View source for V-1 flying bomb

{{Short description|German World War II cruise missile}}
{{Redirect|Buzzbomb|the song by the Dead Kennedys|Buzzbomb (song)|other uses|V1 (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox weapon
|name = V-1 flying bomb<br />Fieseler Fi 103<br />{{lang|de|Flakzielgerät 76 (FZG-76)}}
| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1975-117-26, Marschflugkörper V1 vor Start.jpg
| image_size = 300
|caption =
|origin = [[Nazi Germany]]
|type = [[Cruise missile]]
<!-- Type selection -->
|is_explosive = yes
|is_missile = yes
<!-- Service history -->
|service = 1944–1945
|used_by = [[Luftwaffe]]
|wars = [[World War II]]
<!-- Production history -->
|designer = [[Robert Lusser]]
|design_date =
|manufacturer = [[Fieseler]]
|unit_cost  = 5,090 [[German Reichsmark|RM]]{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=11}}
|production_date =
|number =
|variants = [[Fieseler Fi 103R]] Reichenberg
<!-- General specifications -->
|spec_label =
|weight = {{cvt|2150|kg}}
|length = {{cvt|8.32|m}}
|part_length =
|width = {{cvt|5.37|m}}
|height = {{cvt|1.42|m}}
|diameter =

<!-- Explosive specifications -->
|filling  = [[Amatol|Amatol-39]], later [[Trialen]]
|filling_weight = {{cvt|850|kg}}
|detonation ={{ubl|Electrical impact fuze|Backup mechanical impact fuze|Time fuze to prevent examination of duds}}
|yield =
<!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->

|engine  = [[Argus As 109-014]] [[Pulsejet]]
|engine_power =
|payload_capacity =
|fuel_capacity =
|pw_ratio =
|vehicle_range = {{cvt|250|km}}{{sfn|Werrell|1985|p=53}}
|speed         = {{cvt|640|km/h}} flying between {{cvt|600|and|900|m}}
|guidance      = [[Gyrocompass]] based [[autopilot]]
}}

The '''V-1 flying bomb''' ({{langx|de|[[Vergeltungswaffe]] 1|lit=Vengeance Weapon 1}}{{efn|{{lang|de|Vergeltungswaffe}} "vengeance weapon 1" ({{lang|de|Vergeltung}} can also be translated as "retribution", "reprisal," or "retaliation"), also [[Fieseler]] Fi 103 by the [[RLM aircraft designation system|RLM's airframe number]] ''8-103''.}}) was an early [[cruise missile]]. Its official [[Reich Aviation Ministry]] ({{abbr|RLM|Reichsluftfahrtministerium}}) name was '''Fieseler Fi 103''' and its suggestive name was '''{{lang|de|Höllenhund}}''' ([[hellhound]]).{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=108}} It was also known to the Allies as the '''buzz bomb''' or '''doodlebug''' and '''{{lang|de|Maikäfer}}''' ([[maybug]]).{{sfn|Vanek|1999|p=81}}{{efn|From the low hum resembling that of the insect. It was also referred to as a "robot bomb".{{sfn|Vanek|1999|p=81}}{{sfn|Lloyd|Hall|1997|p=222}}}}

The V-1 was the first of the {{lang|de|Vergeltungswaffen}} ([[V-weapons]]) deployed for the [[terror bombing]] of London. It was developed at [[Peenemünde Army Research Center]] in 1942 by the {{lang|de|[[Luftwaffe]]}}, and during initial development was known by the [[codename]] "Cherry Stone". Due to its limited range, the thousands of V-1 missiles launched into England were fired from [[V-1 flying bomb facilities|launch sites]] along the French ([[Pas-de-Calais]]) and Dutch coasts or by modified [[Heinkel He 111]] aircraft.

The Wehrmacht first launched the V-1s against London on 13 June 1944, one week after (and prompted by) [[Operation Overlord]], the Allied landings in France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://myunclefred.blogspot.co.uk/ |title=War and peace and the price of cat-fish |author=Frederick French |website=Uncle Fred's diaries |access-date=16 June 2014 |archive-date=7 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707150432/http://myunclefred.blogspot.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> At times more than one hundred V-1s a day were fired at south-east England, 9,521 in total, decreasing in number as sites were overrun until October 1944, when the last V-1 site in range of Britain was overrun by [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] forces. After this, the Germans directed V-1s at the port of [[Antwerp]] and at other targets in Belgium, launching another 2,448 V-1s. The attacks stopped only a month before the war in Europe ended, when the last launch site in the [[Low Countries]] was overrun on 29 March 1945.

As part of [[Operation Crossbow]], operations against the V-1, the British [[air defence]]s consisted of [[anti-aircraft gun]]s, [[barrage balloon]]s and fighter aircraft, to intercept the bombs before they reached their targets, while the launch sites and underground storage depots became targets for Allied attacks including [[strategic bombing]].<ref>{{cite video |year=1944 |title=American Sub Rescues Airmen |url= https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.39150 |publisher= [[Universal Newsreel]] |access-date= 21 February 2012}}</ref>

In 1944 a number of tests of this weapon were apparently conducted in [[Tornio|Tornio, Finland]]. On one occasion, several Finnish soldiers saw a German plane launch what they described as a bomb shaped like a small, winged aircraft. The flight and impact of another prototype was seen by Finnish frontline soldiers; they noted that its engine stopped suddenly, causing the V-1 to descend sharply, and explode on impact, leaving a crater {{convert|20|–|30|m}} wide. These V-1s became known to Finnish soldiers as "[[glide bomb|flying torpedoes]]".<ref>Tornio 1944 by Osmo Hyvönen page 262, Ilmasotaa Torniossa</ref>

==Design and development==
In 1935 [[Paul Schmidt (inventor)|Paul Schmidt]] and Professor [[Georg Hans Madelung]] submitted a design to the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' for a [[flying bomb]]. It was an innovative design that used a [[pulse-jet]] engine, while previous work dating back to 1915 by [[Sperry Gyroscope]] relied on [[propeller]]s. While employed by the {{lang|de|[[Argus Motoren]]}} company, [[Fritz Gosslau]] developed a remote-controlled [[target drone]], the [[Argus As 292|FZG 43]] (''Flakzielgerät-43''). In October 1939 Argus proposed ''Fernfeuer'', a remote-controlled aircraft carrying a payload of one ton, that could return to base after releasing its bomb. Argus worked in co-operation with [[C. Lorenz AG]] and [[Arado Flugzeugwerke]] to develop the project. However, the ''Luftwaffe'' declined to award them a development contract. In 1940, Schmidt and Argus began cooperating, integrating Schmidt's shutter system with Argus' [[Spray (liquid drop)#Fuel sprays|atomized]] [[fuel injection]]. Tests began in January 1941, and the first flight made on 30 April 1941 with a [[Gotha Go 145]]. On 27 February 1942 Gosslau and [[Robert Lusser]] sketched out the design of an aircraft with the pulse-jet above the tail, the basis for the future V-1.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|pp=3–5}}

Lusser produced a preliminary design in April 1942, P35 Erfurt, which used [[gyroscope]]s. When submitted to the ''Luftwaffe'' on 5 June 1942, the specifications included a range of {{convert|186|mi|abbr=in|order=flip|-1}}, a speed of {{convert|435|mph|abbr=on|order=flip}}, and capable of delivering a {{convert|1/2|LT|kg|sigfig=1|abbr=off|adj=on|order=flip}} [[warhead]]. Project [[Fieseler]] Fi&nbsp;103 was approved on 19 June, and assigned [[code name]] ''Kirschkern'' and [[cover name]] ''Flakzielgerät'' 76 (FZG-76). Flight tests were conducted at the ''Luftwaffe'''s {{lang|de|Erprobungsstelle}} coastal test centre at [[Karlshagen]], [[Peenemünde-West]].{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|pp=5–6}}

[[Erhard Milch]], State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Aviation and Inspector General of the Air force, awarded Argus the contract for the engine, Fieseler the [[airframe]], and Askania the [[guidance system]]. By 30 August Fieseler had completed the first [[fuselage]], and the first flight of the Fi&nbsp;103 V7 took place on 10 December 1942, when it was airdropped by a [[Fw 200]].{{sfn|Reuter|2000|pp=56–59}} Then on Christmas Eve, the V-1 flew {{convert|1000|yd|m|sigfig=1|abbr=on|order=flip}}, for about a minute, after a ground launch. On 26 May 1943 Germany decided to put both the V-1 and the V-2 into production. In July 1943 the V-1 flew {{convert|245|km|mi}} and impacted within a kilometre (1,100&nbsp;yards) of its target.{{sfn|Werrell|1985|pp=41–62}}{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=7}}

The V-1 was named by ''[[Das Reich (newspaper)|Das Reich]]'' journalist Hans Schwarz Van Berkl in June 1944 with Hitler's approval.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0XZHSyTLyIMC&pg=PA660 660]}}

==Description==
[[File:V-1 cutaway.jpg|thumb|V-1 cutaway]]
The V-1 was designed under the codename {{lang|de|Kirschkern}} (cherry stone){{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=6}} by Lusser and Gosslau, with a [[fuselage]] constructed mainly of welded [[sheet steel]] and wings built of [[plywood]]. The simple, Argus-built pulsejet engine pulsed 50 times per second,{{sfn|Werrell|1985|p=53}} and the characteristic buzzing sound gave rise to the colloquial names "buzz bomb" or "doodlebug" (a common name for a wide variety of flying insects). It was known briefly in Germany (on Hitler's orders) as {{lang|de|Maikäfer}} ([[May bug]] literally "May" + "chafer") and {{lang|de|Krähe}} (crow).{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|pp=8–9}}

