FAA missiles - “weapons of retaliation. Pulsating - the first reactive Catastrophic damage from fau 1

Weight 750-1000 kg. The flight range is 250 km, later it was brought up to 400 km.

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✪ V-1 weapon of retaliation / Vergeltungswaffe-1 V-1

✪ Superstructure of the Third Reich. Fau 1.

✪ R-1 rocket launches (FAU-2) rare archival materials

✪ Hitler’s most insane weapon

✪ Mother of All Missiles - FAA 2

Subtitles

Story

The Kummersdorf-West experimental station was located between two Kummersdorf artillery ranges, about 3 kilometers south of Berlin, in a rare pine forest in the province of Brandenburg. Officers and specialists worked there, there was the best test equipment for which we developed a test procedure, and there were stands for solid and liquid fuel missiles.

In the 1930s, at the Kummersdorf training ground, Werner von Braun was subordinated to Captain Dornberger, with whom he worked for many years. Dornberger was previously in charge of the development of smokeless rockets. Since 1937, von Braun began to test large missiles at the Peenemuende training ground of the Usedom Island on the Baltic Sea, which they began to build in 1935.

The first rocket test took place on December 21, 1932, test engineer and designer Walter Riedel from the company Heiland, located in the town of Britz, took part in the work. Engineer Arthur Rudolph offered the weapons department a fully automated liquid fuel engine, with a thrust of 295 kilograms and a burning time of sixty seconds. In August 1932, during an unsuccessful demonstration flight, a rocket built by the Raketenfluggplatz group rose vertically by 30 meters, then abruptly lay on a horizontal course and collapsed into the forest. This rocket engine was the first to be developed, created and tested at the test site. It was made of copper, spherical containers with oxygen and alcohol were located at the top, separated from the combustion chamber, equipped with a cooling system.

The missile project was developed by designers Robert Lusser (Fieseler) and Fritz Gosslau (Argus Motoren). The Fi-103 project was proposed to the Technical Department of the Ministry of Aviation jointly by both companies in July 1941. During the design work, and later on the tests, it became necessary to stabilize the rocket in flight, so it was equipped with a gyroscope and stabilizers were installed.

The rocket production began at the end of 1942, on the island of Usedom (located in the Baltic Sea, opposite the mouth of the Oder River). During the Second World War, there was a concentration camp on the island, the labor force of the prisoners of which was used at the Vau-1 production facilities.

The most spectacular achievement of the reconnaissance of the Army of the Territory (AK) was the development of a research center and plants in Peenemuende, which collected the V-1 and V-2 missiles. The first information about what was happening there was received in the autumn of 1942, and in March 1943 a detailed report was sent to London. This allowed the British to carry out a massive bomb attack on August 17-18, 1943, which suspended the production of "miracle weapons" for several months.

Device

AT pulsating jet engine (PuVRD) a combustion chamber with inlet valves and a long cylindrical outlet nozzle are used. Fuel and air are supplied periodically.

The operation cycle of the PuVRD consists of the following phases:

• The valves open and air (1) and fuel (2) enter the combustion chamber, and an air-fuel mixture is formed.
• The mixture is ignited using a spark plug. The resulting overpressure closes the valve (3).
• Hot combustion products exit through the nozzle (4) and create jet thrust.

Currently, PuVRD is used as a power plant for light target aircraft. In large aviation it is not used due to low efficiency compared to gas turbine engines.

A total of about 30,000 were made [ ] devices. By March 29, 1945, about 10,000 were launched in England; 3200 fell on its territory, of which 2419 reached London, causing losses in 6184 people killed and 17 981 wounded. Londoners called the Fau-1 “flying bombs” (flying bomb), as well as “buzzing bombs” (buzz bomb) because of the characteristic sound made by a pulsating jet engine.

About 20% of the missiles failed at launch, 25% were destroyed by British aircraft, 17% were shot down by anti-aircraft guns, 7% were destroyed in a collision with barrage balloons. Engines often failed to achieve the goal and also the vibration of the engine often put the missile out of action, so about 20% of the V-1 fell into the sea. Although specific numbers vary from source to source, a British report published after the war showed that 7,547 Fau-1s were launched into England. The report indicates that of these, 1847 were destroyed by fighters, 1866 were destroyed by anti-aircraft artillery, 232 were destroyed by barrage balloons and 12 by artillery of the Royal Navy ships.

A breakthrough in military electronics (the development of radio fuses for anti-aircraft shells - shells with such fuses turned out to be three times more effective even when compared with the latest radar fire control for that time) led to the fact that the loss of German shells in raids on England increased from 24% up to 79%, as a result of which the effectiveness (and intensity) of such raids decreased significantly.

After the Allies, having landed on the continent, captured or bombed most of the land installations aimed at London, the Germans began shelling strategically important points in Belgium (primarily the port of Antwerp, Liège), several shells were fired at Paris.

Project Evaluation

At the end of December 1944, General Clayton Bissell presented a report indicating the significant advantages of the V1 over traditional aerial bombardments.

He prepared the following table:

Comparison of Blitz (12 months) and V1 flying bombs (2 ¾ months)

	Blitz	V1
1. Cost for Germany
Departures	90000	8025
Weight of bombs, tons	61149	14600
Fuel consumed, tons	71700	4681
Lost planes	3075	0
Crew lost	7690	0
2. Results
Buildings destroyed / damaged	1150000	1127000
Population loss	92566	22892
Loss to Bomb Ratio	1,6	4,2
3. Cost for England Escort Aircraft Efforts
Departures	86800	44770
Lost planes	1260	351
Lost man	2233	805

In general, in terms of cost / effectiveness, the V-1 was a fairly effective weapon (unlike the much more expensive V-2). It was cheap and simple, it could be mass-produced and launched, it did not require trained pilots, and in general, even taking into account the significant losses of projectile shells from the British counteraction, the damage caused by missiles was more than the cost of manufacturing, in fact, missiles. Fully assembled Fau-1 cost only 3.5 thousand Reichsmarks - less than 1% of the cost of a manned bomber with a similar bomb load [ ] .

