| The V1 was variously known as a FLY (official designation), Pilot- less plane (PP) Buzz bomb or Doodlebug. The latter was the nickname that entered into popular circulation after a few days of the campaign. It is a perhaps a typically British trait to come up with a diminutive, rather comical name for this terror weapon. Perhaps it was a way of dealing with it. This weapon was capable of killing large number of people, inflicting terrible injuries and causing huge material damage to buildings and homes. What is apparent from studying bomb damage maps is the wide area over which the V1 caused blast damage. The missile exploded on the surface, and a huge blast wave rippled out from the epicentre. As it did so it left a vacuum, which caused a second rush of air as the vacuum was filled. This caused a devastating pushing and pulling effect. At the impact site houses or buildings were totally demolished. In inner London suburbs where terrace houses were packed together, sometimes up to 20 houses would totally collapse. Brick walls were pulverised into small fragments. A little bit further out from the epicentre walls, roofs and window frames were ripped out exposing the contents and innards of the house. Further out still, all the windows were blown out and roofing slates blown off. Every time a Doodlebug landed hundreds of houses were damaged. ranging from demolition to slight damage. Perhaps having roof slates broken and glass broken does not sound too bad, but it must be remembered that this was a cold, wet summer and repairs would take many months. Londoners were de-housed in their tens of thousands or shivered in cold, damp and roofless houses. The blast area of a V1 often extended across a radius of 400 yards in each direction. In some cases it was even greater, up to 600 yards. Anyone unlucky enough to be close to the impact site would be blown apart or suffer crush injuries from falling masonry. Others would be trapped below collapsed buildings and have to be dug out. Further away from the impact site awful injuries were inflicted by shards of flying glass, piercing bodies and eyes. During the course of the attacks the nature of the injuries changed somewhat. At the beginning more people were caught unawares on the street and therefore injuries from flying glass were widespread. Later on, people had understood the necessity of shelter in safe (er) areas of their home e.g. under the stairs. However, this had the effect of less flying glass injuries but more crush injuries from people being buried in the ruins of collapsed houses. The toll of human suffering was app. 6184 people killed by V1's and 17981 seriously injured. Tens of thousands of others received lesser injuries. Countless more would suffer the pain of bereavement or from the loss of their home and treasured possessions. The suffering and grief endured by Londoner's during this period must never be forgotten. |
| The V1 Flying Bomb |
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