V1 "Flying Bomb"
The Fieseler Fi 103
The idea of a flying bomb was first introduced to the Luftwaffe in 1939. After being turned down once, a second proposal was also turned down in 1941. With German losses increasing, the Luftwaffe revisited the idea in June 1942 and approved the testing of an inexpensive flying bomb that had a range of about 150 miles. To protect the project from Allied spies, it was named "Flak Ziel Geraet" (anti-aircraft target apparatus). The design of the weapon was done by Robert Lusser and Fritz Gosslau.
Using the earlier work of Paul Schmidt, Fritz designed a pulse jet engine for the V1. Fritz’s engine was placed above a simple fuselage which had short, stubby wings. Designed by Lusser, the body was originally made mostly of welded steel. In production, plywood was used instead for making the wings. The V1 was directed to its target by the use of a simple navigation system which used gyroscopes for stability, a magnetic compass for heading, and a barometric altimeter for altitude control. A vane anemometer on the nose drove a counter which determined when the target area was reached and triggered a mechanism to cause the bomb to dive.
Using the earlier work of Paul Schmidt, Fritz designed a pulse jet engine for the V1. Fritz’s engine was placed above a simple fuselage which had short, stubby wings. Designed by Lusser, the body was originally made mostly of welded steel. In production, plywood was used instead for making the wings. The V1 was directed to its target by the use of a simple navigation system which used gyroscopes for stability, a magnetic compass for heading, and a barometric altimeter for altitude control. A vane anemometer on the nose drove a counter which determined when the target area was reached and triggered a mechanism to cause the bomb to dive.
V-1 Development:
The development of the V1 progressed at the Peenemünde where the V-2 was also being tested. The first glide test was in early December 1942, and the first powered test on Christmas Eve. On May 26 Nazi officials put the weapon into production. Named the Fiesler Fi-103, it was more commonly know as V-1, the "Vergeltungswaffe Einz" (Vengeance Weapon 1). With this approval, work moved more quickly at Peenemünde while units were formed and launch sites constructed. While lots of the V-1's early test flights had been launched from German aircraft, the weapon was intended to be launched from ground sites with the hepl of ramps fitted with gas powered catapults. These sites were constructed in northern France in the Pas-de-Calais region. While many early sites were destroyed by Allied aircraft before becoming operational, new, concealed locations were built to replace them. While the production of the V1 was spread across Germany, many were built by slave-labors at the notorious underground "Mittelwerk". |
V-1 Operational History:
The first V-1 attacks occurred on June 13, 1944, when around ten of the V1's were fired towards London. V-1 attacks began two days later, beginning the "flying bomb blitz." Due to the buzzing sound of the V-1's engine, the British public named the new weapon the "buzz bomb" and "doodlebug." Like the V-2, the V-1 was unable to hit specific targets, and was therefore intended to be an area weapon that would terrorize in the British population. Those on the ground quickly learned that the end of a V-1's "buzz" signaled that it was diving to the ground. Early Allied efforts to counter the V1 were disastrous, as fighter patrols often lacked aircraft that could catch the V-1 at its cruising altitude of 2,000-3,000 feet, and anti-aircraft guns could not mover quickly enough to hit it. To combat the threat, anti-aircraft guns were deployed across southeastern England and over 2,000 barrage balloons deployed. The only aircraft suitable for defensive duties in mid-1944 was the new Hawker Tempest which was only available in limited numbers. This was soon joined by modified P-51 Mustangs and Spitfire Mark XIVs. With the loss of their launch sites, the Germans were forced to rely on air-launched V-1s for hitting Britain. These were fired from modified Heinkel He-111s flying over the North Sea. A total of around 1,200 V-1s were launched like this until the Luftwaffe stopped this approach due to heavy bomber losses in January 1945. Though no longer able to hit targets in Britain, the Germans continued to use the V-1 to hit Antwerp and other key sites that had been liberated by the Allies. Over 30,000 V-1s were produced during the war with around 10,000 fired at targets in Britain. Of these, only around 2,400 reached London killing 6,184 people and injuring 17,981. Antwerp, a popular target, was hit by 2,500 between October 1944 and March 1945. A total of around 9,000 were fired at targets in Continental Europe. Though V-1s only struck their target 25% of the time, they proved more economical than the Luftwaffe's bombing campaign of 1940/41 (The Blitz). Regardless, the V-1 was largely a terror weapon and had little overall impact on the outcome of the war. |
The V1's Faults
The V1 had a number of faults, almost all of which made it a worse weapon, and easier to prevent it from doing its job. Its first fault, and one of its most dangerous, was its internals. Because its gyroscope, compass and altimeter were relativity new pieces of technology, they themselves had glitches, which inevitably caused the V1 to crash or fly off course.
The second was its engine. The pulse jet engine was not a great addition to the V1, given its low speeds, high noise levels, and unpredictability. Although its noise also made it a very effective terror weapon, and that the jet could run on low grade fuel, its unpredictability outweighed its pro's, because it was no use putting low grade fuel in a rocket that wouldn't reach its target.
Its last major fault was its flight path. After the V1 steadied itself and headed towards its target, it had the most direct flight path possible, to save fuel and give its internal parts less to do. This meant after the Allies figured it out, fighter planes and flak guns could be ready, and given its low speed, was often a sitting duck. All these major factors contributed to only 25% of the V1's finding their targets.
The V1 had a number of faults, almost all of which made it a worse weapon, and easier to prevent it from doing its job. Its first fault, and one of its most dangerous, was its internals. Because its gyroscope, compass and altimeter were relativity new pieces of technology, they themselves had glitches, which inevitably caused the V1 to crash or fly off course.
The second was its engine. The pulse jet engine was not a great addition to the V1, given its low speeds, high noise levels, and unpredictability. Although its noise also made it a very effective terror weapon, and that the jet could run on low grade fuel, its unpredictability outweighed its pro's, because it was no use putting low grade fuel in a rocket that wouldn't reach its target.
Its last major fault was its flight path. After the V1 steadied itself and headed towards its target, it had the most direct flight path possible, to save fuel and give its internal parts less to do. This meant after the Allies figured it out, fighter planes and flak guns could be ready, and given its low speed, was often a sitting duck. All these major factors contributed to only 25% of the V1's finding their targets.