V1

The V1 (with German Vergeltungswaffe or arms with reprisals ) was a flying bomb and the first Cruise missile of the history of the Aéronautique. It was used June 13rd 1944 with the March 29th 1945 by the Nazi Germany against the the United Kingdom during the Second world war. Two days after the V1 last, the V2 were launched in their turn.

Its goal was not so much to cause damage with the British Armée to sap moral islanders, to slow down their industrial production and to be avenged for the allied bombardments.

History

V1 was conceived mainly under designation Fi-103 by Robert Lusser of the German company Fieseler starting from work on the motorization of Fritz Gosslau of Argus Motoren.

As from spring 1944, a controlled version of V1 was projected and the specimens modified conceived and tested, in particular by Hanna Reitsch. Answering in the name of code Reichenberg , none of these prototypes was used for the combat. In this version, the pilot was to bring V1 on the objective and to jump in Parachute to approximately: 1000 meters of the impact. Because of the little of time to carry out the ejection, which was entirely manual at the time, this type of mission was connected with a suicide.

Presentation

The engine was a Pulsoréacteur (very simple and noisy engine) attached to the body by two masts. The Fuselage which contained the explosive load, the Carburant and an Inertial unit ensuring a summary guidance, was provided with small wing S and a stabilizing Empennage (Gouverne of depth only).

The machine could be catapulted on a slope (after lighting of the pulso-jet using a gas-burner), or released since a carrier aircraft (of the bombers Heinkel He 111 was modified for this purpose). After which the bomb was delivered to itself. The point of fall was roughly determined by a primitive meter with screw pulled by a small propeller — and regulated before the departure — who divided the cable of the elevator and started the setting in piqué. The abrupt change of attitude generally caused the shutdown and the populations flown over listened to with anguish the particular noise of the aeropulse while hoping not to intend it to stop.

Characteristics:

Overall length: 7,90 m
Scale: 5,38 m
Weight on takeoff: : 2150 kg
Fuel: 550 kg
Explosive load: 830 kg
Maximum speed: 644 km/h
Carried: 230 km

Launching and countermeasures

Approximately: 35000 V1 were built of which the half were destroyed on the ground by bombardment.

Launching was carried out mainly starting from long slopes in the shape of ski. The allied secret services were not long in locating their provision in arc of circle around their target: London and its neighborhoods.

On the whole, approximately: 9250 were launched thus and roughly: 6550 were released of plane on conurbations of the center of the England and on London, but also on Antwerp and Liege and some on Paris after their release by the Alliés. Many was simply mislaid and randomly fallen.

Its characteristics (straight and level flight at constant speed) allows the hunter S Alliés and DCA to cut down approximately 50% of the machines launched against the United Kingdom.

The most effective hunters were the Hawker Tempest with 638 shot down machines, then the Mosquitos, 428; the Spitfires, 303; the P-51 Mustangs, 232 and the Meteors with reaction (still at the experimental stage at this time there), 13 or 14.

The inertial power station of V1 which can correct errors only of a few degrees of Rolling on its original trajectory, of the aviators under the direction of RAF, reflect at the point a method to make them deviate of their race: the plane flying at the same speed that V1, the pilot was placed beside him and raised the tip of its wing under that of V1. The wings were not touched, but the air between the two wings being compressed, a force was thus exerted on V1, which was deviated of its trajectory. The use of this spectacular method — but dangerous — is attested in at least three cases. As dangerous as that is to say this action, to follow V1 and to draw on him was even more dangerous because thus, to almost 650 km per hour it was very difficult to avoid the effects of the explosion of the flying bomb.

In August 1944, the startup of guns of DCA to automatic adjustment by radar made it possible to reach an effectiveness from approximately 75% in the destruction of these missiles.

Assessment

As the V2 which succeed to them, V1 had an effect more psychological than tactical. Their weak explosive load (less than one ton) and their relative inaccuracy made a not very effective weapon of it. But the German secret Armes fed the propaganda of Goebbels and makes accept the German and foreign opinion that Germany could still turn over the fate of the war.

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