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| Peenemunde |
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Destruction
to tunnel for V2 Bunker
site at Saumur.
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On June 8th
the crew carried out two attacks in France, on the railway
tunnel at Samur, and at St Pol on the 25th.
Later their
missions would be directed at a new and frightening range of
secret weapons that were to be used by Hitler in his last frantic
attempts to destroy London.
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As far
back as 1929 developments were in progress by German scientist
Dr Paul Schmidt with his invention of
a pulse duct
jet engine...in 1935 his pulse engine was displayed to the
German air ministry, his suggestion to them was to use it as
a flying torpedo, but little interest was shown. In 1942, his
now named Argos pulse engine was demonstrated to Field Marshal
Ehard Milch who saw great potential in the scientists ideas and
how it could be used to destroy British cities,
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now recruited air-craft designer Robert Lutzer who confirmed
that this engine
and his design could be used as a pilot-less missile, and
so "Project
Cherrystone" was launched and the new missile now given
the code number of Fi 103.The cost of each V1 built was £125,
the same price in 1944 as a volkswagen car! |
V1
- The first flying pilotless missile. |
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Bomber
Command had learnt through photo-reconnaissance missions and
Intelligence reports that new secret weapons the V1and V2 rockets
were being tested on the Baltic coast, at Peenemunde. Fearing
that these would be used against Britain Churchill ordered “Operation
Crossbow” to take priority with Bomber Command, so the
R.A.F ordered 597 heavy-bombers to attack the site on August
17, 1943, the site was bombed killing 735 people and many scientists,
including one of the most important Dr Tiel, who was the technician
behind the (A4) V2 rocket engine. Although the raid was deemed
successful, it only held up production for 3 or so months. On
this one mission alone, the R.A.F lost 40 bombers and 270, aircrew. |
The main intention
of the German air ministry now was to produce a minimum of 3,500
V1s per month…when the final production amount was reached
and launch sites built and ready…The Germans would launch
their new terror weapon…at a rate of 1 every 12 minutes,
day and night…at least 500 a day…at London!!!
Due to severe difficulties in its gyroscopic guidance mechanism and the jet propulsion
engine, the German High Command realised that the earliest date for an attack
on Britain would be March 1944. |
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