On 13th June 1944 - exactly one week after the Normandy Landings - the first V-1 flying bomb hit London.


On 13th June 1944 - exactly one week after the Normandy Landings - the first V-1 flying bomb hit London.

The V-1 was the world's first operational cruise missile, as well as one of the most fear-inducing terror weapons of WWII. The 'V' stood for the German word Vergeltungswaffen, meaning 'Vengeance Weapons', since the flying bombs were intended as retaliation for Allied bombings against German cities. 

This name was chosen by the Nazi Propaganda Ministry, but the British nicknamed them "buzz bombs" due to the distinct buzzing sound made by the pulse-jet engines that powered them. At a pre-set distance, the engine would suddenly cut out and the bomb would plunge to the ground, causing its one-ton high-explosive warhead to detonate.

The first V-1s were fired towards London on 12th June 1944, but all nine failed to reach England. Yet, on the following day, four of the bombs did reach their target. The first one hit next to the railway bridge on Grove Road, Mile End, killing eight civilians and injuring 30.

 Thousands more would be fired in the months that followed, mostly from launch facilities along the French and Dutch coasts, due to the limited range of the missiles. They struck indiscriminately, causing suspense and terror among the population of London and parts of Kent and Sussex.

The British operated an arrangement of air defences, including anti-aircraft guns, barrage balloons, and fighter aircraft to intercept the bombs before they reached their targets, while the launch sites and underground storage depots were targeted by Allied strategic bombing. By September, however, the Nazis had also introduced the V-2 rockets, which were almost impossible to defend against. 

A total of 9,521 V-1s were fired at southeast England, with the rate of attacks gradually decreasing as the launch sites were overrun by October 1944. After this, V-1s were directed at Antwerp and other targets in Belgium.

The number of casualties caused by V-1 attacks against the United Kingdom was 6,184 killed and 17,981 seriously injured, while casualties on the Continent were 4,683 killed plus 10,075 wounded. 

Yet, when considering the number of casualties resulting from the V-1s, one must also not forget the tens of thousands of slave labourers from the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp in Thuringia, Germany, who lost their lives due to the brutal treatment they were subjected to whilst being forced to produce the Nazi vengeance weapons.

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