===Power plant===
{{main|Argus As 014}}
[[File:V1 Launcher IWM Duxford.JPG|thumb|left|Rear view of V-1 in [[IWM Duxford]], showing launch ramp section]]
The Argus [[pulsejet]]'s major components included the [[nacelle]], fuel jets, flap valve grid, mixing chamber [[venturi tube|venturi]], tail pipe, and spark plug. Compressed air rather than a [[fuel pump]] forced gasoline from the {{cvt|640|litre}} fuel tank through the fuel jets which consisted of three banks of three [[Atomizer nozzle|atomizer]]s. These nine atomizing nozzles were in front of the air inlet valve system where it mixed with air before entering the chamber. A [[throttle valve]], connected to altitude and ram pressure instruments, controlled fuel flow. Schmidt's spring-controlled flap valve system provided an efficient straight path for incoming air. The flaps momentarily closed after each explosion, the resultant gas compressed in the venturi chamber, and its tapered portion accelerated the exhaust gases creating [[thrust]]. The operation proceeded at a rate of 42 cycles per second.{{sfn|Oliver|2018|pp=19–24}}{{sfn|Cooksley|1979|pp=32–33}}{{sfn|Guckelhorn|Paul|2004|pp=12–19}}

Beginning in January 1941, the V-1's pulsejet engine was also tested on a variety of craft, including automobiles{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=5}} and an experimental [[attack boat]] known as the Tornado, in which a boat loaded with a {{cvt|700|kg|0}} warhead was steered towards a target ship either by remote control or by a pilot who would leap out of the back at the last moment. The Tornado was assembled from surplus [[seaplane]] hulls connected in [[catamaran]] fashion. Ultimately insufficient Argus 014 pulse-jets were available as all production was allocated to the V-1 missile program.<ref name=":21">{{Cite book|title=German Secret Weapons of the Second World War|last=Hogg|first=Ian|date=1999|publisher=Frontline Books|isbn=978-1-8483-2781-8|page=270}}</ref> The engine made its first flight aboard a Gotha Go 145 on 30 April 1941.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=5}}

===Guidance system===
[[File:V1Musee.jpg|thumb|A V-1 on display in the [[Army Museum (Paris)|Musée de l'Armée]], Paris]]

The V-1 [[missile guidance|guidance system]] used a simple [[autopilot]] developed by [[:de:Askania Werke#Astronomische und geod.C3.A4tische Instrumente|Askania]] in Berlin to regulate altitude and airspeed.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=6}} A pair of gyroscopes controlled yaw and pitch, while azimuth was maintained by a magnetic compass. Altitude was maintained by a barometric device.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=8}} Two spherical tanks contained [[compressed air]] at {{convert|900|psi|MPa|order=flip}}, that drove the gyros, operated the [[pneumatic]] servomotors controlling the rudder and elevator, and pressurized the fuel system.{{sfn|Oliver|2018|pp=19, 24, 28, 89}}{{sfn|Cooksley|1979|pp=30–32}}{{sfn|Guckelhorn|Paul|2004|pp=12–19}}

The magnetic compass was located near the front of the V-1, within a wooden sphere. Shortly before launch, the V-1 was suspended inside the Compass Swinging Building (Richthaus). There the compass was corrected for [[magnetic variance]] and [[magnetic deviation]].{{sfn|Oliver|2018|pp=27–28}}{{sfn|Cooksley|1979|pp=29–30}} The RLM at first planned to use a [[radio control]] system with the V-1 for [[precision-guided munition|precision attacks]], but the government decided instead to use the missile against London.{{sfn|Levine|1992|pp=137, 139}} Some flying bombs were equipped with a basic radio transmitter operating in the range of 340–450&nbsp;kHz. Once over the channel, the radio would be switched on by the vane counter, and a {{convert|400|foot|m|-1|adj=on|order=flip}} aerial deployed. A coded Morse signal, unique to each V-1 site, transmitted the route, and impact zone calculated once the radio stopped transmitting.{{sfn|Oliver|2018|p=33}}{{sfn|Cooksley|1979|p=39}}

[[File:Launcher of V-1 rocket in Historisch-technisches Informationszentrum Peenemünde (1).JPG|thumb|A reconstructed starting ramp for V-1 flying bombs, [[Historical Technical Museum, Peenemünde]] (2009)]]
An odometer driven by a [[vane anemometer]] on the nose determined when the target area had been reached, accurate enough for [[area bombing]]. Before launch, it was set to count backwards from a value that would reach zero upon arrival at the target in the prevailing wind conditions. As the missile flew, the airflow turned the propeller, and every 30 rotations of the propeller counted down one number on the odometer. This odometer triggered the arming of the warhead after about {{cvt|60|km}}.{{sfn|Werrell|1985|p=54}} When the count reached zero, two [[Pyrotechnic fastener|detonating bolts]] were fired. Two [[Spoiler (aeronautics)|spoilers]] on the [[Elevator (aircraft)|elevator]] were released, the linkage between the elevator and servo was jammed, and a [[guillotine]] device cut off the control hoses to the rudder servo, setting the rudder in neutral. These actions put the V-1 into a steep dive.<ref>{{cite book |last= |first= |date=April 1944 |title=FZG 76 Geräte-Handbuch |trans-title=FZG 76 Equipment Handbook |chapter=Teil 1: Zelle [Part 1: Airframe] |pages=7–8 |language=de|url=http://www.mrsite.co.uk/usersitesv32/101755.mrsite.com/wwwroot/USERIMAGES/V1%20Tech%20Manual.pdf |url-status= |location= |publisher= |isbn= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111094355/http://www.mrsite.co.uk/usersitesv32/101755.mrsite.com/wwwroot/USERIMAGES/V1%20Tech%20Manual.pdf |archive-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.psywarrior.com/V1RocketLeaf.html |title=German V-1 Leaflet Campaign |publisher=Psy Warrior |access-date=20 October 2010}}.</ref> While this was originally intended to be a power dive, in practice the dive caused the fuel flow to cease, which stopped the engine. The sudden silence after the buzzing alerted people under the flight path to the impending impact.{{sfn|Werrell|1985|pp=41–62}}{{sfn|Guckelhorn|Paul|2004|pp=12–19}}{{sfn|Oliver|2018|p=27}}{{sfn|Cooksley|1979|pp=29, 37}}

Initially, V-1s landed within a circle {{convert|19|mi|km|abbr=on|order=flip}} in diameter, but by the end of the war, accuracy had been improved to about {{convert|7|mi|km|abbr=on|order=flip}}, which was comparable to the [[V-2 rocket]].<ref>Kloeppel, Major Kirk M., The Military Utility of German Rocketry During World War II, Air Command and Staff College, 1997.</ref>

=== Warhead ===
The warhead consisted of {{cvt|850|kg|lb}} of [[Amatol]], 52A+ high-grade, blast-effective explosive with three fuses. An electrical fuse could be triggered by nose or belly impact. Another fuse was a slow-acting mechanical fuse allowing deeper penetration into the ground, regardless of the altitude. The third fuse was a delayed action fuse, set to go off two hours after launch.{{sfn|Oliver|2018|pp=28, 85–86}}{{sfn|Cooksley|1979|p=30}}

The purpose of the third fuse was to avoid the risk of this secret weapon being examined by the British. Its time delay was too short to be a useful booby trap but was instead meant to destroy the weapon if a soft landing had not triggered the impact fuses. These fusing systems were very reliable, and almost no dud V-1s were recovered.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Doodlebug Project |url=http://www.asa-be.com/PhotogalleryMuseumV1Project.htm |website=Stampe & Vertongen Museum |location=Antwerp Airport |access-date=27 May 2018 |archive-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121234810/http://www.asa-be.com/PhotogalleryMuseumV1Project.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=FZG 76 Geräte-Handbuch |trans-title=FZG 76 Equipment Handbook |chapter=Teil 4: Zünderanlage [Part 4: Ignition system] |url=http://www.mrsite.co.uk/usersitesv32/101755.mrsite.com/wwwroot/USERIMAGES/V1%20Tech%20Manual.pdf |date=April 1944 |pages=98–118 |language=de |access-date=27 May 2018 |archive-date=11 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111094355/http://www.mrsite.co.uk/usersitesv32/101755.mrsite.com/wwwroot/USERIMAGES/V1%20Tech%20Manual.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Walter catapult===
[[File:V1 flying bomb on ramp.jpg|thumb|V-1 on Walter catapult ramp at [[Blockhaus d'Éperlecques|Éperlecques]]]]

Ground-launched V-1s were propelled up an inclined launch ramp by an apparatus known as ''{{lang|de|Dampferzeuger}}'' ("steam generator"), in which steam was generated when [[hydrogen peroxide]] (''[[T-Stoff]]'') was mixed with [[sodium permanganate]] (''[[Z-Stoff]]'').{{sfn|Werrell|1985|p={{page needed|date=July 2020}} }}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atlantikwall.org.uk/v1_light_stes.htm |title=V1 Light Sites |publisher=Atlantic Wall |access-date=9 May 2017}}</ref>
Designed by [[Hellmuth Walter Kommanditgesellschaft|Hellmuth Walter KG]], the "WR 2.3" ''Schlitzrohrschleuder'' consisted of a small gas generator trailer, where the T-Stoff and Z-Stoff combined, generating high-pressure steam that was fed into a tube within the launch rail box. A piston in the tube, connected underneath the missile, was propelled forward by the steam. It is a common misconception that the steam launch was to allow the engine to start running but the real reason was that the Argus had insufficient power to propel the V1 to a speed above its extremely high stall speed. The launch rail was {{convert|49|m|ft|abbr=on|round=5}} long, consisting of eight modular sections, each {{cvt|6|m}} long, and a muzzle brake. Production of the Walter catapult began in January 1944.{{sfn|Zaloga|2008|pp=10, 17–18, 24–39, 42, 47–48}}{{sfn|Guckelhorn|Paul|2004|pp=20–23}}

[[File:V1 piston.jpg|thumb|left|V-1 launch piston for Walter catapult]]

The Walter catapult accelerated the V-1 to a launch speed of {{convert|200|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}}, well above the needed minimum operational speed of {{convert|150|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}}. The V-1 reached the British coast at {{convert|340|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}}, but continued to accelerate to {{convert|400|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}} by the time it reached London, as its {{convert|150|USgal|L|order=flip|abbr=on}} of fuel burned off.{{sfn|Werrell|1985|pp=41–62}}

On 18 June 1943 [[Hermann Göring]] decided on launching the V-1, using the Walter catapult, in large launch bunkers, called ''Wasserwerk'' (the German word for "water works"), and lighter installations, called the ''Stellungsystem''. The Wasserwerk bunker measured {{convert|215|m|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|36|m|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} high. Four were initially to be built: Wasserwerk Desvres, [[Siracourt V-1 bunker|Wasserwerk St. Pol]], Wasserwerk Valognes, and Wasserwerk Cherbourg. Stellungsystem-I was to be operated by Flak Regiment 155(W), with 4 launch battalions, each having 4 launchers, and located in the [[Pas-de-Calais]] region. Stellungsystem-II, with 32 sites, was to act as a reserve unit. Stellungsystem-I and II had nine batteries manned by February 1944. Stellungsystem-III, operated by FR 255(W), was to be organized in the spring of 1944, and located between [[Rouen]] and [[Caen]]. The Stellungsystem locations included distinctive catapult walls pointed towards London, several J-shaped stowage buildings referred to as "ski" buildings as on aerial reconnaissance photographs the buildings looked like a ski on its side, and a compass correction building which was constructed without ferrous metal. In the spring of 1944, [[Oberst]] Schmalschläger had developed a more simplified launching site, called ''Einsatzstellungen'' (meaning ca. "deployed emplacement"). Less conspicuous, 80 launch sites and 16 support sites were located from [[Calais]] to [[Normandy]]. Each site took only two weeks to construct, using 40 men, and the Walter catapult only took 7–8 days to erect, when the time was ready to make it operational.{{sfn|Zaloga|2008|pp=10, 17–18, 24–39, 42, 47–48}}

Once near the launch ramp, the wing spar and wings were attached and the missile was slid off the loading trolley, ''Zubringerwagen'', onto the launch ramp. The ramp catapult was powered by the ''Dampferzeuger'' trolley. The pulse-jet engine was started by the ''Anlassgerät'', which provided compressed air for the engine intake, and initial electrical supply for the engine [[spark plug]], and autopilot. The [[Robert Bosch GmbH|Bosch]] spark plug was only needed to start the engine, while residual flame ignited further mixtures of gasoline and air, and the engine would be at full power after 7 seconds. The catapult would then accelerate the bomb above its stall speed of {{convert|200|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}}, ensuring sufficient [[ram-air intake|ram air]].{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=17–18, 20–21}}{{sfn|Oliver|2018|pp=84, 87–90}}{{sfn|Cooksley|1979|pp=32–35}}

==Operation Eisbär==
[[File:V-1 (Fieseler Fi 103) in flight.jpg|thumb|V-1 (Fieseler Fi 103) in flight]]
Mass production of the FZG-76 did not start until the spring of 1944, and FR 155(W) was not equipped until late May 1944. Operation Eisbär, the missile attacks on London, commenced on 12 June. However, the four launch battalions could only operate from the Pas-de-Calais area, amounting to only 72 launchers. They had been supplied with missiles, Walter catapults, fuel, and other associated equipment since [[D-Day]]. None of the nine missiles launched on the 12th reached England, while only four did so on the 13th. The next attempt to start the attack occurred on the night of 15/16 June, when 144 missiles reached England, of which 73 struck London, while 53 struck [[Portsmouth]] and [[Southampton]].

Damage was widespread and [[Eisenhower]] ordered attacks on the V-1 sites as a priority. [[Operation Cobra]] forced a retreat from the French launch sites in August, with the last battalion leaving on 29 August. Operation Donnerschlag began from Germany on 21 October 1944.{{sfn|Zaloga|2008|pp=35, 38–39, 42}}

==Operation and effectiveness==
[[File:Mile end grove road 2.jpg|thumb|upright|On 13 June 1944, the first V-1 struck London next to the railway bridge on [[A1205 road#Grove Road|Grove Road]], [[Mile End]], which now carries this [[English Heritage]] [[blue plaque]]. Eight civilians were killed in the blast.]]

The first complete V-1 airframe was delivered on 30 August 1942,{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=6}} and after the first complete [[Argus As 014|As.109-014]] was delivered in September,{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=6}} the first glide test flight was on 28 October 1942 at [[Peenemünde]], from under a Focke-Wulf Fw 200.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=5}} The first powered trial was on 10 December, launched from beneath an He 111.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=6}}

The [[LXV Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|LXV ''Armeekorps z.b.V.'']] ("65th Army Corps for special deployment) formed during the last days of November 1943 in France commanded by ''General der Artillerie z.V.'' Erich Heinemann was responsible for the operational use of V-1.<ref>[http://www.axishistory.com/books/149-germany-heer/heer-korps/2781-lxv-armeekorps-zbv LXV Armeekorps z.b.V.] www.axishistory.com</ref>

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1973-029A-24A, Marschflugkörper V1 vor Start.jpg|thumb|left|A German crew rolls out a V-1.]]
The conventional launch sites could theoretically launch about 15 V-1s per day, but this rate was difficult to achieve on a consistent basis; the maximum rate achieved was 18. Overall, only about 25% of the V-1s hit their targets, the majority being lost due to a combination of defensive measures, mechanical unreliability, or guidance errors. At least six V-1s are known to have landed erroneously in Sweden.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walleij |first=Linus |date=2000 |title=Tyska robotar som störtat i Sverige 1943-1944 |url=https://dflund.se/~triad/rockets/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240601184800/https://dflund.se/~triad/rockets/index.html |archive-date=1 June 2024 |access-date=24 June 2025 |website=Datorföreningen vid LU & LTH |language=Swedish, en}}</ref> With the capture or destruction of the launch facilities used to attack England, the V-1s were employed in attacks against strategic points in Belgium, primarily the port of [[Antwerp]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cull |first=Brian |url=http://archive.org/details/diverdiverdiver0000cull |title=Diver! Diver! Diver! |date=2008 |publisher=London : Grub Street |isbn=978-1-904943-39-6 |chapter=The assault on Antwerp and Liège - October 1944 - March 1945}}</ref>

Launches against Britain were met by a variety of countermeasures, including [[barrage balloon]]s and aircraft such as the [[Hawker Tempest]] and newly introduced jet [[Gloster Meteor]]. These measures were so successful that by August 1944 about 80% of V-1s were being destroyed{{sfn|Christopher|2013|pp=108–109}} The Meteors suffered from frequent cannon failures, and accounted for only 13 V-1s destroyed.{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=109}} In all, about 1,000 V-1s were destroyed by aircraft.{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=109}}

The intended operational altitude was originally set at {{cvt|2750|m|-2}}, but repeated failures of a barometric fuel-pressure regulator led to the operational height being halved in May 1944, bringing V-1s into range of the [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40&nbsp;mm Bofors light anti-aircraft guns]] commonly used by Allied [[Anti-aircraft|AA]] units.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=11}}

[[File:Fieseler Fi103 debajo de un Heinkel 111.jpg|thumb|left|A German {{lang|de|Luftwaffe}} Heinkel He 111 H-22. This version could carry FZG 76 (V1) flying bombs, but only a few aircraft were produced in 1944. Some were used by bomb wing ''KG'' 3.]]
The trial versions of the V-1 were air-launched. Most operational V-1s were launched from static sites on land, but from July 1944 to January 1945, the {{lang|de|Luftwaffe}} launched approximately 1,176 from modified [[Heinkel He 111]] H-22s of the {{lang|de|Luftwaffe}}'s ''[[Kampfgeschwader 3]]'' (3rd Bomber Wing, the so-called "Blitz Wing") flying over the [[North Sea]]. Apart from the obvious motive of permitting the bombardment campaign to continue after static ground sites on the French coast were lost, air launching gave the {{lang|de|Luftwaffe}} the opportunity to outflank the increasingly effective ground and air defences put up by the British against the missile. To minimise the associated risks (primarily radar detection), the aircrews developed a tactic called "lo-hi-lo": the He 111s would, upon leaving their airbases and crossing the coast, descend to an exceptionally low altitude. When the launch point was neared, the bombers would swiftly ascend, fire their V-1s, and then rapidly descend again to the previous "wave-top" level for the return flight. Research after the war estimated a 40% failure rate of air-launched V-1s, and the He 111s used in this role were vulnerable to night-fighter attack, as the launch lit up the area around the aircraft for several seconds. The combat potential of air-launched V-1s dwindled during 1944 at about the same rate as that of the ground-launched missiles, as the British gradually took the measure of the weapon and developed increasingly effective defence tactics.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

==Experimental, piloted, and long-range variants==
===Piloted variant===
 [[File:Fi103R at La Coupole.jpg|thumb|Fieseler F103R Reichenberg piloted V-1]]
Late in the war, several air-launched piloted V-1s, known as {{lang|de|[[Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg)|Reichenbergs]]}}, were built, but these were never used in combat. [[Hanna Reitsch]] made some flights in the modified V-1 Fieseler {{lang|de|Reichenberg}} when she was asked to find out why test pilots were unable to land it and had died as a result. She discovered, after simulated landing attempts at high altitude, where there was air space to recover, that the craft had an extremely high [[stall speed]], and the previous pilots with little high-speed experience had attempted their approaches much too slowly. Her recommendation of much higher landing speeds was then introduced in training new {{lang|de|Reichenberg}} volunteer pilots. It was for this that she was awarded the [[Iron Cross First Class]]{{Sfn | Aeronautical | 1966 | p =  45}} The {{lang|de|Reichenberg}}s were air-launched rather than fired from a [[catapult]] ramp.

