Andzabeg) is a town in Pest County, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It is a city with county rights. History The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Archaeological findings indicate that prehistoric ...

, and later in

Lake Velence Lake Velence (german: Welenzer See), an endorheic basin, is the third largest natural lake in Hungary. It is a popular holiday destination among Hungarians. The lake has an area of 26 km2, one third of which is covered by the common reed. Be ...

as anti-personnel incendiary

artillery rocket Rocket artillery is artillery that uses rocket explosives as the projectile. The use of rocket artillery dates back to medieval China where devices such as fire arrows were used (albeit mostly as a psychological weapon). Fire arrows were also u ...

(like

Nebelwerfer The Nebelwerfer (smoke mortar) was a World War II German series of weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the Wehrmacht's "smoke troops" (''Nebeltruppen''). Initially, two different mortars were fielded before they were replace ...

) against

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

human-wave attacks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:44M Lidérc Air-to-air rockets