V-1 flying bomb facilities


In order to carry out the planned V-1 "flying bomb" attacks on the United Kingdom, Germany built a number of military installations including launching sites and depots. Some of the installations were huge concrete fortifications.
The Allies became aware of the sites at an early stage and carried out numerous bombing raids to destroy them before they came into use.

Production

The unpiloted aircraft was assembled at the KdF-Stadt Volkswagenwerke near Fallersleben, at Cham/Bruns Werke, and at the Mittelwerk, underground factory in central Germany. Production plants to modify several hundred standard V-1s to Reichenberg R-III manned aircraft were in the woods of Dannenburg and at Pulverhof, with air-launch trials at Lärz and Rechlin. Flight testing was performed by the Luftwaffe at Peenemünde West and, after the August 1943 Operation Hydra bombing, at Brüsterort. Launch crew training was at Zempin, and the headquarters for the operational unit, Flak-Regiment 155, was originally based at Saleux, near Amiens, but was subsequently moved to a chateau near Creil, with the unit's telephone relay station at Doullens.
Other V-1 production-related sites included a Barth plant which used forced labor, Buchenwald, and Allrich in the Harz.
In addition to the storage and launching sites listed below, operational facilities included the airfields for Heinkel He 111 H-22 bombers which air-launched the V-1 from low altitude over the North Sea. The ten-day-long aircrew training was at Peenemünde, and the bases were in Gilze-Rijen, Holland, for launches through 15 September 1944, and in Venlo for launches after the first week in December. Aircrews were billeted five miles away at Grossenkneten for secrecy.

Storage depots

To supply the V-1 flying bomb launch sites in the Calais region, construction began on several storage depots in August 1943. Sites at Biennais, Oisemont Neuville-au-Bois, and Saint-Martin-l'Hortier were not completed. An RCAF Halifax pilot's logbook describes the target of his raids on "flying-bomb sites" on July 1, 4, and 5, 1944, as "Biennais #1", "Biennais #2," and "Biennais #3". This suggests that these storage sites were perhaps not completed because they were destroyed prior to completion.
The completed sites were:
To serve the ten launch sites planned for Normandy, a depot was constructed at Beauvais. It was bombed June 14, 15 and 16, 1944.
A depot to serve Cherbourg launches was built near Valognes. By February/March 1944, a plan for three new underground V-1 storage sites was put into effect. The Nucourt limestone cave complex between Pontoise and Gisors was bombed on June 22, 1944 with 298 V-1s buried or severely damaged.One in the Rilly-la-Montagne railway tunnel was attacked by the British with Tallboy earthquake bombs on July 31, collapsing both ends of the tunnel. The Saint-Leu-d'Esserent mushroom caves was the largest of the underground V-1 sites. It was attacked by No. 617 Squadron RAF with Tallboys on July 4.
A larger "Heavy Crossbow" bunker was built at Siracourt, between Calais and the river Somme, as a V-1 storage depot.
RAF records refer to flying-bomb stores at Bois de Cassan, Forêt de Nieppe

V-1 launch sequence

  1. Final Assembly: After moving the V-1 from the storage area, the wings were slid/bolted over/to the tubular spar.
  2. Final Checkout: In the non-magnetic building, "compass swinging" was completed by hanging the V-1 and pointing it toward the target. The missile's external casing of 16-gauge sheet steel was beaten with a mallet until its magnetic field was suitably aligned. The automatic pilot was set with the flight altitude input to the barometric height control and with the range set within the air log.
  3. Hoisting: The V-1 was delivered to the launching ramp via a wooden handling trolley on rails. A wooden lifting gantry on rails was connected to the V-1 lifting lug to hoist and move it onto the launching spot at the lower end of the launching ramp.
  4. Fueling and Charging: Via the tank filler cap, 1,133 lbs of petrol were added. The twin spherical iron air bottles were charged with 900 psi air to power the automatic pilot. Air at 90 psi powered the pneumatic servo-motors for the elevators and rudder.
  5. Catapult setup: The starter trolley with the hydrogen peroxide and catalyst was connected to provide steam to the ramp's firing tube, and the steam piston was placed into the firing tube with the piston's launching lug connected to the V-1.
  6. V-1 startup: While the steam-generating trolley was being connected, the Argus As 109-014 Ofenrohr pulsejet engine was started.
  7. Launch
  8. Post-launch: The steam piston, having separated from the V-1 at the end of the ramp during launch, was collected for re-use. Personnel in rubber boots and protective clothing used a catwalk along the ramp and washed the launching rail with brooms.

    V-1 launching sites

V-1 launching sites in France were located in nine general areas – four of which had the ramps aligned toward London, and the remainder toward Brighton, Dover, Newhaven, Hastings, Southampton, Manchester, Portsmouth, Bristol, and Plymouth. The sites on the Cherbourg peninsula targeting Bristol and Plymouth were captured before being used, and eventually launching ramps were moved to Holland to target Antwerp.
Initially the V-1 launching sites had storage buildings that were curved at the end to protect the contents against damage from air attacks. On aerial reconnaissance pictures these storage from above looked like snow skis. An October 28, 1943 intelligence report regarding construction at Bois Carré near Yvrench prompted No. 170 Squadron RAF reconnaissance sortie E/463 on November 3 which detected "ski-shaped buildings 240-270 feet long." By November 1943, 72 of the ski sites had been located by Allied reconnaissance, and Operation Crossbow began bombing the original ski sites on December 5, 1943. Nazi Germany subsequently began constructing modified sites with limited structures that could be completed quickly, as necessary. This also allowed the modified sites to be quickly repaired after bombing. However, the work to complete a modified site before launching allowed the Allied photographic interpreters to predict on June 11, 1944 that the V-1 attacks would begin within 48 hours, and the first attacks began on June 13.

