V1 attacks on Britain 1944

[4th wilts]

my aunt florence thought the v1 was worse than a v2,from her point of view as a civilian.i also remember reading that v1,s were launched at portsmouth,and there were several near misses near s.h.a.e.f. yours,4th wilts.

[Mark Hone]

There was also a V1 attack on Northern England on Christmas Eve 1944, launched from Heinkel 111s over the North Sea. The story is well told in 'V-Bombs Over The Pennines' by Peter C. Smith.

[Bodston]

Originally Posted by Gotthard Heinrici

Yes but were resources diverted to deal with this threat, additional fighter aircraft deployed over southern england for example?

Certainly AA Command were very concerned with the V1 threat and a series of virtual 'Diver' boxes were created around the coast of South and SE England. These cone shaped areas drawn on maps, consisted on the ground of belts of the latest automated heavy anti-aircraft artillery, interspersed with barrage balloons. The fighter aircraft, for the most part attempted to destroy the missiles over the sea.
AA cover was partially withdrawn from Scotland, the North and the Midlands to take part in Op. Diver. AA Command was very stretched as it also transfered large numbers of men and equipment to 21st Army Group at this time in preparation for Op. Overlord.

[sapper]

The Doodle Bug.

On its way back.

I know it's silly what we remember, some things that really are of no consequence at all. We were on high ground where we could look out over the channel, the site was incredible, I must admit to just standing looking at the thousands of ships of every description, spread as far as the eye could see, it looked as though it would be possible to walk back to England from ship to ship. I still have a clear picture of that view.
What we saw next was a bit of pure theatre. The whole of the war paused as both sides watched with amazment... a Buzz bomb, Doodle bug! came throbbing overhead, heading straight for England, no one fired at it, and as it approached the coast a spitfire dived on it and turned the wing so that it chugged steadily away, back where it came from, on it's return trip, all of our anti aircraft guns started firing at it. Now, why for heavens sake?
Sapper

[geoff501]

Originally Posted by Gotthard Heinrici

Guys
Just wondering how bad were these attacks - were they ever a truly serious threat or just of nuisance value?

some quotes from British Intelligence in The Second World War, F. H. Hinsley, volume III part II p533-534 (there is also a lot more detail on agents and bombing of V weapon sites)

The first observations of the V1 in flight established that it normally flew at 2000-3000ft, and that speeds up to about 300 miles per hour were usual, these heights and speeds being both lower than had forseen. To the preliminary findings from the inspection of V1 wreckage in Sweden, the Air Intelligence Branch was as early as 16 June able to add to the results of the examination of impacts by, and the wreckage from, 70 flying bombs and to show that the damage done was comparable to a German SB 1,000kg bomb. ....The fact that the weapons heights and speeds were lower than expected hampered the guns, so that most of the intercepts were carried out by fighters. By 25 June, when intelligence could estimate that the reliability and accuracy of the flying bombs were such that 65 per cent of those fired would otherwise have reached the Greater London area, the defences had reduced to 40 per cent the actual proportion impacting..... By that date radar had estimated that 1,263 missiles had been launched, of which over 300 had been destroyed by the defences and 450 had landed in the Greater London area. There after the Crossbow Committee set up by the Cabinet on 19 June to supervise the development and deployment of counter-measures both defensive and offensive, found that operational research and and analysis based on observation of the weapons performance were adequate for defence decisions.
.... the performance of the defences continued to improve . Their improvement was especially marked after 13 July, when at the height of the defensive, the bold decision was taken to move the anti-aircraft guns away from the Downs to the coast. During the first week after that re-deployment the defenses destroyed half the flying bombs observed, as compared with less than 43 percent in the previous five weeks. There after the arrival of American equipment - radars and proximity fuses - further improved the operation of the guns and the proportion of missiles destroyed by the defenses as a whole rose to 74 per cent in the third week of August. It was 62 per cent in the last week of the month but risen to 83 per cent in the last few days before the offensive ended on 5 September. On 28 August the defences destroyed 90 of the 97 flying bombs which reached the country, and only four missiles reached London.
Another defensive measure, the need to limit the information which reached the enemy about the results of his attack, was taken by the Chiefs of Staff on 30 June when they approved instructions to the censorship authorities and the Press and called for a study of ways and means of ensuring that such information as reached the enemy was distorted.