Event    From 1944  To 1945

V1 and V2 rockets

Categories: Tragedy

The V1 and V2 rockets were developed as a reaction to the heavy allied bombing of German cities towards the end of WW2. (V stands for Vergeltungswaffe - retribution weapon'). In total, over 3,000 V2s were launched against Britain, resulting in an estimated 9,000 deaths.

V1s, known as doodlebugs, flew until they ran out of fuel and then they dropped to the ground. So people on the ground would listen hoping to hear it pass overhead, but if the noise stopped while it was still coming towards them they would dive for cover. The V2s were the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile and as such no one heard them coming.

This Wikipedia image shows a V2 rocket.

2018: A London Inheritance has a great post about V2s.

2018: "Drone Warfare: The Development of Unmanned Aerial Conflict" by Dave Sloggett, references "Most Secret War" by R. V. Jones where Tower Bridge is named as the permanent target for all the London V1 rockets. It seems to be generally agreed that the V1s were not at all accurate and many fell short.

2018: In 2009 Matt the Magnificent Mapper at Londonist plotted all the V2 sites he had access to at that time.  Then in 2018 that was superseded by WWII V2 Rocket Attacks.

2019: LRB has an interesting post about these bombs, particularly in the comments about their random nature.

 

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
V1 and V2 rockets

Commemorated ati

Adam Faith

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Canadian WW2 firefighters

{On the floral emblem:} Canada fire fighters. In memory of three members of ...

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Crooked Billet - V2 attack

In memory of all those killed and injured at this site by a V2 rocket which d...

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First Blackfriars Station

SER Blackfriars Station This is the entrance to the former Blackfriars Statio...

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First flying bomb

From English Heritage: "The plaque was unveiled on 13 June, 41 years after th...

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Sebastian Lukomski

Sebastian Lukomski

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1 memorial
Nunhead Lane V1 rocket

Nunhead Lane V1 rocket

WWII attack on a factory which killed 24 people. The memorial gives details of the event. Our picture is a contemporary drawing of the aftermath of the disaster.

Event, Tragedy

1 memorial
James Henry Reeve

James Henry Reeve

Employed at the Silvertown Brunner Mond works and killed in the 1917 Silvertown explosion. Imperial War Museum has a page: "Sergeant James Henry Reeve was a serving member of 6th Battalion Essex Re...

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial
Cynthia Jarrett

Cynthia Jarrett

Mother of Floyd Jarrett, who had been arrested and charged by the police for theft and assault. Although he had been released, the police later decided to search his mother's home. Mrs Jarrett coll...

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial
Charles Vanrenen

Charles Vanrenen

British, killed by the Bali bomb, age 26.

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial