The V1+ V2 Attacks

Question 1

Why did the V1 attacks start happening instead of Germanys previous bombing raids ?

Answer 1

• D day landings in 1944 and liberation of Northern France
• Germanys bombers out of range
• new threat of V1 bombs

Question 2

Give some key points on the v1 flying bombs ?

Answer 2

• pilotless planes, had jet engine
• crude guidance system and designed to travel in one direction for a certain distance then dive down towards their target
• engines made a loud buzzing sound and this earnt them the name doodle bugs

Question 3

Why where v1 so terrifying ?

Answer 3

• no warning of attack meaning people where always on high alert
• the buzzing would stop when it dived causing fear

Question 4

Where the V1’s actually effective ?

Answer 4

• somewhat
• many never reached their target
• however they didn’t get shot down for fear of them landing somewhere else
• Croydon got hit badly by V1s and suffered casualties

Question 5

How many V1 attack where there ?

Answer 5

• 9000 V1 rockets launched and a later 12000
• only 6900 actually reached Britain of which 3800 where shot down
• by August 1944 only 17% actually hit their target

Question 6

What was new about the V2 rockets and what where they an early form of ?

Answer 6

• launched from mobile sites making them harder to attack
• early form of ballistic missile meaning they launched up and travelled through the atmosphere before coming straight down

Question 7

Why did the methods of how a V2 rocket actually flew make it hard to counter?

Answer 7

• because it flew in the atmosphere it made it nearly impossible for anti aircraft to shoot them

Question 8

What was the governments response to the V2 bombs ?

Answer 8

• worried it could damage morale they tried to prevent any story from being printed
• first rockets fall in September 1944
• covering up attacks by saying gas pipes had exploded

Question 9

When did the first V2 attacks start?

Answer 9

• early September 1944

Question 10

What further measures did the government take to cover up the V2 bombs?

Answer 10

• made up false stories to cover them up
• only admitted their existence after the Germans publicly revealed them
• they didn’t censor the news but instead restricted the info the press could use

Question 11

Give some key points on the attack on Deptford on Sunday 25 November ?

Answer 11

• store full of people hit by V2 rocket
• the building collapsed killing 168 people and injuring 122
• despite efforts of the fire service who attempted to dig people out only 1 person survived from within the building