FightingSteel1
Jan-21-2016, 19:01
Here is my second installment, looking at some WWII historical weapons, people or battles. This week is...
The V-1
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/V1Ground.jpg
Image from 1944, France
The first pulsejet powered aircraft, and really the first missile deployed in combat, was the now infamous V-1. The craft would go by many names; officially it was Flakzeilgerat 76, an antiaircraft designation to throw off allied intelligence. The German propaganda ministry designated it Vergeltunswaffe (reprisal weapon) 1. To the average Londoner though, this unmanned scourge was the “buzz bomb,” “doodlebug” or many other descriptive names.
Developed for many years (from 1939) by Fieseler, the V-1 was a small-winged cylindrical craft, with a stovepipe shaped pulsejet engine mounted on top. It was 25 feet long, with a wingspan of 17.5 feet. The missiles warhead was 850kg. Standard gasoline powered the craft after ignition by Acetylene, and the V-1 would rocket down a inclined catapult (or later off of modified Luftwaffe aircraft) towards it's target.
Originally designed as a remote controlled bomb, this idea was abandoned in favor of a simple guidance system. This system was able to regulate altitude and airspeed. The V-1 was limited to steering by rudder while a pendulum system controlled the pitch. An odometer would count down (value was preset by the ground crew) with every 30 revolutions of a small airflow driven propeller. This countdown also armed the V-1s warhead around 60km (37 miles) from it's target area. Once the countdown was finished two bolts would fire and jam the elevator down while locking the rudder position. This put the V-1 into a steep plunge to it's target and detonation.
As an interesting side note, originally the design featured a recognizable flaw on it's dive. The rapid pitch down would also cause all fuel flow to cease, which would completely cut the engine. Those on the ground near the incoming missile could use this loss of engine sound to brace for momentary impact. Attempts were made to rectify this characteristic, and eventually a majority of V-1s powered into the ground instead of gliding.
Impact
The V-1 was first fired in June of 1944, mere days after the D-Day landings. The German unit deployed the flying bomb from a handful of lightweight ramps in the French countryside. The V-1s would be fired from these sites at up to 18 a day, set on a course for London. The crafts guidance system wasn't very accurate; Precise calculations made to determine the amount of propeller revolutions before the dive was initiated were thrown off by wind speeds and other environmental factors for example. In fact only about 25% of all launched missiles found their target. On the first day ten V-1s were deployed. Of those, four crashed after takeoff, two went into the English Channel, while the other four made it to England (with only one actually landing in London). Because of less than ideal success rates, the Germans went with the quantity approach, as 500 “flying bombs” were launched by just June 18th.
The Vergeltunswaffe 1 would terrorize London and other heavily populated areas of England for the coming months. The bomb would wreak havoc with it's large (300-500m) blast wave, then cause a vacuum effect that created more damage after the initial impact. Buildings at the landing point were completely demolished, and the force usually brought down or at least heavily damaged surrounding structures. Scores of people were killed or injured with each strike, with the worst being 47 killed in Kent from one impact. The constant need for awareness plus loss of housing and services for thousands during a cold summer made for a demoralizing psychological effect on the citizens of London.
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/Damage.jpg
America Square V-1 damage, 1944 - Source unknown
Response
The arrival of this new terror weapon on the populace of England was met with a large counteroffensive from the allies. Bomber raids were diverted to attack the V-1 sites while multiple layers of defenses were set up in country. In fact, a quarter of all bomber raids from July to September 1944 were against V-1 sites. Over 2,000 barrage balloons were set up with the hopes of clipping a V-1 and sending it tumbling to the ground. Large amounts of Antiaircraft guns were set from the coast to the outskirts of London. In addition, great strides were made in the RAF and USAF to effectively counter the new threat with interceptor aircraft.
See Part 2 for more information on those RAF and USAF aircraft, and the end of the V-1 campaign.
The V-1
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/V1Ground.jpg
Image from 1944, France
The first pulsejet powered aircraft, and really the first missile deployed in combat, was the now infamous V-1. The craft would go by many names; officially it was Flakzeilgerat 76, an antiaircraft designation to throw off allied intelligence. The German propaganda ministry designated it Vergeltunswaffe (reprisal weapon) 1. To the average Londoner though, this unmanned scourge was the “buzz bomb,” “doodlebug” or many other descriptive names.
Developed for many years (from 1939) by Fieseler, the V-1 was a small-winged cylindrical craft, with a stovepipe shaped pulsejet engine mounted on top. It was 25 feet long, with a wingspan of 17.5 feet. The missiles warhead was 850kg. Standard gasoline powered the craft after ignition by Acetylene, and the V-1 would rocket down a inclined catapult (or later off of modified Luftwaffe aircraft) towards it's target.
Originally designed as a remote controlled bomb, this idea was abandoned in favor of a simple guidance system. This system was able to regulate altitude and airspeed. The V-1 was limited to steering by rudder while a pendulum system controlled the pitch. An odometer would count down (value was preset by the ground crew) with every 30 revolutions of a small airflow driven propeller. This countdown also armed the V-1s warhead around 60km (37 miles) from it's target area. Once the countdown was finished two bolts would fire and jam the elevator down while locking the rudder position. This put the V-1 into a steep plunge to it's target and detonation.
As an interesting side note, originally the design featured a recognizable flaw on it's dive. The rapid pitch down would also cause all fuel flow to cease, which would completely cut the engine. Those on the ground near the incoming missile could use this loss of engine sound to brace for momentary impact. Attempts were made to rectify this characteristic, and eventually a majority of V-1s powered into the ground instead of gliding.
Impact
The V-1 was first fired in June of 1944, mere days after the D-Day landings. The German unit deployed the flying bomb from a handful of lightweight ramps in the French countryside. The V-1s would be fired from these sites at up to 18 a day, set on a course for London. The crafts guidance system wasn't very accurate; Precise calculations made to determine the amount of propeller revolutions before the dive was initiated were thrown off by wind speeds and other environmental factors for example. In fact only about 25% of all launched missiles found their target. On the first day ten V-1s were deployed. Of those, four crashed after takeoff, two went into the English Channel, while the other four made it to England (with only one actually landing in London). Because of less than ideal success rates, the Germans went with the quantity approach, as 500 “flying bombs” were launched by just June 18th.
The Vergeltunswaffe 1 would terrorize London and other heavily populated areas of England for the coming months. The bomb would wreak havoc with it's large (300-500m) blast wave, then cause a vacuum effect that created more damage after the initial impact. Buildings at the landing point were completely demolished, and the force usually brought down or at least heavily damaged surrounding structures. Scores of people were killed or injured with each strike, with the worst being 47 killed in Kent from one impact. The constant need for awareness plus loss of housing and services for thousands during a cold summer made for a demoralizing psychological effect on the citizens of London.
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/Damage.jpg
America Square V-1 damage, 1944 - Source unknown
Response
The arrival of this new terror weapon on the populace of England was met with a large counteroffensive from the allies. Bomber raids were diverted to attack the V-1 sites while multiple layers of defenses were set up in country. In fact, a quarter of all bomber raids from July to September 1944 were against V-1 sites. Over 2,000 barrage balloons were set up with the hopes of clipping a V-1 and sending it tumbling to the ground. Large amounts of Antiaircraft guns were set from the coast to the outskirts of London. In addition, great strides were made in the RAF and USAF to effectively counter the new threat with interceptor aircraft.
See Part 2 for more information on those RAF and USAF aircraft, and the end of the V-1 campaign.