It had the appearance of a standard V1 with the addition of cockpit, ailerons, landing skids and flight instruments. The pilot would have been airlifted by either [[Heinkel He 111]] or a [[Focke-Wulf Fw 200]]. After release, the pilot would start the pulse jet engine, select a target, set the controls then bail out. The chance of survival were considered very small, yet many pilots volunteered. Possibly 175 of these piloted V1s were converted at Darmesbury after initial development by  [[Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug]] (DFS/German Research Institute for Sailplane Flight) at [[Ainring]].
When Hitler banned the use of the piloted V1, most converted models were scrapped. However, a few were captured by the Allied Technical Air Intelligence crews in Germany. At least one was sent to England, and two, possibly three, were sent to the US for inspection.{{Sfn | Aeronautical | 1966 | p =  45}}

Three different versions of the piloted FZG-76 were produced. The Reichenburg I was a one or two-seat unpowered glider intended for use as a training glider for pilot training. Reichenburg II was a single-seat FZG-76 fitted with a pulse jet power plant. A skid was fitted for dead stick landing to gain valuable flying experience. Reichenburg III was to be the operational piloted version of the V1, fitted with the amatol warhead in the nose.{{Sfn | Aeronautical | 1966 | p =  45}} The front windscreen had {{cvt|75|mm|in}} thick [[bulletproof glass]] for pilot protection. The V1 pilot's kit consisted of a [[parachute]], helmet and life vest. A small case contained two small [[flare]]s in a waterproof container.{{Sfn | Aeronautical | 1966 | p =  47}}

===Air launch by Ar 234===
[[File:Arado Ar 234 Blitz mit V1 pic1.JPG|thumb|Model of an [[Arado Ar 234]] carrying a V-1 at the [[Technikmuseum Speyer]]]]There were plans, not put into practice, to use the [[Arado Ar 234]] jet bomber to launch V-1s either by towing them aloft or by launching them from a "piggy back" position (in the manner of the {{lang|de|[[Mistel]]}}, but in reverse) atop the aircraft. In the latter configuration, a pilot-controlled, hydraulically operated dorsal trapeze mechanism would elevate the missile on the trapeze's launch cradle about {{convert|8|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} clear of the 234's upper fuselage. This was necessary to avoid damaging the mother craft's fuselage and tail surfaces when the pulsejet ignited, as well as to ensure a "clean" airflow for the Argus motor's intake. A somewhat less ambitious project undertaken was the adaptation of the missile as a "flying fuel tank" {{lang|de|(Deichselschlepp)}} for the [[Messerschmitt Me 262]] jet fighter, which was initially test-towed behind an [[Heinkel He 177|He 177A Greif]] bomber. The pulsejet, internal systems and warhead of the missile were removed, leaving only the wings and basic fuselage, now containing a single large fuel tank. A small cylindrical module, similar in shape to a finless dart, was placed atop the vertical stabiliser at the rear of the tank, acting as a centre of gravity balance and attachment point for a variety of equipment sets. A rigid towbar with a pitch pivot at the forward end connected the flying tank to the Me 262. The operational procedure for this unusual configuration saw the tank resting on a wheeled trolley for take-off. The trolley was dropped once the combination was airborne, and explosive bolts separated the towbar from the fighter upon exhaustion of the tank's fuel supply. A number of test flights were conducted in 1944 with this set-up, but inflight "porpoising" of the tank, with the instability transferred to the fighter, meant that the system was too unreliable to be used. An identical utilisation of the V-1 flying tank for the Ar 234 bomber was also investigated, with the same conclusions reached. Some of the "flying fuel tanks" used in trials utilised a cumbersome fixed and spatted undercarriage arrangement, which (along with being pointless) merely increased the drag and stability problems already inherent in the design.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

===F-1 version===
One variant of the basic Fi&nbsp;103 design did see operational use. The progressive loss of French launch sites as 1944 proceeded and the area of territory under German control shrank meant that soon the V-1 would lack the range to hit targets in England. Air launching was one alternative utilised, but the most obvious solution was to extend the missile's range. Thus, the F-1 version developed. The weapon's fuel tank was increased in size, with a corresponding reduction in the capacity of the warhead. Additionally, the nose cones and wings of the F-1 models were made of wood, affording a considerable weight saving. With these modifications, the V-1 could be fired at London and nearby urban centres from prospective ground sites in the Netherlands. Frantic efforts were made to construct a sufficient number of F-1s in order to allow a large-scale bombardment campaign to coincide with the [[Ardennes Offensive]], but numerous factors (bombing of the factories producing the missiles, shortages of steel and rail transport, the chaotic tactical situation Germany was facing at this point in the war, etc.) delayed the delivery of these long-range V-1s until February/March 1945. Beginning on 2 March 1945, slightly more than three weeks before the V-1 campaign finally ended, several hundred F-1s were launched at Britain from Dutch sites under Operation "Zeppelin". Frustrated by increasing Allied dominance in the air, Germany also employed V-1s to attack the RAF's forward airfields, such as [[Volkel Air Base|Volkel]], in the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The RAF Regiment at War 1942–1946 |last=Oliver |first=Kingsley |publisher=Pen & Sword }}</ref>

===FZG-76 version===
There was also a [[turbojet]]-propelled upgraded variant proposed,{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=179}} meant to use the [[Porsche 109-005]] low-cost turbojet engine<ref>[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IeOYPiW1wHM/VFNzWZ6dE2I/AAAAAAAAOAE/Fo67HeC4cOU/s1600/por12.png Porsche 109-005 engine drawing].</ref> with about {{Cvt|500|kgf|lbf}} thrust.{{Sfn | Kay | 2002 | p =  153-155}}

==Success of operations==
Almost 30,000 V-1s were made; by March 1944 they were each produced in 350 hours (including 120 for the autopilot), at a cost of just 4% of a [[V-2]],{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=11}} which delivered a comparable payload. Approximately 10,000 were fired at England; 2,419 reached London, killing about 6,184 people and injuring 17,981.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/homefront/arp/arp4a.html |title=Deaths and injuries: 1939–45 |website=Home Front |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030918043234/http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/homefront/arp/arp4a.html |archive-date=2003-09-18}}</ref> The greatest density of hits was received by [[Croydon]], on the south-east fringe of London. [[Antwerp]], Belgium was hit by 2,448 V-1s from October 1944 to March 1945.<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.verzet.org/content/view/419/29/1/6/ | title = V-bommenterreur boven Antwerpen | language = de | publisher = Verzet | access-date = 20 October 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100210045539/http://www.verzet.org/content/view/419/29/1/6/ | archive-date = 10 February 2010 }}.</ref><ref>{{citation | url = http://www.v2rocket.com/start/chapters/ant_map_large.jpg | title = Impact points of V-1 and V-2 around Antwerp | publisher = V2 Rocket | access-date = 20 October 2010 | type = map | format = [[JPEG]]}}.</ref>

==Intelligence reports==
{{For|Allied intelligence activities and German counterintelligence regarding the flying bomb|V-1 and V-2 Intelligence}}

The codename "{{lang|de|Flakzielgerät}}&nbsp;76"—"[[Flak]] target apparatus" helped to hide the nature of the device, and some time passed before references to FZG&nbsp;76 were linked to the V-83 pilotless aircraft (an experimental V-1) that had crashed on [[Bornholm]] in the Baltic and to reports from agents of a flying bomb capable of being used against London. Importantly, the [[Luxembourgish Resistance]],<ref>Aloyse Raths – Unheivolle Jahre für Luxemburg 1940–1945 p. 259-261</ref> as well as the Polish [[Home Army]] intelligence [[Home Army and V-1 and V-2|contributed information]] on V-1 construction and a place of development (Peenemünde). Initially, British experts were sceptical of the V-1 because they had considered only [[solid-fuel rocket]]s, which could not attain the stated range of {{convert|130|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=off}}. However, they later considered other types of engine, and by the time German scientists had achieved the necessary accuracy to deploy the V-1 as a weapon, British intelligence had a very accurate assessment of it.{{sfn|Jones|1978|pp=523–542}}

==Countermeasures in England==
===Anti-aircraft guns===
[[File:The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H39728.jpg|thumb|left|A battery of static QF 3.7-inch guns on railway-sleeper platforms at [[Hastings]] on the south coast of England, July 1944]]
The British defence against German long-range weapons was known by the codename [[Operation Crossbow#V-1 defence|Operation Crossbow]] with [[Operation Diver]] covering countermeasures to the V-1. [[Anti-aircraft]] guns of the Royal Artillery and [[RAF Regiment]] redeployed in several movements: first in mid-June 1944 from positions on the [[North Downs]] to the south coast of England, then a cordon closing the [[Thames Estuary]] to attacks from the east. In September 1944 a new linear defence line was formed on the coast of [[East Anglia]], and finally in December there was a further layout along the [[Lincolnshire]]–[[Yorkshire]] coast. The deployments were prompted by changes to the approach tracks of the V-1 as launch sites were overrun by the Allies' advance.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

