WARHEAD PERFORMANCE OF THE GERMAN FLYING BOMB (V1) IN WORLD WAR TWO

Abstract

The warhead performance of the German Flying Bomb (V1 - Vengeance Weapon) also known as Fieseler (Fi-103) and Flakzielgerät 76 (FZG-76) is assessed; the V1 was the world’s first cruise missile. The V1 was cost effective, being cheap and easy to produce. The number of design changes of the build and particularly of the warhead filling composition make analysis difficult. This paper aims to add some detail to this area. During the war many replacement fillings were used as alternatives. All the filling types and associated London Housing damage are assessed. These large areas of damage caused major problems for the British. The performance difference between the various warhead compositions was large, with a factor of four between the best and worst charges used. The fact that air raid warnings could be given disrupted many lives, especially during the night, seriously affecting wartime industry.