The theme for Bill's talk differed vastly from our usual cheerful after supper speeches in that for the first time it related to the Second World War. Possibly appropriate in a year of remembrance.
Bill
hails from Nailsea where he is a member of Probus. He gave us a
statistical perspective of the relative effectiveness of V2 ballistic
rockets compared with V1 flying bombs. As the war drew to its close both were fired at England and other allied targets.
Initially
the V1 missiles were fired from fixed sites in the Pas de Calais area
and targeted on London. Fortunately, with the aid of the French
Resistance, the sites were identified and eliminated by heavy bombing raids. The Germans then resorted to mobile sites which were
much harder to find. However, Spitfire Squadrons, with faster speeds,
were proving very effective in airborne interceptions,
Despite
a high failure rate of these weapons the effect on the population of
London was shocking. A significant evacuation was essential as some 1,700 had been killed.
The worst was yet to come. As the battle to eliminate the V1 missiles was being won, so the V2 Ballistic Rocket was introduced. It was fired from mobile sites into Space, above the speed of sound, and guided to its target without detection. No matter how stoical the population it was one heck of a shock. More evacuations took place from London and some continental ports and cities.
Fortunately, the Allied Invasion of Europe came in time to overrun all of the V1 and 2 sites. The effectiveness may be judged from the following statistics:
|
V1 |
V2 |
Fired on the UK |
9,251 |
1,115 |
Hit London |
2,515 |
Most of those fired |
Killed |
6,184 |
2,754 |
Injured |
17,981 |
6,523 |
Evacuated |
1.5 million |
|
Roger Atkinson