It should also be borne in mind that countering rocket attacks required the British considerable effort, involving many anti-aircraft guns, fighters, searchlights, radar and personnel, and as a result significantly involved the cost of the missiles themselves, even without taking into account the damage inflicted by the latter [

The reason for writing the article was a huge attention to the small engine, which appeared recently in the Parkflyer's assortment. But few people thought that this engine has more than 150 years of history:

Many believe that a pulsating jet engine (PuVRD) appeared in Germany during the Second World War, and was used on V-1 (V-1) missile aircraft, but this is not entirely true. Of course, the German cruise missile became the only serial aircraft with PuVRD, but the engine itself was invented 80 (!) years earlier and not at all in Germany.
Patents for a pulsed jet engine were obtained (independently of each other) in the 60s of the XIX century by Charles de Louvrier (France) and Nikolai Afanasevich Teleshov (Russia).

A pulsating jet engine, as its name implies, operates in pulsation mode, its thrust does not develop continuously, as in a ramjet (ramjet engine) or turbojet engine (turbojet), but in the form of a series of pulses .

Air passing through the confuser part increases its speed, as a result of which the pressure in this area drops. Under the action of reduced pressure, fuel starts to be sucked from the tube 8, which is then picked up by a stream of air and scattered by it into smaller particles. The resulting mixture, passing through the diffuser part of the head, is somewhat compressed by reducing the speed of movement and in the final mixed form through the inlet openings of the valve grill enters the combustion chamber.
Initially, the air-fuel mixture that fills the volume of the combustion chamber is ignited using a candle, in extreme cases, using an open flame supplied to the exhaust pipe edge. When the engine enters the operating mode, the air-fuel mixture again entering the combustion chamber is ignited not from an external source, but from hot gases. Thus, a candle is needed only at the stage of starting the engine, as a catalyst.
The gases formed during the combustion of the fuel-air mixture increase sharply, and the plate valves of the grill are closed, and the gases rush into the open part of the combustion chamber towards the exhaust pipe. Thus, in the engine pipe, during its operation, the gas column oscillates: during the period of increased pressure in the combustion chamber, the gases move towards the outlet, during the period of reduced pressure - towards the combustion chamber. And the more intense the fluctuation of the gas column in the working pipe, the greater the thrust of the engine develops in one cycle.

PuVRD has the following main elements: entrance area a - bending with a valve grill consisting of a disk 6 and valves 7 ; combustion chamber 2 plot c - d; jet nozzle 3 plot g - dexhaust pipe 4 plot d - e.
The input channel of the head has a confuser a - b and diffuser b - c plots. A fuel pipe is installed at the beginning of the diffuser section. 8 with adjusting needle 5 .

And again, back to the story. German designers, even on the eve of World War II, who conducted a broad search for alternatives to piston engines, did not ignore this invention, which for a long time remained unclaimed. The most famous aircraft, as I said, was the German Fau-1 projectile.

The chief designer of the Fau-1, Robert Lusser, chose the PuVRD for him mainly because of the simplicity of the design and, as a consequence, the small labor costs for manufacturing, which was justified by the mass production of disposable shells, mass-produced in less than a year (from June 1944 to March 1945 ) in an amount of over 10,000 units.

In addition to unmanned cruise missiles, in Germany, a manned version of the Fau-4 (V-4) projectile was also developed. As planned by the engineers, the pilot was supposed to aim his one-time pepelats, leave the cockpit and escape using a parachute.

True, about whether a person is able to leave the cockpit at a speed of 800 km / h, and even having an engine air intake behind his head, he was modestly silent.

The study and creation of PuVRD was not only in fascist Germany. In 1944, for familiarization, in the USSR, England delivered crumpled pieces of the V-1. We, in turn, "blinded from what was," while creating, in fact, a practically new PuVRD D-3 engine, III .....
..... and put it on the Pe-2:

But not with the goal of creating the first domestic jet bomber, but to test the engine itself, which was then used to produce Soviet 10-X cruise missiles:

But this is not limited to the use of pulsating engines in Soviet aviation. In 1946, the idea was realized to equip a puffer with PuVRD-shki:

Yes. Everything is simple. On the La-9 fighter, two pulsating engines were installed under the wing. Of course, in practice, everything turned out to be somewhat more complicated: on an airplane, the fuel supply system was changed, the armored back was removed, and two NS-23 guns, strengthening the airframe design. The increase in speed was 70 km / h. Test pilot I.M. Dzyuba noted strong vibrations and noise when the PuVRD was turned on. PuVRD suspension worsened the maneuverability and takeoff and landing characteristics of the aircraft. Starting the engines was unreliable, the duration of the flight was sharply reduced, and operation was complicated. The work carried out only benefited when developing ramjets intended for installation on cruise missiles.
Of course, these planes did not take part in the battles, but they were quite actively used in air parades, where they invariably made a strong impression on the audience with their roar. According to eyewitnesses, from three to nine cars with PuVRD participated in different parades.
The culmination of the PuVRD tests was the flight of nine La-9RDs in the summer of 1947 at an air parade in Tushino. Test pilots piloted by the Civil Aviation Research Institute of the Air Force V.I. Alekseenko. A.G. Kubyshkin. L.M. Kuvshinov, A.P. Manucharov. V.G. Masich. G.A.Sedov, P.M. Stefanovsky, A.G. Terentyev and V.P. Trofimov.

I must say that the Americans, too, did not lag behind in this direction. They were well aware that jet aircraft, even being in their infancy, were already surpassing their piston counterparts. But there are a lot of piston airplanes. Where to put them?! .... And in 1946, under the wings of one of the most advanced fighters of its time, the Mustang P-51D, two Ford PJ-31-1 engines were suspended.

However, the result was, frankly, not very. With the PuVRD turned on, the speed of the aircraft increased markedly, but they absorbed fuel, oh, so that they couldn’t fly at a good speed for a long time, and when off, the jet engines turned the fighter into an unshaven slow-moving vehicle. Having suffered for a whole year, the Americans nevertheless came to the conclusion that it would not work to get a cheap fighter capable of at least somehow competing with newfangled jet fighters.

