8. The V-1 and V-2 missiles were the first operationally deployed cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets as far away as 200 miles in just 5 minutes
As part of the Vergeltungswaffen (“retaliatory weapons”), including also the already explored V-3 cannon, the V-1 and V-2 were the first operationally deployed cruise missiles in military history. Following the failure of the German bombing campaigns against Britain, and the response of the Allies with their own against Germany, the Vergeltungswaffen was pushed in retribution for the mass bombings suffered by Germans.
The V-1 program was initiated in October 1943, with launch sites constructed along the coastline of Northern France; despite Allied bombing of these locations, the damage proved merely an irritation and the V-1 was ready for action in June 1944. In response to the Normandy Landings, on June 13 the first 10 V-1 missiles were launched, of which only four reached England and resulted in the deaths of just six people; from June 15 onward, the Luftwaffe increased the frequency to about 100 V-1s fired per day. Although initially effective in inducing panic and casualties, by late-1944 “Operation Diver” had significantly impeded their effectiveness. In total 9,251 V-1s were fired at Britain, predominantly the London area, of which 2,515 reached their targets, killing an estimated 6,184 and injuring 17,981.
The V-2, in contrast to the V-1s pulse engine which emitted a recognizable buzzing noise, was liquid-propelled and significantly faster. Launched from The Hague on September 8, 1944, the missile took only 5 minutes to travel at supersonic speeds the 200 miles to London. Although losing some of the psychological effects of the V-1, the V-2 was more deadly, with several strikes killing in excess of 100 people including, for example, a strike on November 25, 1944, at a Woolworth’s store which killed 168 and injured 121. In total 1,115 V-2s were launched, killing an estimated 2,754 Londoners and injuring a further 6,523; in addition, the missiles damaged as many as 20,000 houses per day and 2,917 service personnel were also victims of the V-2 campaign, which ended in March 1945.