On the first night of sustained bombardment, the anti-aircraft crews around Croydon were jubilant—suddenly they were downing unprecedented numbers of German bombers; most of their targets burst into flames and fell when their engines cut out. There was great disappointment when the truth was announced. Anti-aircraft gunners soon found that such small fast-moving targets were, in fact, very difficult to hit. The cruising altitude of the V-1, between {{cvt|600|and|900|m}}, meant that anti-aircraft guns could not traverse fast enough to hit the missile.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Kennedy | last=Hickman | title=World War II: V-1 Flying Bomb | url=https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-v-1-flying-bomb-2360702 | date=10 December 2019 | access-date=11 March 2023 | website=ThoughtCo.com | language=en}}</ref>

The standard British [[QF 3.7-inch AA gun|QF 3.7-inch]] mobile gun could not cope with the altitude and speed of the V-1. However, the static version of the QF 3.7-inch, designed for a permanent concrete platform, had a faster traverse. The cost and delay of installing new permanent platforms for the guns was found to be unnecessary as a temporary platform devised by the [[Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers]] and made from [[Railroad tie|railway sleepers]] and rails was found to be adequate for the static guns, making them considerably easier to re-deploy as the V-1 threat changed.{{sfn|Dobinson|2001|p=436}}{{efn|This was known as a ''Pyle platform'', after the head of Anti-Aircraft Command, General [[Frederick Pile]].}}

The development of the [[proximity fuze]] and of [[History of radar#Centimetric Radar|centimetric]], 3&nbsp;[[gigahertz]] frequency [[fire control radar|gun-laying radars]] based on the [[cavity magnetron]] helped to counter the V-1's high speed and small size. In 1944, [[Bell Labs]] started delivery of an anti-aircraft [[Kerrison Predictor|predictor]] [[fire-control system]] based on an [[analogue computer]], just in time for the [[Allied invasion of Europe]].<ref>{{Cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/story/the-american-scientists-who-saved-london-from-nazi-drones/ | title=The American Scientists Who Saved London from Nazi Drones | first=Jamie | last=Holmes | date=4 August 2020 | magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | access-date=11 March 2023}}</ref>

These electronic aids arrived in quantity from June 1944, just as the guns reached their firing positions on the coast. Seventeen per cent of all flying bombs entering the coastal "gun belt" were destroyed by guns in their first week on the coast. This rose to 60 per cent by 23 August and 74 per cent in the last week of the month, when on one day 82 per cent were shot down. The rate improved from thousands of shells for every one V-1 destroyed to 100 for each. This mostly ended the V-1 threat.{{sfn|Dobinson|2001|p=438}} As [[Frederick Alfred Pile|General Frederick Pile]] put it in an April 5, 1946 article in the London ''[[The Times|Times]]'': "It was the proximity fuse which made possible the 100 per cent successes that A.A. Command was obtaining regularly in the early months of last year...American scientists...gave us the final answer to the flying bomb."{{sfn|Holmes|2020a|p=360}}

===Barrage balloons===
Eventually about 2,000 [[barrage balloon]]s were deployed, in the hope that V-1s would be destroyed when they struck the balloons' tethering cables. The leading edges of the V-1's wings were fitted with Kuto cable cutters, and fewer than 300 V-1s are known to have been brought down by barrage balloons.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj89/hillson.html |title=Barrage Balloons for Low-Level Air Defense |access-date=2007-04-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202050407/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj89/hillson.html |archive-date=2 February 2007 |magazine=Air & Space Power Journal |date=Summer 1989}}</ref>{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=34}}

===Interceptors===
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}
The Defence Committee expressed some doubt as to the ability of the [[Royal Observer Corps]] to adequately deal with the new threat, but the ROC's Commandant [[Finlay Crerar|Air Commodore Finlay Crerar]] assured the committee that the ROC could again rise to the occasion and prove its alertness and flexibility. He oversaw plans for handling the new threat, codenamed by the RAF and ROC as "Operation Totter", which included a proposal whereby ROC posts would fire Snowflake illuminating rocket flares in order to alert RAF fighters to the presence of a V-1.[[Image:The Royal Observer Corps in Britain, 1943 TR1444.jpg|thumb|left|upright|ROC personnel preparing a battery of Snowflake rocket flares.]]

Observers at the coast post of [[Dymchurch]] identified the very first of these weapons and within seconds of their report the anti-aircraft defences were in action. This new weapon gave the ROC much additional work both at posts and operations rooms. Eventually RAF controllers actually took their radio equipment to the two closest ROC operations rooms at Horsham and Maidstone, and vectored fighters direct from the ROC's plotting tables. The critics who had said that the Corps would be unable to handle the fast-flying jet aircraft were answered when these aircraft on their first operation were actually controlled entirely by using ROC information both on the coast and at inland.

The average speed of V-1s was {{cvt|550|km/h}} and their average altitude was {{cvt|1000|m}} to {{cvt|1200|m}}. Fighter aircraft required excellent low altitude performance to intercept them and enough firepower to ensure that they were destroyed in the air (ideally, also from a sufficient distance, to avoid being damaged by the strong blast) rather than the V-1 crashing to earth and detonating. Most aircraft were too slow to catch a V-1 unless they had a height advantage, allowing them to gain speed by diving on their target.

When V-1 attacks began in mid-June 1944, the only aircraft with the low-altitude speed to be effective against it was the [[Hawker Tempest]]. Fewer than 30 Tempests were available. They were assigned to [[No. 150 Wing RAF]]. Early attempts to intercept and destroy V-1s often failed, but improved techniques soon emerged. These included using the airflow over an interceptor's wing to raise one wing of the V-1, by sliding the wingtip to within {{cvt|6|in|cm}} of the lower surface of the V-1's wing. If properly executed, this manoeuvre would tip the V-1's wing up, over-riding the [[gyroscope|gyro]] and sending the V-1 into an out-of-control dive. At least sixteen V-1s were destroyed this way (the first by a P-51 piloted by Major R. E. Turner of [[356th Fighter Squadron]] on 18 June).{{sfn|Thomas|2013|p={{page needed|date=March 2020}} }}

The Tempest fleet was built up to over 100 aircraft by September, and during the short summer nights the Tempests shared defensive duty with twin-engined [[de Havilland Mosquito]]s. Specially modified [[P-47M|Republic P-47M Thunderbolts]] were also pressed into service against the V-1s; they had boosted engines ({{convert|2,800|hp|kW|order=flip|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and had half their .50 calibre (12.7&nbsp;mm) machine guns and half their fuel tanks, all external fittings and all their armour plate removed to reduce weight. In addition, [[North American P-51 Mustang]]s and [[Rolls-Royce Griffon|Griffon]]-engined [[Supermarine Spitfire]] [[Supermarine Spitfire (Griffon powered variants)#Mk XIV (type 379)|Mk XIVs]] were tuned to make them fast enough. At night airborne radar was not needed, as the V-1 engine could be heard from {{cvt|10|mi}} away or more and the exhaust plume was visible from a long distance. [[Wing Commander]] [[Roland Beamont]] had the 20&nbsp;mm cannon on his Tempest adjusted to converge at {{cvt|300|yd|m}} ahead. This was so successful that all other aircraft in 150 Wing were thus modified.

The anti-V-1 sorties by fighters were known as [[Operation Diver|"Diver patrols"]] (after "Diver", the codename used by the [[Royal Observer Corps]] for V-1 sightings). Attacking a V-1 was dangerous: machine guns had little effect on the V-1's sheet steel structure, and if a cannon shell detonated the warhead, the explosion could destroy the attacker.
[[File:Spitfire Tipping V-1 Flying Bomb.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|A Spitfire using its wingtip to "topple" a V-1 flying bomb]]

In daylight, V-1 chases were chaotic and often unsuccessful until a special defence zone was declared between London and the coast, in which only the fastest fighters were permitted. The first interception of a V-1 was by F/L J. G. Musgrave with a [[No. 605 Squadron RAF]] Mosquito night fighter on the night of 14/15 June 1944. As daylight grew stronger after the night attack, a Spitfire was seen to follow closely behind a V-1 over Chislehurst and Lewisham. Between June and 5 September 1944, a handful of 150 Wing Tempests shot down 638 flying bombs,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=h98DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54 "4-Cannon Tempest Chases Nazi Robot Bomb"]. ''Popular Mechanics'', February 1945.</ref> with [[No. 3 Squadron RAF]] alone claiming 305. One Tempest pilot, Squadron Leader [[Joseph Berry (RAF officer)|Joseph Berry]] ([[No. 501 Squadron RAF|501 Squadron]]), shot down 59 V-1s, the Belgian ace Squadron Leader [[Remy Van Lierde]] ([[No. 164 Squadron RAF|164 Squadron]]) destroyed 44 (with a further nine shared), W/C Roland Beamont destroyed 31, and F/Lt Arthur Umbers (No. 3 squadron) destroyed 28. A Dutch pilot in [[No. 322 (Dutch) Squadron RAF|322 Squadron]], Jan Leendert Plesman, son of [[KLM]] president [[Albert Plesman]], managed to destroy 12 in 1944, flying a Spitfire.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tracesofwar.nl/persons/42537/Plesman-Jan-Leendert.htm | title=Plesman, Jan Leendert | work=TracesOfWar.nl | language=nl}}</ref>

