The project attempted to convert ideas from the dangerous Me 163 rocket fighter into a radio-controlled missile. It eventually lost priority to Herbert Wagner's Hs 117 Schmetterling, following his earlier work on the Hs 293 anti-ship weapon. Enzian's January 1945 cancellation belongs to a larger problem in German weapons policy. Competing projects consumed resources long after D-Day and developments on the Eastern Front and in Italy had made simplification urgent. New technology could not compensate for late, fragmented decision-making.
Notable Point · 51:28-53:58
Enzian's cancellation came too late for rationalisation
The Enzian missile borrowed from the Me 163 concept but was cancelled in favor of the Hs 117 only when Germany's wider weapons programme was already overextended.