Allied attacks

Site"Noball"
number		Bombing dateNotes
Abbeville/Amiens1943-12-22 December 22/23, 1943 51 aircraft attacked 2 flying-bomb sites between Abbeville and Amiens. One was destroyed, but the other was not located.
Abbeville/Amiens1944-08-28 August 28, 1944 The Amiens site was attacked.
Abbeville 1943-12-16 December 16/17, 1943 9 Avro Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron RAF attacked the "Abbeville site in a wood at Flixecourt" and dropped their 12,000 lb bombs accurately on the markers placed by the only Oboe-equipped Mosquito operating at this target. The markers were 350 yards from the target and none of the bombs were within 100 yards of the markers. No aircraft lost.
Abbeville 1943-12-23 December 23, 1943 Near Abbeville, the 401 BG bombed the Gorenflos Noball target.
Abbeville 1944-03-18 March 18, 1944
Abbeville 1944-04-09 April 9, 1944
Abbeville 1944-04-10 April 10, 1944 The 457 BG bombed the Gorenflos Noball site.
Abbeville 1944-06-09 June 9, 1944
Abbeville 1943-12-16 December 16/17, 1943 26 Short Stirlings attacked the "Tilley-le-Haut site near Abbeville" but failed because the Pathfinder markers of the Oboe-equipped de Havilland Mosquito were no closer than 450 yards from the small target. No aircraft lost.
Acque1944-07-19 July 19, 1944 6 RAF Mosquitos on a diversionary raid bombed the Scholven/Buer and Wessling synthetic oil plants, railway junctions at Aulnoye and Revigny and "a flying-bomb launching site at Acque".
Ailly-le-Haut-Clocher271943-12-22 December 22/23, 1943 The flying bomb site at Ailly was attacked without loss.
Ailly-le-Haut-Clocher271944-01-14 January 14/15, 1944
Beauvais1944-04-24 April 24 & 25, 1944 The 397 BG bombed the Beauvoir V-1 site.
Beauvais1944-05-16 May 16, 1944The Normandy V-1 storage site at Beauvais was bombed.
Beauvais1944-06-11 June 11, 1944 The 466 BS bombed the Beauvais V-1 storage depot.
Beauvais1944-06-14 June 14, 15, & 16, 1944 The Beauvais V-1 storage depot was bombed.
Belloy-Sur-Somme1944-06-06 July 6, 1944 The 487 BG bombed the V-weapon site.
Bois Carré near Yvrench1944-02-10 February 10, 1944 The 387 BG bombed the " V-1 site"
Bonneton le Faubourg ski site1943-12-22 December 22/23, 1943 82 aircraft attacked flying bomb sites at Ailly, Bonneton and Bristillerie without loss.
Bonneton le Faubourg ski site1944-01-14 January 14/15, 1944
Bristillerie1943-12-22 December 22/23, 1943 82 aircraft attacked flying bomb sites at Ailly, Bonneton and Bristillerie without loss.
Bristillerie1944-01-04 January 4/5, 1944
Bristillerie1944-01-14 January 14/15, 1944
Bouillancourt1944-04-13 April 13, 1944 "Bouillancourt, near le Tréport", was attacked by No. 602 Squadron RAF and No. 132 Squadron RAF.
Creil1944-07-02 July 2, 1944 The Creil storage depot was bombed.
Bois de la Justice741944-02-28 February 28, 1944 447 BG
Bois de la Justice741944-03-13 March 13, 1944 447 BG
Drionville501943-12-24 December 24, 1943 447 BG
Grand Parc1071944-01-14 January 14, 1944 447 BG
Grand Parc1071944-01-21 January 21, 1944 447 BG
Herbouville1944-01-27 January 27/28, 1944
Herbouville1944-01-29 January 29/30, 1944 22 Mosquitos attacked the Herbouville flying-bomb site and Duisburg.
La Briqueterie & Val-des-Joncs1944-08-02 August 2, 1944 The 487 BG bombed the V-weapon sites.
Laloge Au Pain1944-07-08 July 8, 1944 The 487 BG bombed the V-weapon site.
1944-04-16 April 16, 1944 The "heavily-defended ramp and bunkers at Ligercourt" were bombed in the "forest of Crécy near Abbeville."
Ligescourt1943-12-05 December 5, 1943 B-26s of the Ninth Air Force attacked three V-1 ski sites near Ligescourt-Bois de St. Saulve, the first No-Ball mission.
Lottinghen1944-03-13 March 13, 1944 Ninth Air Force: 40 B-26s attacked a "V-weapon site at Lottinghen/Les Grands Bois", France; 37 abort due to bad weather.
Maisoncelle1944-06-01 June 1, 1944 Bomber 41-20847 attacked the Maisoncelle.
Oisemont Neuville-au-Bois1944-06-20 June 20, 1944
Oisemont1944-06-21 June 21, 1944
Oisemont 1944-06-23 June 23, 1944
Oisemont1944-06-30 June 30, 1944
Oisemont1944-07-01 July 1, 1944
Söttevast1944-02-29 February 29/March 1, 1944 1 Mosquito to a "flying-bomb site at "
Söttevast1944-03-03 March 3/4, 1944 2 Mosquitos to the " flying-bomb site"
Söttevast1944-05-05 May 5, 1944
Saint-Martin-l'Hortier1944-06-17 June 17, 1944
Saint-Martin-l'Hortier1944-06-21 June 21, 1944
Saint-Martin-l'Hortier1944-07-01 July 1, 1944