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Rockets and Flying Bombs
This area of WWII
aviation collecting is about as rare as it gets.
Their are very few survivors of the V1
and V2
This page will include a selection of
models, and replicas as well as I hope some artefacts from the real weapons.
Vergeltungswaffen-1 (Vengeance Weapon 1),
also popularly called Flying Bomb, Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug,
was a German jet-propelled missile of World
War II, the forerunner of modern cruise missiles. More than
8,000 V-1s were launched against London from June 13, 1944, to
March 29, 1945, with about 2,400 hitting the target area. A
smaller number were fired against Belgium. The rockets were
launched from the Pas-de-Calais area on the northern coast of
France and subsequently from other sites in German-occupied
western Europe. The V-1 was about 8 metres (25 feet) long,
exclusive of the long tailpipe of its jet engine and had a
wingspan of about 5.5 metres (20 feet). It was launched from
catapult ramps or sometimes from aircraft. It carried an
850-kilogram (1,870-pound) explosive warhead at about 580 km
(360 miles) per hour and had an average range of 240 km (150
miles).
A V1 Flying Bomb
The response was to extend the
attacks on the launching sites, whilst fighters formed the first defence over
the Channel and the South Coast. 192 heavy AA guns and equal number of light
weapons provided the next line of defence. On the eastern outskirts of London
480 balloons provided the final element. Initial patrols were made by 11
squadrons, two Mosquito-equipped for night operations.
These arrangements were
inadequate and the guns were increased to 376 heavy and 540 light weapons and
the balloons were strengthened to around 1000. Fighter units included the new
150 Wing at Newchurch with three squadrons of Tempests, Spitfires of 41, 91 and
322 Squadrons and Mustangs of 129, 306 and 315 Squadrons. A special flight of
Tempest was formed at Wittering with pilots of the Fighter Interception Unit.
This moved to Newchurch to join the other Tempest squadrons. Over the weeks
which followed further units became involved including Polish Mustang,
radar-equipped Mosquito and Typhoon squadrons
By 15 July 2578 V1s had reached
England. 1241 were destroyed by the defences, 1280 falling in the London area.
Between 9-15 July the percentage destroyed reached 50%, mainly by the fighters.
The damage caused were still to high so the guns were moved to the coastal area.
On 19 July 412 heavy and 600 light weapons were in place together with 168
Bofors and some rocket batteries. Now the fighters patrolled over the Channel
and over central Kent, between the guns and the balloons. The guns were now
receiving stocks of proximity-fused shells, which increased their results.
Between 16 August and 5 September only 17% of the 1124 launched V1s reached
their target area. An estimated 6,184 people were killed by these flying bombs.
The V2 Rocket
The V-2 Rocket, was
developed by Werner von Braun, Walter Dornberger and Hermann Oberth
at the rocket research station at Peenemunde.
The V-2 was first used in
September, 1944. Like the V1 it carried a one ton warhead. However, this 14
metres (47 feet) long, liquid-fuelled rocket was capable of supersonic speed and
could fly at an altitude of over 50 miles. As a result it could not be
effectively stopped once launched.
Over 5,000 V-2s were
fired on Britain. However, only 1,100 reached Britain. These rockets killed
2,724 people and badly injured 6,000. After the D Day landings, Allied troops
were on mainland Europe and they were able to capture the launch sites and by
March, 1945, the attacks came to an end.
This is a scratch built model
of a V1 Flying bomb. It is very detailed and has cutaways so
you can see its workings in detail. The model comes in its
own purpose built box and measures just over 1m long.
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V1 Scale model(pg1 Rocket)
Seen under
a cutaway drawing of the V1
N/A
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V1 Scale model launch ramp(pg1 Rocket)
Here is a huge scale model of
the V1 Launch ramp. One of the pieces needs some attention
and the rail needs to be re-soldered to the posts. The ramp
is massive measuring 16ft in two 8ft sections. Would much
prefer the purchaser to collect this. We will arrange
shipping but its likely to be expensive. Someone put allot
of time and effort into this.
contact us for shipping costs
N/A
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Seen above
top right a V1 tail note the steering arm which is
still present on the relic shown above.
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V1 Flying Bomb tail (pg1 Rock)
This is an extremely rare
and possibly unique item. It is an original tail from a V1
flying bomb, it is clearly riddled with bullet holes. By
their nature very little wreckage survived from the V1s this
substantial complete tail unit came for a V1 that either
failed to explode properly or was blown clear. This probably
adorned the wall of a Squadron mess room at some time in the
past.
The Vergeltungswaffe 1
FZG-76 (V1), known as the Flying Bomb, Buzz Bomb or
Doodlebug, was the first modern guided missile used in
wartime and the first cruise missile. Vergeltungswaffe means
"reprisal weapon", and FZG is an abbreviation of Flak Ziel
Gerät ("anti-aircraft aiming device"), a misleading name.
Called the Buzz Bomb because of the of the engine it caused
considerable fear in the population of London. People would
listen for the sound approaching, but then be relieved when
it sounded overhead as that meant the bomb had actually
passed them.
£475
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