V-1 missile

or flying bomb or buzz bomb

German missile of World War II. The forerunner of modern cruise missiles, it was about 25 ft (8 m) long and had a wingspan of about 18 ft (5.5 m).

It was launched from catapult ramps or sometimes from aircraft; it carried an explosive warhead of almost 1,900 lbs (850 kg) and had an average range of 150 mi (240 km). More than 8,000 V-1s were launched against London in 1944–45, and a smaller number against Belgium. See also V-2 missile.

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▪ military technology

German in full  Vergeltungswaffen-1 (“Vengeance Weapon 1”),  also popularly called  flying bomb,  buzz bomb,  or  doodlebug,  

      German jet-propelled missile of World War II, the forerunner of modern cruise missiles (rocket and missile system).

      More than 8,000 V-1s were launched against London from June 13, 1944, to March 29, 1945, with about 2,400 hitting the target area. A smaller number were fired against Belgium. The rockets were launched from the Pas-de-Calais area on the northern coast of France and subsequently from other sites in German-occupied western Europe. (For contemporary accounts of the bombings of London, see BTW: London Classics: London in World War II.)

      The V-1 was about 8 metres (25 feet) long, exclusive of the long tailpipe of its jet engine, and had a wingspan of about 5.5 metres (20 feet). It was launched from catapult ramps or sometimes from aircraft. It carried an 850-kilogram (1,870-pound) explosive warhead at about 580 km (360 miles) per hour and had an average range of 240 km (150 miles). See also rockets and missile systems: The V-1 (rocket and missile system).

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