As a result, they forgot about PuVRD .....
But not for long! This type of engine has proven itself as an aircraft model! Why not?! It is cheap to manufacture and maintain, has a simple device and a minimum of settings, does not require expensive fuel, and indeed, you don’t have to buy it either - you can build it yourself with a minimum of resources.

This is the smallest PuVRD in the world. Created in 1952
Well, you must admit, who did not dream of a jet plane with a hamster pilot and rockets ?!))))
Now your dream has come true! And it’s not necessary to buy a dvigal - it can be built:

P.S. This article is based on materials published on the Internet ...
The end.

About the creation and features of the V-1 cruise missile. But at the beginning, the episode of the explosion was mentioned, diving in the region of the capital of Great Britain, an airplane that occurred on the night of June 13, 1944. The results of the inspection of this area showed that the pilot was absent in the aircraft. It was at that moment that the British discovered a new means of air attack created by the Germans (we are talking about the V-1 cruise missile).

“The first projects of long-range guided missiles equipped with wings were proposed back in the years of World War I. During the interwar period, development work on cruise missiles with liquid-propellant rocket engines was carried out in many countries, including the Soviet Union and Germany. The fact that the Third Reich was the first to use new weapons is fully explained by the funds that were invested in the project, as well as the traditionally high level of development of German industry.
The leadership of the German Air Force became interested in aircraft-shells in 1939. The initiation of their development was a kind of response of the Goering department to the "army" project of the A-4 ballistic missile, which later became widely known as the V-2. In mid-summer 1941, the Argus and Fizeler firms proposed a cruise missile project with an estimated range of about 250 km, which was based on the ideas of the unmanned aircraft F. Gosslau and the extremely simple pulsating jet engine P. Schmidt running on cheap fuel. The occupation of northern France made it possible to bombard London and many other cities in England with similar shells.

In January 1942, the project, called for secrecy purposes, FZG-76 (a flying target for training combat defense missile defense), was presented to the leadership of the Ministry of Aviation, and in July it was reported to the head of the technical service of the Luftwaffe, Field Marshal Milch. Simplicity and low cost provided the project with the status of "top priority". It was decided to take the "target" into service no later than December 1943.

Already in April 1942, Robert Lusser was introduced to the plans for developing a cruise missile, who was engaged in various tasks in self-propelled aerial bombs at the Fizeler plant in Kassel. Knowing this, the project coordinator, staff engineer Bree of the Ministry of Aviation, approved Fizeler as the main developer. Ascania was chosen as the supplier of the control system. Lusser brought to work the teams of DFS, Henschel and Schwartz enterprises that carried out work in related fields in 1930-1937.

This allowed in December 1942 to test a prototype in a planning flight after dropping the Condor from the FW-200. And just a few days later, the prototype FZG-76 made its first flight at a distance of 2.7 km with a working engine. After 50 launches, the main characteristics of the cruise missile were determined: range - 240 km, speed - 550-600 km / h, flight altitude - 200 - 2000 m, warhead weight - 700 kg. At the same time, the missile’s capabilities to overcome the British air defense were tested. They made several training intercepts of the new aircraft with the Spitfire MK.V. trophy fighter. This, by the way, led to an underestimation of the enemy’s forces, since the speed of subsequent modifications of the English Spitfire and Tempest interceptors was much higher.

In May 1943, an authoritative commission at the Peenemuende training ground heard comparative characteristics FZG-76 and ballistic missiles V-2 (V-2). The show and practical shooting took place. The launch of two Fau-2 was quite successful, and both launches of the FZG-76 ended in an explosion a few seconds after the start. Nevertheless, the missile launches looked so impressive that even these accidents did not shake the confidence of the German leadership in the new weapon. The commission decided to speed up serial production as much as possible and recommended the use of both types of missiles in a complex. The cruise missile received the name Fi-103, but became more known under the unofficial name of V-1. "V" (German "Fau") meant Vergeltungswaffe, "weapon of retaliation." The Goebbels apparatus announced that it was intended for “retaliation strikes” for the barbaric destruction of US-British aircraft of Lübeck and Hamburg.

A program was developed for the production of shells from August 1943 to July 1944, providing for the release of 24.5 thousand Fau-1, bringing to May 1944 the monthly assembly to 5000 pieces. But the Ministry of Arms was not able to ensure such a pace of work. Indeed, only for the monthly production of 3 thousand V-1s from the chemical industry, 2 thousand tons of low-octane gasoline and 4.5 thousand tons of explosives were required. The situation was no better with other required materials and semi-finished products. Moreover, in September 1943 alone, more than 150 additions and changes to the project were made. ”

“Despite this, the spring of 1943 began accelerated formation missile parts. At the Zintowitz test site (Usedom Island), the 155th anti-aircraft regiment was formed under the command of Colonel M. Wachtel. The name "anti-aircraft" and the encrypted names of the commander "Michael Wagner" and "Martin Wolf" were given for conspiracy reasons. ”The regiment consisted of four divisions, including four fire and two auxiliary batteries (maintenance and supply).”

It is also emphasized how a number of other countries sought to obtain as much data as possible about German developments of this weapon. So, British intelligence sought to obtain relevant information since October 1939. However, “the information was stingy and scattered, but it followed from the conclusion that in Germany literally in full swing work on ballistic and cruise missiles of enormous destructive power. Tests are conducted at a mysterious training ground somewhere in the North Sea, launching positions are being prepared on the English Channel, and mass production is already underway at the plants. ”

The amount of incoming information gradually increased. “Resistance groups from Poland and France, captive generals Gruvel and Tom, anti-fascist engineer Hans Kummerov, who worked at the Berlin Higher Technical School, reported on this. On May 15, 1942, the Spitfire photo reconnaissance officer took the first picture of the Peenemuende training ground and airfield. Since then, the island of Usedom has not come under the scrutiny of British intelligence.

The hard work of the scouts was embodied on August 17, 1943 in Operation Hydra - an attack on Peenemuende. To disorient the Luftwaffe, eight Mosquitoes, dropping aluminum foil over the test site, which “blinded” the air defense radars, rushed to Berlin. Following them, 597 heavy bombers rose, flying only to the "mysterious island." Having discovered a huge accumulation of aircraft over the Baltic Sea, and following the path of eight Mosquitoes, the Germans decided that a massive raid on the capital was expected.

When the Mosquito reached Berlin and dropped lighting and marking bombs, the German command gave the order to fly 160 night fighters and additionally attract 55 day fighters. In the confusion, they attacked their own night interceptors, then anti-aircraft artillery joined. For two hours there was an “air battle” over Berlin without the participation of enemy aircraft. At that time, almost 1,600 tons of high explosive bombs and more than 280 tons of incendiary bombs hit Peenemuende. As a result of the raid, 732 people died. It was destroyed 50 of 80 buildings of the landfill and 18 of 39 barracks for workers, a power plant and a plant which produced 20-40 liquid oxygen. The British lost 42 aircraft.

Meanwhile, aerial reconnaissance of the English Channel brought more and more interesting information. In two days, from November 8 to 10, the number of starting positions increased from 19 to 26, and in two weeks there were already 95. Comparing several pictures of the Peenemünde training ground, one of the cryptographers found the same positions, but equipped with rail guides. On them stood a small airplane without a cockpit with a direct short wing, which in the British intelligence was given the name "Peenemuende-20."

Almost a year before the start of the missile attack, it became clear that of the two types of new weapons - ballistic missiles and "flying bombs" - greatest danger will represent the latter. Captured German pilots from the KG-100 squadron, which had He-111 bombers in service, said that they experimented with the launch of cruise missiles. And in the report received by the head of the department of scientific and technical intelligence of the Ministry of Aviation, it was noted that this type of weapon would be used first.

The British command decided to thwart the enemy’s plans by bombing enterprises manufacturing unmanned aircraft and launchers. On December 5, 1943, American and British aircraft began to bomb the launch sites and warehouses of the V-1 missiles. Over the course of six months, out of 52 launch sites, 36 were completely destroyed, and 88 out of 96 warehouses of projectile-shells. In total, allied bombers made more than 25 thousand sorties on missile facilities located near the coast.

But even after that, the British could not breathe calmly, as the German game of “cat and mouse” made them throw bombs in the sand. The Germans devoted all their efforts to the construction of small concrete sites. By June 1944, intelligence had already discovered 69 such objects. The British intelligence departments did not even suspect that it took only 48 hours to install the 6-meter section of the prefabricated structure with guide rails.

In December 1943, the command of the British Air Defense received the order to develop a plan of defense against V-1. It was necessary to reorganize the existing air defense system, which during the "battle for Britain" covered London and industrial cities middle of England. The situation was rather complicated: after all, only Tempest and Spitfire XIV could successfully fight with V-1. And even then they removed all unnecessary equipment, washed off the protective paint and polished the lining to a shine. Only in this situation, with a speed increase of 35-50 km / h, did they become a truly formidable enemy for cruise missiles.

On June 6, 1944 (a few hours after the allied landing in Northern France), the radio operator of the 155th "anti-aircraft" regiment of shells received an encrypted encryption program. The headquarters of the 65th Army Corps ordered Colonel Wachtel to put his regiment on alert by June 12. On June 10, the first train with 90 V-1 projectiles followed through Ghent to the forward depots. The watchman intended to postpone missile launches until the 20th. He reported that he lacked fuel and many items of supply, prefabricated launchers were not fully prepared. But the command did not pay any attention to the report and gave the order to strike in London on the night of June 13.

In total, during the period of systematic shelling of London, from June 13 to September 5, 9017 missiles were launched in the English capital, but part of the launches was unsuccessful. About 2 thousand V-1s exploded soon after launch or on the flight path to the target. In the beginning, the effectiveness of the application was very high. 82% of V-1s exploded in London during the first week of launch, but by the end of the month this number had dropped to 60%.

To complicate the fight against new weapons, the Germans alternated massive volleys from all installations and single harassing launches in the course of one “launch” day. Few people know, but the flight altitude of cruise missiles, equal to 900-1000 m, was not chosen by chance. Missiles went below the line of destruction with heavy artillery and above the effective zone of fire of small-caliber artillery. At this altitude, a small-sized cruise missile was poorly detected by radars and was a difficult target for automatic and manual aiming of anti-aircraft guns and fire control devices.

Fighter pilots also required great skill and considerable courage in order, often in bad weather conditions, to destroy a small-sized target. It had to be hit from behind from above from a distance of more than 100 m, since the blasting of 800 kg of explosives posed a mortal threat to the attacking aircraft.

All this spawned and unusual ways fight with projectiles. One of the French officers in the Royal Air Force, Captain Jean-Marie Maridor, brought his Tempest close to the flying rocket and knocked it over with the wing console. Other pilots adopted the tactics of Maridor, and General Charles de Gaulle handed the Order of the Legion of Honor to the brave 24-year-old pilot. The brave pilot died on August 4, 1944, ramming a hollow diving V-1.

Another method of destroying the V-1 without the use of small arms was used: some Tempest pilots forced the cruise missile to flip over and crash into the ground using jet propellers. Although these methods brought victory in the fight against the "flying bombs", most pilots dispensed with standard weapons, while achieving significant success. One of the most successful was the squadron commander T. Barry, on his account was 37 destroyed cruise missiles.

The V-1 prefabricated launchers were easily restored after allied bombing raids. Therefore, despite all the efforts of the Allies, in June-July 1944, the intensity of the V-1 raids did not noticeably decrease. Some days, up to 160 cruise missiles broke into the British Air Force patrol zone.

In order to somehow solve this problem, the Americans developed a rather extravagant “Anvil” plan, according to which the role of high-precision weapons was performed by B-17 airplanes that had served their term. At the “flying fortresses”, the upper part of the cockpit was cut off to facilitate leaving the aircraft by two crew members, television equipment and a radio command control system were installed. After loaded with explosives, the B-17 flew into the air, crew members put the aircraft on course and left the bomber with parachutes. Further control of the B-17 was carried out with a fighter, which flew in a parallel course. From a height of 6000 m, the fighter pilot detected and recognized the target, after which he transferred the radio-controlled bomber into a dive. On August 4 and 6, thus destroying targets reliably protected by solid reinforced concrete shelters in the areas of Sprakot, Watton and Wirsen were destroyed.

