THE V–1 “BUZZ BOMB”

Built as a stopgap measure before the deployment of the V–2 rocket and using existing technology, the V–1 was a pilotless, guided cruise missile for long-range bombardment. The V–1 was originally designated the Fi 103 and then the FZG 76.

The V–1 was powered by an Argus pulse jet made of a tube with a valve assembly at the front. The fuel, a low-grade fuel oil, was introduced into the combustion chamber behind the valve assembly and ignited. Pressures from the ignition closed the valves, forcing the gases to escape through the open aft end of the tube. This created a momentary vacuum in the combustion chamber and caused the valves to reopen and fuel to be drawn into the chamber. Again, the fuel-air mixture fired and the process repeated. The consecutive ignitions, occurring forty-seven times per second and generating 700 pounds of thrust, produced the distinct sound later described as a “buzz,” and that led to the name “buzz bomb.”

Because V–1s required forward momentum before the engine started, the weapons were originally launched from a 150-foot, steam-driven catapult. These early, often elaborate installations of several buildings and concrete ramps made obvious targets. Later, the Germans modified their launch sites with camouflage, wooden ramps, and fewer buildings.

Crossing the English Channel at 360 mph, a V–1 carried 1,870 pounds of explosives. With a length of 25.4 feet and a wingspan of 17.4 feet, the V–1 could strike 150 miles from its launch site. En route to its target, the V–1 stayed on course by means by a gyro-compass. A propeller, spinning freely on the nose of the aircraft, logged the distance traveled. When the propeller had spun a preset number of times, engine ignition ceased and the elevator locked in the down position. The weapon then dove to the ground and exploded. The sound of the buzz bomb provided up to ten seconds of warning before impact.