The next most successful interceptors were the Mosquito (623 victories),{{sfn|Sharp|Bowyer|1995|p=179}} Spitfire XIV (303),{{efn|1=Squadrons 91, 322 (Dutch) and 610. The top ace was S/L Kynaston of 91 Sqn with 21 destroyed.<ref>''Ultimate Spitfire'' (pp.&nbsp;203–204)</ref>}} and Mustang (232). All other types combined added 158. Even though it was not fully operational, the jet-powered [[Gloster Meteor]] was rushed into service with [[No. 616 Squadron RAF]] to fight the V-1s. It had ample speed but its cannons were prone to jamming, and it shot down only 13 V-1s.{{sfn|Cooper|1997|p=8}}<!-- These were the first air battles between jet-powered aircraft in history, although that distinction is usually ascribed to the battles between manned jet fighters during the Korean War in 1950.—not an air "battle", but an interception-->

In late 1944 a radar-equipped [[Vickers Wellington]] bomber was modified for use by the RAF's [[Fighter Interception Unit]] as an [[airborne early warning and control]] aircraft.{{sfn|Jackson|2007|p=217}} Flying at an altitude of {{cvt |100|ft|m}} over the North Sea at night, it directed Mosquito and Beaufighters charged with intercepting He 111s from Dutch airbases that sought to launch V-1s from the air.<ref>Ross H. Hamilton. June 2003 [http://www.airmuseum.ca/mag/exag0306.html "The Very First Awacs"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115060838/http://www.airmuseum.ca/mag/exag0306.html |date=15 January 2020 }} Ex Air Gunners Association. via Commonwealth Training Plan Museum</ref>

===Disposal===
The first [[bomb disposal]] officer to defuse an unexploded V-1 was [[John Pilkington Hudson]] in 1944.<ref>{{cite ODNB |last=Self |first=Brian |date=January 2011 |title=Hudson, John Pilkington (1910–2007) |id=99289 |mode=cs2}}</ref> 

In 2024 a remotely operated vehicle was sent into the [[Bay of Lübeck]], off the northern coast of Germany, where large quantities of munitions were dumped during demilitarization after World War II. It recorded images of nine different V-1 missiles on the seabed “in various stages of degradation,” according to the resulting study, published in 2025.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vedenin |first=A. |last2=Kröncke |first2=I. |last3=Weiß |first3=T. |last4=Nolte |first4=G. |last5=Keller |first5=M. |last6=Beck |first6=A. J. |last7=Esposito |first7=M. |last8=Greinert |first8=J. |date=2025-09-25 |title=Sea-dumped munitions in the Baltic Sea support high epifauna abundance and diversity |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02593-7 |journal=Communications Earth & Environment |language=en |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=749 |doi=10.1038/s43247-025-02593-7 |issn=2662-4435}}</ref> The study reported that thriving [[Fauna|epifaunal]] communities were growing on the dumped munitions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nazaryan |first=Alexander |date=November 5, 2025 |title=Nazi Missiles That Terrorized Britain Are Now Home to Starfish |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/science/marine-biology-v1-munitions.html |access-date=November 7, 2025 |work=New York Times |page=D3 |language=en-US |volume=175 |issue=60693 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Deception===
To adjust and correct settings in the V-1 guidance system, the Germans needed to know where the V-1s were impacting. Therefore, [[Abwehr|German intelligence]] was requested to obtain this impact data from their agents in Britain. However, [[Double Cross System|all German agents in Britain had been turned]] and were acting as double agents under British control.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

[[File:Flying Bomb- V1 Bomb Damage in London, England, UK, 1944 D21237.jpg|thumb|Aftermath of a V-1 bombing, London, 1944]]
On 16 June 1944 British double agent ''Garbo'' ([[Juan Pujol García|Juan Pujol]]) was requested by his German controllers to give information on the sites and times of V-1 impacts, with similar requests made to the other German agents in Britain, ''Brutus'' ([[Roman Czerniawski]]) and ''Tate'' ([[Wulf Schmidt]]). If the Germans had been supplied these data, they would have been able to adjust their aim and correct any shortfall. However, the double agents would  have been endangered because there was no plausible reason why they could not supply accurate data; the impacts would be common knowledge amongst Londoners and very likely reported in the press, which the Germans had ready access to through the neutral nations. As [[John Cecil Masterman]], chairman of the [[Twenty Committee]], commented, "If, for example, St Paul's Cathedral were hit, it was useless and harmful to report that the bomb had descended upon a cinema in [[Islington]], since the truth would inevitably get through to Germany ..."{{sfn|Masterman|1972|pp=252–53}}

While the British decided how to react, Pujol played for time. On 18 June it was decided that the double agents would report the damage caused by V-1s fairly accurately and minimise the effect they had on civilian morale. It was also decided that Pujol should avoid giving the times of impacts and should mostly report on those which occurred in the northwest of London, to give the impression to the Germans that they were overshooting the target area.{{sfn|Crowdy|2008|pp=273–74}}

While Pujol downplayed the extent of V-1 damage, trouble came from ''Ostro'', an {{lang|de|[[Abwehr]]}} agent in [[Lisbon]] who pretended to have agents reporting from London. He told the Germans that London had been devastated and had been mostly evacuated as a result of enormous casualties. The Germans could not perform aerial reconnaissance of London and believed his damage reports in preference to Pujol's. They thought that the Allies would make every effort to destroy the V-1 launch sites in France. They also accepted ''Ostro''{{'}}s impact reports. Due to [[Ultra (cryptography)|Ultra]], however, the Allies read his messages and adjusted for them.{{sfn|Masterman|1972|p=254}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1981-004-19, Max Wachtel.jpg|thumb|upright|Max Wachtel]]
A certain number of the V-1s fired had been fitted with radio transmitters, which had clearly demonstrated a tendency for the V-1 to fall short. {{lang|de|[[Oberst]]}} Max Wachtel, commander of Flak Regiment 155 (W), which was responsible for the V-1 offensive, compared the data gathered by the transmitters with the reports obtained through the double agents. He concluded, when faced with the discrepancy between the two sets of data, that there must be a fault with the radio transmitters, as he had been assured that the agents were completely reliable. It was later calculated that if Wachtel had disregarded the agents' reports and relied on the radio data, he would have made the correct adjustments to the V-1's guidance, and casualties might have increased by 50 per cent or more.{{sfn|Jones|1978|p=422}}{{sfn|Crowdy|2008|p=280}}

The policy of diverting V-1 impacts away from central London was initially controversial. The War Cabinet refused to authorise a measure that would increase casualties in any area, even if it reduced casualties elsewhere by greater amounts. It was thought that [[Churchill]] would reverse this decision later (he was then away at a conference); but the delay in starting the reports to Germans might be fatal to the deception. So Sir [[Findlater Stewart]] of [[Home Defence Executive]] took responsibility for starting the deception programme immediately, and his action was approved by Churchill when he returned.{{sfn|Montagu|1978|pp=151–58}}

==Effect==
The use of land-launched V-1s against Great Britain ended on 1 September after which the campaign continued using air-launched missiles.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=40}} In total, 10,492 V-1s were launched against Britain, with a nominal aiming point of [[Tower Bridge]].{{sfn|Atkinson|2013|pp=107, 110}} 7,500 incoming missiles were observed by the British defenders of which 1,847 were downed by fighters, 1,878 were destroyed by anti aircraft fire and 232 struck barrage balloons. 2,419 V-1s reached the London civil defence region, inflicting 6,184 fatalities and 17,981 serious injuries.{{sfn|Werrell|2005|pp=20}} On the 28 March the last V-1 reached London.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=71}}

==Assessment==
Unlike the V-2, the V-1 was a cost-effective weapon for the Germans as it forced the Allies to spend heavily on defensive measures and divert bombers from other targets. More than 25% of [[Combined Bomber Offensive]]'s bombs in July and August 1944 were used against V-weapon sites, often ineffectively.{{sfn|Levine|1992|pp=137, 139}} In early December 1944, American General [[Clayton Bissell]] wrote a paper that strongly demonstrated the cost-effectiveness for the Germans of the V-1 when compared with conventional bombers.{{sfn|Irons|2003|p=199}} The following is a table he produced:
[[File:DoodleBug1.JPG|thumb|A V-1 and launching ramp section on display at the [[Imperial War Museum Duxford]] (2009)]]

{|class="wikitable"
|+ [[The Blitz|Blitz]] (12 months) vs V-1 flying bombs (2¾ months){{sfn|Irons|2003|p=199}}
|-
|
!Blitz
!V-1
|-
|colspan=3|'''1. Cost to Germany'''
|-
|Sorties||90,000||8,025
|-
|Weight of bombs tons||61,149||14,600
|-
|Fuel consumed tons||71,700||4,681
|-
|Aircraft lost||3,075||0
|-
|Personnel lost||7,690||0
|-
|colspan=3|'''2. Results'''
|-
|Structures damaged/destroyed
|1,150,000
|1,127,000
|-
|Casualties||92,566||22,892
|-
|Rate casualties/bombs tons||1.6||1.6
|-
|colspan=3|'''3. Allied air effort'''
|-
|Sorties
|86,800
|44,770
|-
|Aircraft lost
|1,260
|351
|-
|Personnel lost||2,233||805
|}

The statistics of this report, however, have been the subject of some dispute. The V-1 missiles launched from bombers were often prone to exploding prematurely, occasionally resulting in the loss of the aircraft to which they were attached. The Luftwaffe lost 77 aircraft in 1,200 of these sorties.{{sfn|Hutchinson|2003|p={{page needed|date=July 2020}}}}

[[Wright Field]] technical personnel [[reverse-engineered]] the V-1 from the remains of one that had failed to detonate in Britain and the [[Republic-Ford JB-2]] was being delivered by early 1945. After the end of the war in Europe it was in consideration for use against Japan. General [[Hap Arnold]] of the United States Army Air Forces was concerned that this weapon would make his long-range bombers less important, since they were much cheaper and could be built of steel and wood, in 2,000 man-hours and approximate cost of US$600 (in 1943).{{sfn|Mindling|Bolton|2009|pp=6–31}}

==Belgian attacks==
The attacks on [[Antwerp]] and [[Brussels]] began in October 1944, with the last V-1 launched against Antwerp on 30 March 1945.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=31}} The shorter range improved the accuracy of the V-1 which was {{convert|10|km}} deviation per {{convert|160|km}} of flight, the flight level was also reduced to around {{convert|3000|ft|m|sigfig=1|order=flip|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=9}} The [[Port of Antwerp]] was one of the biggest in the world and was the main entrepot for Alled supplies further progression of Allied armies into Germany.