From the second half of July, bombing of supply bases and missile-related factories again resumed. In less than a month, 20 major Allied strategic aviation raids on V-1 warehouses were carried out. 15,000 sorties and 48,000 tons of bombs were dropped on missile facilities.

The new 6-ton Tollboy bombs were used against the underground rocket depot in St. Jezern, the Volkswagen plant in Fullersleben, the pilot plant in Peenemuende and the Opel plant in Rüsselheim. However, attacks on industrial facilities in Germany could not have any serious impact on the production of cruise missiles. The pace of production has even increased. First of all, due to the fact that since July 1944 the assembly of the V-1 was concentrated in Nordhausen, on the underground plant, which is invulnerable to air raids.

The British missile defense system consisted of four zones: the outer and inner zones covered by fighters, the coastal anti-aircraft artillery zone and the barrage balloon zone. The outer zone included air space over the English Channel to the coast of Britain. Four to six Mustang fighter MK.III and Spitfire MK.XIV fighter patrolled there in the afternoon, or 3-4 aircraft at night. Here are located 15 ships of the radar patrol, aimed at the interceptors. Their light anti-aircraft guns also fired at flying cruise missiles.

During the summer of 1944, the loss of the English population from missiles amounted to about 21,400 people killed and wounded. 25,511 houses were completely destroyed, and a huge number of buildings were damaged to varying degrees. Only in densely populated areas of London and its suburbs affected up to 75% of buildings. This is all that the creators of the "miracle weapon" could "be proud of."

Left without a starting position system as a result of the Allied summer offensive, the Germans refused to launch the V-1 across England from France and relocated the 155th anti-aircraft missile regiment from Holland to Germany. The new goals were the cities of Antwerp, Brussels and Liege. The combat experience of launching the V-1 from carrier aircraft, first held on July 8, made it possible to strike at Britain from various directions, bypassing the already formed air defense system. About a hundred carrier aircraft from three air groups were used.

Until January 14, 1945, about 1,200 V-1s were launched from bombers in the cities of England. For the crews of the carrier aircraft, this was not at all an easy task. A night flight without landmarks above the sea at an altitude of 100-300 m, access to the launch line at a distance of 50-60 km from the coastline, a climb of several thousand meters, and maintaining the exact course during the V-1 discharge represented considerable difficulties. At the same time, it is necessary to remain invisible to radar stations and night interceptors. This should also be added to the threat posed by the crew of their own aircraft-shell: out of 77 He-111 crews that did not return to their airfields, 30 died at the moment of rocket launch.

Although the Heinkels made rocket terror more mobile, they acted sporadically and their scope was relatively small. The British still managed to shoot down about half of the shells.

However, in February 1945, German designers created an improved version of the V-1, with a launch range increased to 370 km. On the territory of Western Europe they managed to build three ground launching sites aimed at London. After it became known to British intelligence, two of them were destroyed. From the third launcher located near the city of Delft, launches were made throughout March.

In February 1945, Hitler announced that the secret "miracle weapon" at the last moment would change the situation in favor of the Third Reich. This was said just two months before the fall of Berlin. The bet on rocket weapons clearly failed, but orders repeatedly went up to increase the production of the V-1, which dropped to 2,000 copies a month. The new carrier aircraft were supposed to be the Arado Ag-234S-2 jet bombers. It was planned to tow and launch the V-1 using a rigid coupling.

AT an alternative the projectile was to be mounted on a lifting launch ramp above the fuselage of the missile carrier. Missile specialists, technical documentation, unique prototypes and the latest equipment were evacuated to Nordhausen, where missile production continued with all their might. The last projectile fell on the territory of England on March 29, 1945.

The Soviet military command also took into account the possibility of fascists using the Fau-1 on the Eastern Front. With the beginning of the first combat launches in England, the Headquarters ordered the artillery commander N. Voronov to take all measures to protect Leningrad and other large cities from unmanned aerial vehicles. July 19, 1944 were approved and sent to the Air Defense Forces "Preliminary Instructions for Combating Projectile Aircraft." According to a specially developed plan with the allocation of the necessary forces and assets in the area of \u200b\u200bresponsibility of the Leningrad Air Defense Army, two sectors were created: north-western and south-western. But the rapid retreat on the Eastern Front, as well as the desire of the Nazi elite to finally punish “foggy Albion” did not make it possible to use V-1 against the Soviet Union.

A large spread (up to 80% of the shells fell at a distance of more than 6.5 km from the target point) and the impossibility of aimed fire due to the lack of range correction and lateral drift led the Luftwaffe leadership to create its manned version on the basis of the V-1.

The ideological inspirers of the project were SS Obersturmbanführer Otto Skorzeny, a well-known saboteur, terrorist, developer and executor of various covert operations, and the best German pilot Hannah Reich. The Luftwaffe chief of staff, Gunter Corten, ordered the commander of the KG 200 special-purpose squadron, Colonel W. Baumbach, to form a separate combat training group. Thus, the Leonidasstaffel squadron was formed inside the KG 200, which included 60 experienced pilots and test pilots at the Rechlin Research Center. ”

The author of the article considers the technical features of the V-1 rocket. “The Danneburg plant converted 175 V-1s into manned missile planes. The automatic stabilization system was removed from them, and in the place of the cylinders with compressed air, the pilot's cabin was equipped with controls and a minimum number of instruments, the wing was equipped with ailerons. Single and double training versions of the manned Fi-103 aircraft with landing ski were made, and for the combat version no landing gear was provided at all.

At the same time, several copies of four variants of manned shells under the name "Reichenberg" were built. This is “Reichenberg I” - double, training, with an increased wing span, without a pulsating jet engine (PuVRD), “Reichenberg II” - single, training, with PuVRD, “Reichenberg III” - with a weight model combat parts and boarding ski, "Reichenberg IV" - with warhead, PuVRD, without boarding ski. "

It is emphasized that "the very first test of the manned shell" Reichenberg III ", which was observed from the ground by Skorzeny and Reich, ended in disaster. After undocking from the carrier aircraft, the aircraft for some time withstood the specified direction and altitude, and then suddenly abruptly went down, disappeared behind the forest and exploded. Hannah Reich, who had experience flying on the Me-163, carried out further tests herself.

