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Facts do not include a slant. The so-called vengeance weapons did two things well. Actual trained pilots were not required. While the British had to assemble a Diver Belt, enough V-1s got through to cause significant damage and loss of life. I have seen an original British intelligence report that included drawings. I think most people have no idea what the detonation of a one ton warhead could do at ground level. On the drawings, three zones of damage were shown: total damage to structures, significant damage and some damage. It was important to get the terms just right to convey information correctly. You couldn't be vague or use your own words.While the V-1 could be shot down, the V-2 could not. Since it traveled at over 3,000 miles per hour, witnesses to the ground detonation never heard it coming. It was traveling faster than sound. Only after the ground blast did witnesses hear "the sound of a large body moving through the air." The speed involved meant a larger impact crater and ground shaking.The goal of both weapons was to get the British to sue for peace with Germany and end the bombardment.As far as the Me 262, the Americans viewed it as a big enough threat that they were compelled to attempt to build their own jet fighter. The Bell P-59 Airacomet was a failure. It was later used only for training. And this was emblematic of the American response to the appearance of significant new weapons fielded by the Germans. The American jet engine was based on the Whittle design, yet their engineers could not match the performance of the Me 262. A fact lost on critics.
Facts do not include a slant. The so-called vengeance weapons did two things well. Actual trained pilots were not required. While the British had to assemble a Diver Belt, enough V-1s got through to cause significant damage and loss of life. I have seen an original British intelligence report that included drawings. I think most people have no idea what the detonation of a one ton warhead could do at ground level. On the drawings, three zones of damage were shown: total damage to structures, significant damage and some damage. It was important to get the terms just right to convey information correctly. You couldn't be vague or use your own words.
While the V-1 could be shot down, the V-2 could not. Since it traveled at over 3,000 miles per hour, witnesses to the ground detonation never heard it coming. It was traveling faster than sound. Only after the ground blast did witnesses hear "the sound of a large body moving through the air." The speed involved meant a larger impact crater and ground shaking.
The goal of both weapons was to get the British to sue for peace with Germany and end the bombardment.
As far as the Me 262, the Americans viewed it as a big enough threat that they were compelled to attempt to build their own jet fighter. The Bell P-59 Airacomet was a failure. It was later used only for training. And this was emblematic of the American response to the appearance of significant new weapons fielded by the Germans. The American jet engine was based on the Whittle design, yet their engineers could not match the performance of the Me 262. A fact lost on critics.
