Biography V1
The Fieseler Fi 103, better known as V-1 (German: Vergeltungswaffe 1) was
the first guided missile used in war and the forerunner of today's cruise
missile. The V-1 was developed at Peenemünde by the German Luftwaffe during
the Second World War. Between June 1944 and March 29, 1945, it was fired at
targets in southeastern England and Belgium e.g. London and Antwerp. V-1s
were launched from "ski-jump" launch sites along the French (Pas-de-Calais)
and Dutch coasts until the sites were overrun by Allied forces. The
underground V-1 storage depots at Saint-Leu-d'Esserent, Nucourt and Rilly
La Montange, as well as the launch sites, were bombed during Operation
Crossbow.
Design and development The V-1 was designed by Robert Lussar of the
Fieseler company and Fritz Gosslau from the Argus engine works, with a
fuselage constructed mainly of welded sheet steel and wings built similarly
or of plywood. The simple Pulse jet engine