During research flights, it turned out that the Reichenberg has unsatisfactory flight data. Moreover, he was especially dangerous at the landing with the ski out, which was noted by other test pilots. It was not possible to carry out the previously planned departure of the manned projectile by parachute, since the engine air intake gaped directly behind the lantern. A catapult was required.

The failed test results of the "Reichenberg" did not stop the top of the Nazi leadership. To improve flight performance, Porsche was given the terms of reference for the development of a single-use turbojet engine "109-005" with a capacity of 5000 hp. Combat models of the Reichenberg IV manned projectile began to descend from the factory slipways, 28 of which even entered the combat training unit. But before them combat use it never came.

During the war years, German industry manufactured more than 20,440 cruise missiles (out of 60,000 planned). From July 1944 to March 1945, only 10,492 Fau-1s were released to England alone. Of these, 2,419 hit London, 1,112 "flying bombs" fell on other cities. 8696 launched on Antwerp and 3141 on Liege. Although 1847 of these numbers were shot down by interceptors, 1878 - by anti-aircraft artillery, 232 pieces fell into the ropes of barrage balloons, and 3004 simply did not fly because of low technical reliability, it became clear to the military and politicians that a new means of warfare appeared with great potential ".

In conclusion, the author writes that the results of the combat use of cruise missiles of the V-1 system did not meet the military and political expectations of the leadership of the Third Reich. Despite the powerful moral psychological impact, produced on the British population, the British still intended to continue the war until the end.
Nevertheless, the surrender of Nazi Germany did not mean the end of the history of V-1. At the end of the war, the remaining ballistic and cruise missiles, tons of technical documentation, production technology, starting equipment, specialists went to the victorious countries as trophies. Many states began to use all this, process it and “put into service their armies”. “The United States was the first to launch this arms race. Already on June 9, 1944, the wreckage of the unexploded V-1 was delivered by plane to the Wrightfield air base. A group of aircraft designers urgently reconstructed the components and assemblies of a cruise missile, and only seventeen days later the first real prototype of a projectile was ready. The mass production of missiles under the designation B-2 was entrusted to the company Ripablik, and the production of the pulsating engine was assigned to the company Ford. Until the end of the war, the Americans manufactured about 1,200 missiles, called the KUW-1 "Lun", but did not manage to use them. The development of the V-1 was the SSM-N-8 Regulus I projectile, launched by the Americans in the early fifties in serial production to equip heavy cruisers and large special submarines.

I didn’t stand aside and Soviet Union. Despite the fact that our military experts were extremely disagreeable about the combat capabilities of the Fau-1 projectile, by the end of 1944, the construction of an analogue of the German rocket based on the Fau-1 sample received from Britain and individual parts and assemblies began at the aircraft factory No. 51 discovered in Poland. Tests of the projectile, called "10X", conducted in August 1945. Further consistent development of the 10X cruise missile was led by V.N. Chelomea.

Modifications 10XN and 16X were created, which differed from German aircraft-shells in high operational reliability. But at the end of 1952, it was decided to stop work on the creation of cruise missiles based on the V-1. "

What conclusion is desirable to draw from the above events? Firstly, the unsuccessful test results of the German V-1 missile completely testify to the inconsistency of the allegations that the Soviet socialist economy allegedly lost the capitalist economy in the field of defense production. On the contrary, the quality of the V-1 demonstrated a technical and technological lag behind the production of the Soviet model. Secondly, the material presented in the article makes it clear once again that talking about the United States as the “most progressive and advanced country in the world” is also groundless. What arguments put forward in favor of this version? Allegedly, they produce high-tech products, actively introduce innovations, etc. But a concrete example shows that Americans use the developments of other countries. appropriating them to himself, he pass it off as his mythical "successes."

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FAU-1

Brief tactical and technical FAU-1 specifications
V-1 Fieseler-103
a type	cruise missile
Crew	no
Dimensions
Length, m:	7,90
Wingspan, m	5,37
Height, m	1,42
Weight
Curb Weight	2150
Power point
engine's type	1x Argus As 014 throbbing ramjet
Thrust, kN	2,9
Flight characteristics
Maximum flight speed: km / h	656
	240
Practical ceiling, m	3050
Warhead
The weight of the warhead, kg	830

The fuselage is built primarily from welded sheet steel.

V-1 (V-1, Fi-103, FZG 76, A-2, Fizeler-103) - a projectile (cruise missile), which was in service with the German army at the end of World War II. The V-1 missile was the first unmanned aerial vehicle used in real combat operations. Her name comes from him. Vergeltungswaffe (weapon of retaliation). The rocket project was developed by designers Robert Lusser, Fieseler, and Fritz Gosslau, Argus Motoren. The Fi-103 project was proposed to the Technical Department of the Ministry of Aviation jointly by both companies in July 1941. Rocket production began in late 1942.

V-1 was equipped with a pulsating jet engine (PuVRD) and carried a warhead weighing 750-1000 kg. The flight range is 250 km, later it was brought up to 400 km.

Brief performance characteristics (TTX) FAU-1 (V-1 Fi-103)

• Length m: 7,74
• Wingspan, m: 5,30
• Height, m: 1,42
• Curb Weight : 2 160
• Engine: 1 pulsating air-reactive Argus As 014 with a thrust of 2.9 kN (296 kG)
• Maximum flight speed: 656 km / h (approx. 0.53); the speed increased as the apparatus was lightened (with fuel consumption) - up to 800 km / h (approx. 0.65).
• Maximum flight range, km : 286
• Practical ceiling, m : 2700-3,050 (in practice, flying at altitudes from 100 to 1000 meters)
• The weight of the warhead, kg : 847, Ammotol equipment
• Fuel consumption was 2.35 liters per kilometer. The tank capacity is about 570 liters of gasoline (80-octane).
• Probable circular deviation (estimated), km : 0,9
• Rocket cost (design), Reichsmarks: 60 thousand. At the end of the war - 3.5 thousand when using the slave labor of prisoners.

