Fritz X

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	Weapon: Fritz X Type: Anti-Ship Missile Country of Origin: Germany Year Adopted: 1943 Overall Length (mm): 3320.0 Overall Length (in): 130.71 Weight (kg): 1570.00 Weight (pounds): 3461.26

The Fritz X, officially designated Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, was a German precision-guided anti-ship bomb developed during World War II. Designed by Max Kramer of Ruhrstahl, it was based on a modified 1,400 kg armor-piercing bomb fitted with four tail fins, a control unit, and a radio guidance system. Operators aboard the launch aircraft, typically Dornier Do 217 bombers, could steer the weapon toward its target using visual tracking, making it one of the first truly effective guided bombs.

Production of the Fritz X began in 1942, and several hundred units were manufactured, though exact figures remain uncertain due to wartime record losses. The weapon was introduced operationally in 1943, and its most famous success came on September 9 of that year when it struck and sank the Italian battleship Roma shortly after Italy's surrender. Other attacks damaged or sank Allied warships in the Mediterranean, proving the devastating potential of guided munitions against heavily armored naval targets.

The Fritz X gained notoriety as the world's first precision-guided anti-ship weapon to sink a battleship in combat, marking a turning point in naval warfare. Despite its effectiveness, its use was limited by the vulnerability of the slow bomber aircraft required to deliver it, as Allied air superiority increased over Europe. Nevertheless, its legacy was profound: the Fritz X directly influenced the postwar development of guided bombs and anti-ship missiles, establishing the foundation for modern precision strike weapons.

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