It was called the Fritz X, an air-launched radio-controlled bomb. Similar to the above HS 293, but with a primary function to destroy heavily armored naval vessels. It had superior aerodynamics, four small wings extending out about 4 ft, and a tail. The Fritz X was highly formidable in the eyes of the Allies. The ancestor of the modern smart bomb carried over 700 lbs of explosives. It used a joystick radio-command signal system, making it one of world’s first precision guided weapons.

These weapons were deployed near the islands of Malta and Sicily in 1943, and were highly effective. On September 9, 1943, Germans dropped several of these on the Italian battleship Roma, claiming the lives of all 1,455 men on board. These were also used to sink the British cruiser HMS Spartan, destroyer HMS Janus, cruiser HMS Uganda, and a Newfoundland hospital ship. Just one of these bombs put the American light cruiser USS Savannah out of commission for an entire year. Over 2,000 Fritz X bombs were constructed, but only 200 were ever dropped on targets. The difficulty with the bombs was that once dropped they could not change direction abruptly. The bombers would have to fly directly over the target, which would leave them easily susceptible to enemy attack, causing the German bomber groups to suffer heavy losses.