Device

Fuselage

The V-1 fuselage was a spindle-shaped body of revolution with a length of 6.58 meters and a maximum diameter of 0.823 meters. The fuselage is made mainly of sheet steel, the connection of sheets by welding, the wings are made in a similar way, or from plywood. V-1 was designed according to the usual aerodynamic design. V-1 had wings of a constant chord of 1 meter, 5.4 meters in scope and with a profile thickness of about 14%. Over the fuselage, the V-1 had a PuVRD about 3.25 meters long.

Engine

Scheme of the PuVRD

AT pulsating jet engine (PuVRD) a combustion chamber with inlet valves and a long cylindrical outlet nozzle are used. Fuel and air are supplied periodically.

The operation cycle of the PuVRD consists of the following phases:

• The valves open and air (1) and fuel (2) enter the combustion chamber, and an air-fuel mixture is formed.
• The mixture is ignited using a spark plug. The resulting overpressure closes the valve (3).
• Hot combustion products exit through the nozzle (4) and create jet thrust.

Currently, PuVRD is used as a power plant for light target aircraft. In large aviation it is not used due to low efficiency compared to gas turbine engines.

Control system

The projectile control system is an autopilot that keeps the projectile at a given course and altitude set at launch during the entire flight.
Heading and pitch stabilization is carried out on the basis of the readings of a 3-degree (main) gyroscope, which are summed by the pitch with the readings of the barometric height sensor, and by the course and pitch with the values \u200b\u200bof the corresponding angular velocities measured by two 2-degree gyroscopes (for damping oscillations of the projectile around its own center masses). Aiming at the target is carried out before starting on a magnetic compass, which is part of the control system. In flight, the course is corrected by this device: if the projectile course deviates from the set by the compass, the electromagnetic correction mechanism acts on the pitch frame of the main gyroscope, which forces it to precess in the direction of decreasing the mismatch with the compass course, and the stabilization system already leads the projectile itself to this course.
Roll control generally absent - due to its aerodynamics, the projectile is stable enough around the longitudinal axis.
The logical part of the system implemented by means of pneumatics - operates on compressed air. The angular readings of gyroscopes with the help of rotary nozzles with compressed air are converted into air pressure in the outlet pipes of the transducer, in this form the readings are summed up through the corresponding control channels (with the appropriate coefficients) and actuate the spools of the pneumatic rudder and elevator machines. Gyroscopes are also unwound with compressed air, which is fed to the turbines, which are part of their rotors. For the operation of the control system on the projectile there is a ball cylinder with compressed air under a pressure of 150 atm.
Range control it is carried out using a mechanical counter, on which a value corresponding to the required range is set before the start, and a vane anemometer placed on the nose of the projectile and rotated by an incoming air stream twists the counter to zero when the required range is reached (with an accuracy of ± 6 km). At the same time, shock fuses of the warhead are unlocked and a command to dive is issued (the air supply to the elevator machine is "cut off").

The launch of the FAU-1

Catapult to launch V-1

Catapult to launch V-1

Project Evaluation

A memorial plaque on Grove Rod, the Mil End in London at the site of the fall of the first V-1 shell on June 13, 1944, which claimed the lives of 11 Londoners

About 30,000 units were manufactured. By March 29, 1945, about 10,000 were launched across England; 3200 fell on its territory, of which 2419 reached London, causing the loss of 6.184 people killed and 17.981 wounded.
After the allies, having landed on the continent, captured or bombed most of the land installations aimed at London, the Germans began shelling strategically important points in the Netherlands, primarily the port of Antwerp.

About 20% of the missiles failed at launch, 25% were destroyed by British aircraft, 17% were shot down by anti-aircraft guns, 7% were destroyed in a collision with barrage balloons.

At the end of December 1944, General Clayton Bissell presented a report indicating the significant advantages of the V1 over traditional aerial bombardments.

He prepared the following table:

Comparison of Blitz (12 months) and V1 flying bombs (2¾ months)

	Blitz	V1
1. Cost for Germany
Departures	90,000	8,025
Weight of bombs, tons	61,149	14,600
Fuel consumed, tons	71,700	4,681
Lost planes	3,075	0
Crew lost	7690	0
2. Results
Buildings destroyed / damaged	1,150,000	1,127,000
Population loss	92,566	22,892
Loss to Bomb Ratio	1.6	4.2
3. Cost for England Escort Aircraft Efforts
Departures	86,800	44,770
Lost planes	1,260	351
Lost man	2,233	805

Londoners called the Fau-1 "flying bombs" (flying bomb), as well as "buzzing bombs" (buzz bomb) because of the characteristic sound emitted by a pulsating jet engine.

After the war

As a trophy, the Soviet Union got several V-1 missiles while occupying the territory of the test site near the city of Blizna in Poland. As a result, Soviet engineers created an exact copy of the V-1 - 10x missile (later called the “Product 10”). Vladimir Nikolaevich Chelomey led the development. The first tests began in March 1945 at a test site in the Tashkent region. Unlike the V-1, Soviet 10x missiles were intended to be launched not only from ground positions, but also from aircraft and ship-based installations. The flight tests were completed in 1946, but the Air Force refused to take this missile into service, primarily because of the low accuracy of the guidance system (getting into a 5 x 5 km square from a distance of 200 km was considered a great success, since it significantly exceeded the prototype). Also, the 10x rocket had a short range and a flight speed less than that of a piston fighter. In the post-war period, V. N. Chelomey developed several more rockets based on 10x (14x and 16x), but in the early 50s, development was discontinued.

On the basis of the Argus pulsating air-jet engine (PuVRD) used in V-1 missiles, Germany prepared the EF-126 aircraft developed by Junkers. The Soviet Union allowed plant engineers to build the first prototype, and in May 1946, the EF-126 made its first flight without an engine in tow for the Ju.88G6. However, during a test flight on May 21, a catastrophe occurred, as a result of which a test pilot died and the only prototype was completely destroyed. Later, several more cars were built, but at the beginning of 1948 all work on the EF-126 was discontinued.