===Countermeasures at Antwerp===
Both British ([[80th Anti-Aircraft Brigade]]) and US Army anti-aircraft batteries (30th AAA Group) were sent to Antwerp together with a searchlight regiment. The zone of command under the [[21st Army Group]] was called "Antwerp-X" and given the object of protecting an area with a radius of {{cvt|7,000|yd|order=flip}} covering the city and dock area.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=34}} Initially attacks came from the south-east, accordingly a screen of observers and searchlights was deployed along the attack azimuth, behind which were three rows of batteries with additional searchlights.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=36}}

US units deployed [[SCR-584 radar]] units controlling four [[90 mm Gun M1/M2/M3|90 mm guns]] per battery using an [[Director (military)|M9 director]] to electrically control the battery guns.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=40}} British gun batteries were each equipped with eight [[QF 3.7-inch AA gun]] (94 mm) and two radar units, preferably the US SCR-584 with M9 director as it was more accurate than the British system.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=45}} The radar was effective from {{convert|28,000|yd|m|order=flip|abbr=on}}, the M9 director predicted the target location position based on course, height and speed which combined with the gun, shell and fuse characteristics predicted an impact position, adjusted each gun and fired the shell.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=51}}

In November attacks began from the north-east and additional batteries were deployed along the new azimuths, including the [[184th AAA Battalion (United States)]] brought from Paris. Additional radar units and observers were deployed up to {{cvt|40|mi|order=flip}} from Antwerp to give early warning of V-1 bombs approaching.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=53}} The introduction of the [[VT fuse]] in January 1945 improved the effectiveness of the guns and reduced ammunition consumption.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=68}} From October 1944 to March 1945, 4,883 V-1s were detected. Of these, only 4.5 percent fell into the designated protected area.{{sfn|Defense Technical Information Center|1971|p=54}}

==Japanese developments==
In 1943 an Argus pulsejet engine was sent to Japan by [[Yanagi missions#Reciprocal voyages|German submarine]]. The Aeronautical Institute of [[Tokyo Imperial University]] and the [[Kawanishi Aircraft Company]] conducted a joint study of the feasibility of mounting a similar engine on a piloted plane. The resulting design was named [[Kawanishi Baika|{{transliteration|ja|Baika}}]] ("plum blossom") but bore no more than a superficial resemblance to the Fi 103. {{transliteration|ja|Baika}} never left the design stage, but technical drawings and notes suggest that, an air-launched version with the engine under the fuselage, a ground-launched version that could take off without a ramp and a submarine launched version with the engine moved forwards were considered.

==Post-war==
===France===
After reverse-engineering captured V-1s in 1946, the French began producing copies for use as [[target drone]]s, starting in 1951. These were called the [[ARSAERO CT 10]] and were smaller than the V-1. The CT 10 could be ground-launched using [[JATO|solid rocket boosters]] or air-launched from a [[LeO 45]] bomber. More than 400 were produced, some of which were exported to the UK, Sweden, and Italy.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Winter |first1=Frank |last2=Neufeld |first2=Michael J. |title=Missile, Cruise, V-1 (Fi 103, FZG 76) |url=https://www.si.edu/object/nasm_A19720633000 |website=National Air and Space Museum |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |access-date=1 May 2018 |date=August 2000}}</ref>

===Soviet Union===
The Soviet Union captured V-1s when they overran the [[Blizna V-2 missile launch site|Blizna test range]] in Poland, as well as from the [[Mittelwerk]].{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=193}} The 10Kh was their copy of the V-1, later called [[10Kh|Izdeliye 10]].{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=193}} Initial tests began in March 1945 at a test range in [[Tashkent]],{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=193}} with further launches from ground sites and from aircraft of improved versions continuing into the late 1940s. The inaccuracy of the guidance system when compared with new methods such as [[beam-riding]] and [[TV guidance]] saw development end in the early 1950s.{{sfn|Zaloga|2005|p=80}}

The Soviets also worked on a piloted attack aircraft based on the Argus pulsejet engine of the V-1, which began as a German project, the [[Junkers EF 126]] {{lang|de|Lilli}}, in the latter stages of the war. The Soviet development of the {{lang|de|Lilli}} ended in 1946 after a crash that killed the test pilot.{{sfn|Christopher|2013|p=193}}
===United States===
{{main|Republic-Ford JB-2}}
[[File:USS Cusk;0834807.jpg|thumb|A KGW-1 being fired from {{USS|Cusk|SS-348|6}} in 1951]]
The United States reverse-engineered the V-1 in 1944 from salvaged parts recovered in England during June. By 8 September, the first of thirteen complete prototype [[Republic-Ford JB-2]], was assembled at [[Republic Aviation]]. The United States JB-2 was different from the German V-1 in only the smallest of dimensions, with only [[Republic-Ford JB-2#Wartime development|the forward pulsejet support pylon visibly differing in shape]] from the original German pilotless ordnance design. The wingspan was only {{cvt|2+1/2|in|mm|round=5|order=flip|abbr=on}} wider and the length was extended less than {{cvt|2|ft|m|1|order=flip}}. The difference gave the JB-2 {{convert|60.7|sqft|m2|order=flip|abbr=on}} of wing area versus {{convert|55|sqft|m2|order=flip|abbr=on}} for the V-1.{{sfn|Mindling|Bolton|2009|p={{page needed|date=February 2012}} }}

A navalised version, designated KGW-1, was developed to be launched from [[Landing Ship, Tank|LSTs]] as well as [[escort carrier]]s (CVEs) and long-range 4-engine reconnaissance aircraft. Waterproof carriers for the KGW-1 were developed for launches of the missile from surfaced submarines. Both the USAAF JB-2 and Navy KGW-1 were put into production and were planned to be used in the Allied invasion of Japan ([[Operation Downfall]]). However, the surrender of Japan obviated the need for its use.{{sfn|Mindling|Bolton|2009|p={{page needed|date=February 2012}} }} After the end of the war, the JB-2/KGW-1 played a significant role in the development of more advanced surface-to-surface tactical missile systems such as the [[MGM-1 Matador]] and [[SSM-N-8 Regulus]].{{sfn|Zaloga|2020|p=33}}

==Operators==
;{{flag|Nazi Germany|Nazi}}
* {{lang|de|[[Luftwaffe]]}}

==Surviving examples==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}
[[File:13 Greencastle V-1.JPG|thumb|War Memorial in Greencastle, Indiana]]
;Australia
* The [[Australian War Memorial]] in [[Canberra]], [[Australia]]
;Belgium
* The Stampe en Vertongen Museum at [[Antwerp International Airport]] has a V-1 on display.<ref>{{cite web |title=Things to see, things to do |url=https://www.stampe.be/en-gb/verzameling |website=Stampe en Vetongen Museum |access-date=12 October 2022}}</ref>
[[File:V1 at the Stampe & Vertongen Museum, Antwerp International Airport, Belgium.jpg|thumb|V-1 flying bomb on display at the Stampe & Vertongen Museum]]
;Canada
* [[Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]]
* [[Canadian War Museum]], manned version [[Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg]], collected<ref>Canadian War Museum @CanWarMuseum: ''Now in the #WarMuseum Lobby: a V-1 Flying Bomb – Fi103 R-IV "Reichenberg" collected by #FarleyMowat'' – [https://x.com/CanWarMuseum/status/469856343969370112 23 May 2014 Twitter]</ref> by [[Farley Mowat]]
;Denmark
* The [[Danish War Museum|Danish War Museum (''Krigsmuseet'', formerly ''Tøjhusmuseet'')]] in [[Copenhagen]]
;France
* The Grand Bunker Museum in [[Ouistreham]], near [[Caen]] and [[Sword Beach]], displays a V-1 flying bomb.
* [[Blockhaus d'Éperlecques]], near [[Saint-Omer]]. Although this was intended as a V-2 launch site the museum on the site has a display devoted to the V-1, including a V-1 cruise missile and an entire launch ramp.
* Le Val Ygot at [[Ardouval]], north of [[Saint-Saëns, Seine-Maritime|Saint-Saëns]]. Disabled by Allied bombing in December 1943, before completion. Remains of blockhouses, with recreated launch ramp and mock V1.
* [[La Coupole]], near Saint-Omer, has a V-1 that it was lent by the [[Science Museum (London)|Science Museum]] in London.
* The [[Overlord Museum]] in [[Colleville-sur-Mer]], near the [[Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial]] and [[Omaha Beach]], displays a French copy of the V-1; actually a CT&nbsp;10 target drone.
* Tosny Museum, near [[Les Andelys]], displays a restored Fieseler 103 A1, launched on 13 June from Pont-Montauban base and crashed in the mud without exploding after flying 10&nbsp;km.<ref>{{cite web |title=V1 arme secrète d'Hitler |language=fr |trans-title=Hitler's Secret Weapon V1 |website=Tosny Museum |url= http://museellgmdetosny.free.fr/armes_secretes01.htm |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>
;Germany
* [[Deutsches Museum]] in Munich
;The Netherlands
* [[Overloon War Museum]] in Overloon
* Museum Vliegbasis Deelen in Schaarsbergen
* National Military Museum in Soesterberg has a V1 and a V1 Reichenberg
;New Zealand
* [[Auckland War Memorial Museum]], Auckland
* [[Museum of Transport and Technology]], Auckland<ref>[http://www.lonelyplanet.com/new-zealand/auckland/sights/416302 "Motat."] lonelyplanet.com. Retrieved 20 October 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MOTAT & One Tree Hill |url=http://www.ballofdirt.com/entries/19861/272421.html |url-status=dead |website=Ball of Dirt.com |access-date=20 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811141942/http://www.ballofdirt.com/entries/19861/272421.html |archive-date=11 August 2009}}</ref>
;Sweden
* A V-1 in the Arboga Missile museum <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://robotmuseum.se/Mappar/0E/index_e.html |title=Startsida |access-date=14 August 2011 |archive-date=19 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419105208/http://robotmuseum.se/Mappar/0E/index_e.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:V1 launch ramp IWM duxford.JPG|thumb|V-1 launch ramp recreated at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford]]
;Switzerland
* A restored original V-1 is on display, as well as one of only six worldwide remaining original Reichenberg (Re 4–27), at the [[Swiss Military Museum]] in Full
;United Kingdom
[[File:Imperial War Museum, London (geograph 4108596) (cropped).jpg|thumb|V-1 flying bomb on display at the [[Imperial War Museums|Imperial War Museum London]]]]
* A reproduction V-1 is located at the [[Eden Camp]] in North Yorkshire.<ref>{{cite web |title=Exhibit of the Week: V1 flying bomb gyroscope, Eden Camp Museum, Malton |url=http://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/lifestyle/exhibit-of-the-week-v1-flying-bomb-gyroscope-eden-camp-museum-malton-1-8672229 |work=[[The Scarborough News]] |date=29 July 2017 |access-date=18 October 2017}}</ref>
* Fi-103 serial number 442795 is on display at the [[Science Museum, London]]. It was presented to the museum in 1945 by the War Office.
* A V-1 is on a partial ramp section, at the [[Imperial War Museum Duxford]]; the museum also has a partially recreated launch ramp with a mock–up V-1 displayed outside.
* A V-1 is on display with a [[V-2]] at the [[RAF Museum Hendon]], north London
* a V-1 is on display at the other RAF Museum site, [[Royal Air Force Museum Midlands]] in [[Shropshire]]
* A [[Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg]]—the piloted version of the V1—is usually on display at Headcorn (Lashenden) Airfield's Air Warfare Museum
* A V-1 is on display with a V-2 in the new Atrium of the [[Imperial War Museum]], London
* The Aeropark at East Midlands Airport also has a V-1 on display.<ref>[http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/emaweb.nsf/Content/Aeropark "The Aeropark."] eastmidlandsairport.com. Retrieved 20 October 2010.</ref>
* A V-1 replica and original launch rail and equipment is on display at the [[Kent Battle of Britain Museum]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The V-weapons Display |url=http://www.kbobm.org/v1_display.html |work=[[Kent Battle of Britain Museum]] |access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref>
* A V-1 is on display at the RAF Manston History Museum<ref>{{cite web |title=Aircraft and Cockpit Displays |url=https://www.rafmanston.co.uk/our-aircraft-and-cockpit-displays/ |website=RAF Manston History Museum |access-date=14 November 2023}}</ref>
* A V-1 replica is displayed at The Muckleburgh Collection near Weybourne in Norfolk. According to the collection's website, the replica is displayed on a section of the original Peenemunde launch ramp.<ref>{{cite web |title=Complete Collection |url=https://www.muckleburgh.co.uk/complete-collection |website=Muckleburgh Military Collection |access-date=29 June 2022}}</ref>

;United States
[[File:Air Zoo December 2019 024 (V-1 flying bomb).jpg|thumb|V-1 on display at the [[Air Zoo]]]]
* A V-1 is on display at the US Army Air Defense Artillery Museum, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
* FZG-76 is on display as a war memorial at the southwest corner of the Putnam County Courthouse in [[Greencastle, Indiana|Greencastle]], Indiana.<ref>''The Buzz Bomb''; Bronze Plaque next to the memorial</ref>
* The Smithsonian's [[National Air and Space Museum]] on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
* A V-1 is on display at the [[Air Zoo]] in [[Portage, Michigan|Portage]], Michigan.
* The [[Cosmosphere]] in [[Hutchinson, Kansas]] has a V-1 display which consists of a post-war "hybrid" of German-machined and American parts. In particular, it has a JB-2 Loon-style forward engine support fairing.
* A V-1 is also located at the [[Fantasy of Flight]] aviation museum in [[Polk City, Florida]]
* V-1 #121536 is on display at the [[Pima Air and Space Museum]], in [[Tucson, Arizona]].
* A V-1 and [[Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg]] are on display at the [[Flying Heritage Collection]] in Everett, Washington.
* A V-1 is on display at the [[Military Aviation Museum]] in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
* A V-1 is on display at the [[Museum of Flight]] in Seattle, Washington.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Fieseler Fi 103 (V1) German "Buzz Bomb" |url=http://www.museumofflight.org/Exhibits/fieseler-fi-103-v1 |website=Museum of Flight}}</ref>

==See also==
{{colbegin|colwidth=27em}}
* [[Aggregat (rocket family)]]
* [[Amerika Bomber]]
* [[Argus Fernfeuer]]
* [[Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg]] – The piloted version of the V-1
* [[Fritz X]]
* [[Henschel Hs 293]]
* [[Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane]]
* [[Kettering Bug|Kettering "Bug" Aerial Torpedo]]
* [[List of German guided weapons of World War II]]
* [[List of jet aircraft of World War II]]
* [[List of missiles]]
* [[Mitsubishi Ki-147]]
* [[Ohka]]
* [[Operation Paperclip]]
* [[RAE Larynx]]
* [[Republic-Ford JB-2]]
* [[SCR-584 radar]]
* [[V-1 flying bomb facilities]]
* [[V-2 rocket]]
* [[V-3 cannon]]
{{colend}}

== References ==
'''Informational notes'''
{{Notelist}}

'''Citations'''
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
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{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{citation | last = Haining | first = Peter |author-link=Peter Haining (author)| title = The Flying Bomb War -Contemporary Eyewitness Accounts of the German V1 and V2 Raids On Britain 1942–1945 | location = London | publisher = Robson Books | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-1-86105-581-1 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Hellmold |first1=Wilhelm |title=Die V1: Eine Dokumentation |year=1991 |publisher=Weltbild Verlag GmbH |location=Augsburg, Germany |isbn=3-89350-352-8}}
* {{cite book |last1=Henshall |first1=Philip |title=Hitler's V-Weapons Sites |year=2002 |publisher=Sutton Publishing |location=United Kingdom |isbn=0-7509-2607-4}}
* {{citation | last = Kay | first = Anthony L. | title = Buzz Bomb ''(Monogram Close-Up 4)'' | location = Boylston, MA |publisher = Monogram Aviation Publications | year = 1977 | isbn = 978-0-914144-04-5}}
* {{citation | last1 = King | first1 = Benjamin | first2 = Timothy | last2 = Kutta | title = Impact: The History of Germany's V-Weapons in World War II | location = New York | publisher = Sarpedon | year = 1998 | isbn = 978-1-885119-51-3}}
* {{citation | last = Ramsay | first = Winston | title = The Blitz Then & Now | volume = 3 | location = London | publisher = Battle of Britain Prints | year = 1990 | isbn = 978-0-900913-58-7}}
* {{citation | last = Young | first = Richard Anthony | title = The Flying Bomb | location = Shepperton, UK | publisher = Ian Allan | year = 1978 | isbn = 978-0-7110-0842-7}}. (1978, USA, Sky Book Press, {{ISBN|978-0-89402-072-8}})

==External links==
{{Commons category|V-1}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=FZG76|description=of FZG 76 – V-1}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928191415/http://coalhousefort-gallery.com/V1-flying-bomb-Vengance-weapon-site-Hazebrouck V-1 Launch Site]
* [http://www.stelzriede.com/ms/html/sub/marshwvw.htm The V-Weapons, from Marshall Stelzriede's Wartime Story website with June 1944 UK/US news reports on V-1 attacks]
* [http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/v1.html Fi-103/V-1 "Buzz Bomb", from the Luftwaffe Resource Center website, hosted by The Warbirds Resource Group; with 42 photos]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060618103546/http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V1_into.html The Lambeth Archives, includes a sound recording of an incoming V-1, circa 1944]
* [http://www.zenza.se/vw/ Swedish site (in English) with text and many details of the V-1 cruise missile and its supporting hardware] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014215435/http://www.zenza.se/vw/ |date=14 October 2011 }}

{{Fieseler aircraft}}
{{V-weapons}}
{{RLM aircraft designations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:V-1 (Flying Bomb)}}
[[Category:Cruise missiles of Germany]]
[[Category:Fieseler aircraft|V-01]]
[[Category:V-weapons]]
[[Category:World War II jet aircraft of Germany]]
[[Category:World War II guided missiles of Germany]]
[[Category:Single-engined jet aircraft]]
[[Category:Pulsejet-powered aircraft]]
[[Category:Mid-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:German inventions of the Nazi period]]
[[Category:Unmanned military aircraft of Germany]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1944]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1942]]
[[Category:London in World War II]]