v_weapons

Hitler's Vengeance Weapons

The Blockhouse at Foret de Eperlecques, France

Bombed, then captured by the allies before it could begin lauching V2 rockets into England.

La Coupole near St. Omer, France

The biggest V2 construction site in France.

V1 and Mike Carter

12,000lb Bomb Damage at The Blockhouse

The RAF dropped 12,000lb bombs at Eperlecques, but the bombs failed to penetrate the sixteen foot thick concrete roof.

V1 and Launching Ramp

The V1 Rocket - the Precursor of the Cruise Missile

Vergeltungswaffen-1 (Vengeance Weapon 1), also popularly called Flying Bomb, Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, 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).

The V2 Rocket - the Precursor of Space Flight

Vergeltungswaffen-2 (Vengeance Weapon 2), also called V-2 Rocket, or A-4, German ballistic missile of World War II, the forerunner of modern space rockets and long-range missiles. Developed in Germany from 1936 through the efforts of scientists led by Wernher von Braun, it was first successfully launched on October 3, 1942, and was fired against Paris on September 6, 1944. Two days later the first of more than 1,100 V-2s was fired against Great Britain (the last on March 27, 1945). Belgium was also heavily bombarded. After the war both the United States and the Soviet Union captured large numbers of V-2s and used them in research that led to the development of their missile and space exploration programs. The V-2 was 14 metres (47 feet) long, weighed 12,700-13,200 kg (28,000-29,000 pounds) at launching, and developed about 60,000 pounds of thrust, burning alcohol and liquid oxygen. The payload was about 725 kg (1,600 pounds) of high explosive, horizontal range was about 320 km (200 miles), and the peak altitude usually reached was roughly 80 km (50 miles).

Eperlecques Photo Gallery