Notes

see also

• Craiova Army - The most spectacular achievement of AK intelligence was the development of a research center and factories in Peenemuende, which collected the V-1 and V-2 missiles. The first information about what was happening there was received in the autumn of 1942, and in March 1943 a detailed report was sent to London. This allowed the British to carry out a massive bomb attack (August 17/18, 1943), which for many months suspended plans to create a “miracle weapon”.
• Ammotol is an explosive that is a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate in various proportions from 20/80 to 50/50. He was equipped with warheads of the V-1 and V-2 missiles.
• Usedom is an island in the Baltic Sea, opposite the mouth of the Oder River. During the Second World War, the island had a concentration camp "Usedom", launched the production of V-1 missiles.

References

• “The path to space began with war” - “The weapon of retaliation” - How was it?

In 1942, the course of World War II began to change, and not in favor of Nazi Germany. Heavy defeats scattered the impression created by the brilliant victories of the Reich in the initial campaigns. Naturally, German propaganda continued to assure the townsfolk that victory would be achieved. But, which is indicative, a special role in achieving future victory was not assigned to the genius of the Fuhrer or the courage of soldiers. Triumph was supposed to provide a "miracle weapon."

“Wunderwaffe” also includes the “weapon of retaliation” - cruise and ballistic missiles, which were supposed to strike at Britain, replacing aircraft.

Cruise missile "V-1"

The first "weapon of retaliation" was the Fi 103 projectile, which had been developed since the summer of 1942. This direct-wing unmanned monoplane was powered by a simple and inexpensive pulsating jet engine mounted above the fuselage. The Fau-1 autopilot held the rocket at a predetermined course and altitude using gyroscopes and a magnetic compass.

The Fau-1 range was set by a mechanical counter, which was twisted to zero by an aerodynamic pinwheel on the nose of the projectile. When the counter rose to zero, the "drone" went off at the peak.

The Fau-1 warhead contained up to a ton of ammotol.

A rocket was launched from a steam catapult about 50 meters long. Such a launcher was not very mobile and was easily detected by airborne scouts.

Ballistic missile "V-2"

The family, created since the late 30s under the leadership of Werner von Braun, bore the index "A" - "Aggregat". The most famous of them - A-4, despite the digital designation, was the fifth in a series of projects, and first took off in the spring of 1942.

The device unit "V-2" included four compartments. The warhead was equipped with ammotol, the charge mass reached 830 kg. In the control compartment was a gyroscopic guidance system. The central, and largest, compartment was occupied by fuel and oxidizer tanks. An aqueous solution of ethyl alcohol served as fuel, and liquefied oxygen acted as an oxidizing agent. Finally, a rocket engine took up the tail of the rocket.

Initially, the Fau-2 missiles were supposed to be launched from protected bunkers, but the air superiority gained by the Allied aviation did not even complete the construction of fortified positions. As a result, the rocket launchers “worked” from mobile field positions.

To prepare such a launch pad, it was enough to find a flat area and install a launch pad on it.

Application

The first major missile force formation - the 65th Army Corps - was formed at the end of 1943. It included a regiment that was supposed to launch Fau-1, but for conspiracy it was called "anti-aircraft artillery." A week after the landing in Normandy, “retaliation strikes” began in Britain.

As the Wehrmacht retreated from France, the positions from which it was possible to strike at London were lost, and the “drones” began to be used to shell strategically important ports in Belgium. The shells were extremely unreliable - up to a quarter of launched “V-1” fell immediately after the start. Equally high was the percentage of missiles whose engines went out of order in flight.

Fau-1s that flew to Britain collided with balloons, were shot down by fighters and destroyed by anti-aircraft fire.

To continue the bombing of London and reduce the risk of meeting with interceptors, the V-1 tried to launch from the aircraft He.111H-22. Studies have shown that up to 40% of V-1s were lost in such attacks, and nearly a third of the carrier aircraft were destroyed.

“V-2” entered into business only in the autumn of 1944. Although the warhead of the new weapon was not more powerful, and the accuracy of the hits left much to be desired, the psychological impact of the use of V-2 was incomparable. A ballistic missile was not detected by radars, nor was it intercepted by fighters.

For some time it was believed that the V-2 was being guided by radar - this entailed the work on creating jammers.

They ceased in December 1944. It was supposed to create an artillery barrier on the alleged flight path. But a good means of countering the V-2 were false reports sent by British intelligence. They reported that German missiles stably missed around London, leaving for the flight.

The missile launchers adjusted their guidance, and the V-2 began to hit the sparsely populated suburbs. Intelligence, naturally, began reporting accurate hits and major damage. Fau 2 Launches in London (designated as priority goal personally by Hitler) and according to Antwerp continued until the spring of 1945.

During the battle for Remagen, an attempt was made to use the V-2 as a tactical weapon. The Führer ordered with their help to destroy the railway bridge over the Rhine captured by the Americans. None of the missiles fired into the bridge, and one deviated from the target by 60 kilometers.

Specifications

We give the basic data of both samples of the German "weapon of retaliation."

It is easy to notice, without even going into details, that the V-2, delivering even a smaller explosive charge, was far superior in total mass to a primitive projectile. We can say that if the Reich could still afford the production of large batches of V-1, the assembly of the V-2 was not easy for the economy.

At the end of the war, the Americans copied the V-1 and adopted it under the name JB-2. The American rocket compares favorably with the V-1 by pointing out radio commands and launching using compact powder boosters.

The use of Fau missiles in itself can be considered successful. Even taking into account the amount of “V-1” that was out of order or destroyed by means of air defense, they justified the costs of their production. But “V-2”, although it seems to be a more effective weapon due to the impossibility of interception and a high percentage of successful launches, cost much more.

And the production of ballistic missiles also attracted valuable resources. For example, in order to provide fuel for one V-2, it was necessary to process about 30 tons of potatoes for alcohol. And this at a time when food shortages were becoming palpable.

The low accuracy of the missiles made them suitable only for use as weapons of terror, for shelling large cities.

We did not even have to talk about any point strikes on strategically important objects. Massive bombing would have been more effective - but Germany had nothing to carry out. And most importantly - the time when Britain could be forced to exit the war, by 1944 it had gone forever.

At a time when the Wehrmacht was driven out of France, strikes on residential areas could more likely cause a desire to quickly end the enemy. But after the war, the victorious countries took full advantage of German developments in the field of missile weapons.

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