| ********** Fieseler Fi 103 Reichenberg *********** Following the Allied invasion, German officials became more receptive to the idea of a manned bomb. With war turning against them, the German high command grasped at just about any chance to turned the Allied tide. The manned Fi 103 was a concept that even a year before would have been unthinkable. While the pilot was intended to aim the craft at the target and then bail out, the odds of success were very slim indeed. The Fi 103 was designed to be launched from a He 111 and while 175 were produced, none were fired in anger. 5/KG 200 was to be the unit responsible for thier use. ********** Fieseler Fi 103 V1 Rocket ***********
The Vergeltungswaffe-1, V-1, also designated Fieseler Fi 103/FZG-76, known colloquially in English as the Flying bomb, Buzz bomb or Doodlebug, was the first guided missile used in war and the forerunner of today's cruise missile. The V-1 was developed by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War and was used between June 1944 and March 1945. It was fired at targets in southeastern England and Belgium, chiefly London and Antwerp. V-1s were launched from 'ski-jump' launch sites along the French (Pas-de-Calais) and Dutch coasts until the sites were overrun by Allied forces. A small number were air-launched from German aircraft over the North Sea. The V-1 was later complemented by the more sophisticated V-2 rocket. The last V-1 struck British soil on March 29, 1945, two days after the last V-2 struck. |