PDA

View Full Version : Condensed History: The V-1 Flying Bomb



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.

FightingSteel1
Jan-21-2016, 19:02
Part 2: Interceptors

Due to the speed of the V-1, which was around 550 km/h, and it's low altitude, aircraft interception was initially difficult. Without a height advantage, most allied fighters did not have the needed low altitude performance to stick with the enemy craft. At the beginning of V-1 operations, the Hawker Tempest was the best choice for that interception. The Tempest's Napier Sabre engine, with around 2200HP, allowed the aircraft to fly at 400 mph (over 640km) at the altitude of the flying bomb.

Also, the Spitfire XIV and P-51D, with some modifications, were effective at running down the flying bombs. Their engines were meticulously tuned and serviced at regular intervals, and every last bit of extra weight was removed to squeeze as much speed as possible from the airframes. Specially modified P-47M Thunderbolts powered by a 2800HP radial (and 50mph/80km faster than D model variants) were introduced, but these were too late to see much action against V-1s. Surprisingly, The De Havilland Mosquito ended up being an accomplished V-1 killer, claiming the most kills at 623. The two engined aircraft proved to have great firepower and good low speed performance, allowing it a large share of patrols and success against the V-1. Also of note is the Gloster Meteor, the first jet powered RAF aircraft. The jet was rushed into service against the missiles, but due to various issues only claimed 13 downed.

http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/topple.jpg
Spitfire going to "tip" a V-1 over Sussex - Photograph CH 16281 from Imperial War Museum

A now famous maneuver used against the V-1 was “tipping,” in which a fast enough fighter would get next to the bomb, slide a wing underneath the enemy craft's wing, then lift to rapidly upset the gyroscope and delicate guidance of the V-1. This maneuver was risky for obvious reasons, but the rolled steel construction of flying bombs also had a tendency to damage the aluminum wings of the interceptors. This rolled steel also contributed to the adoption of this idea, as gunfire was problematic. Small caliber machine gun rounds, like the .303, usually bounced off the pulsejet missile. Cannon fire was effective, but it's shorter range was a danger to pilots. A shot in the right place could detonate the warhead, damaging or destroying the interceptor aircraft as well.

Joseph Berry

http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/Berry.jpg

Of particular note was a Royal Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Joseph Berry. Previously a Bristol Beaufighter pilot early in the war, he had shot down three enemy aircraft over Italy before being posted to the specially created Fighter Interception Unit (FIU). There he began flying the previously mentioned Hawker Tempest, and became the most accomplished V-1 killer of the war.
Joseph Berry took down 52 V-1s, including 7(!) on the night of July 23, 1944. Sadly, when his unit was tasked with other missions as the V-1 threat began to die down, Berry was killed after his Tempest was hit by small arms fire over the Netherlands. He was award the Distinguished Flying Cross with two bars for his service and accomplishments.

Move to Air

After the sites in France were eventually overrun, the V-1 was deployed from German territory pointed towards the port of Antwerp in Belgium. Also, the Luftwaffe began deploying them from modified He-111 bombers. Over 1,100 bombs were fired from German aircraft in the North Sea. This deployment had the advantage of bypassing many of the AA defenses set up in Southeastern England. Even so, the Heinkels had to fly very low to avoid radar detection before increasing altitude to fire the missile. The bright flash of the pulse jet engine made the bombers incredibly susceptible to attack, especially at night.

End of Campaign

Though Luftwaffe deployment was continued for several months, accuracy and success rate were fairly low. An estimated 40% of air launched V-1s were total failures, while others fell to interception before hitting their target. Due to technical defects and production inconsistencies, some V-1s simply dropped right into the sea after being dropped by Luftwaffe bombers. Typically, around 1-2 flying bombs impacted in or near London once the V-1 had gone entirely air deployed.

With diminishing returns, V-1s were sent towards London until March 29, 1945. When the campaign had ended, over 6,000 British citizens were killed in the attacks, with more than 40,000 wounded. Though inaccurate weapons, infrastructure, factories, rail networks, and everyday life were severely disrupted by the bombs. Massive amounts of resources, personnel and weapons had to be directed to counter the attacks. For a time, the V-1 diverted some of the focus away from German production facilities and other military targets as the allies sought to destroy the launch sites.

But in the end, the V-1 was billed as a miracle weapon by German propaganda, something officials hoped would decimate war production and the will of the British people for little cost in lives and material. This was not to be, as the flying bomb was unable to significantly turn the tide of war back in Germany's favor.

ATAG_((dB))
Jan-22-2016, 02:50
Very good informative read. Keep them coming.

Thanks

o7

ATAG_Headshot
Jan-24-2016, 11:59
I was told once that once the Germans realized that the allies were sometimes tipping the bombs that they put in a countermeasure for that, which made it so that if the gyro was upset too much (or something along those lines) the V-1 would detonate and take the flipping aircraft with it. I've not seen that in any other sources though. Has anyone else heard of this?

FightingSteel1
Jan-24-2016, 15:19
I was told once that once the Germans realized that the allies were sometimes tipping the bombs that they put in a countermeasure for that, which made it so that if the gyro was upset too much (or something along those lines) the V-1 would detonate and take the flipping aircraft with it. I've not seen that in any other sources though. Has anyone else heard of this?

I didn't come across that myself, but I'll see if anything references that.

I do know that the Germans put cutters/sharpened edges on the wings of the V-1 later to try and slice through the cables holding the barrage balloons.

ATAG_Headshot
Jan-24-2016, 16:37
I was actually told that by one of the other tour guides at our aviation museum so I hope it's true ;)

richardhilton590
May-05-2016, 11:04
Those bomber plane are a great piece of history. Flying in the sky and dropping bombs in the city is a sure terrifying for affected people. But without them the war will be longer and more army soldier will surely die.