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From: swilliam@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Steve Williams)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Missiles: V-1 and V-2
Message-ID: <1991Feb21.032631.13347@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 21 Feb 91 03:26:31 GMT
References: <1991Feb4.071827.23373@cbnews.att.com> <1991Feb19.034519.20125@cbnews.att.com>
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Organization: David Taylor Research Center, Bethesda, MD
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From: swilliam@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Steve Williams)

| There were 2 basic tactics for shooting down V1s,  the first involved
| the 3.7" gun batteries ... The second tactics was for the foolhardy
| only, ... involved the pilot of an aircraft flying VERY close to the 
| missile and using the turbulance around the wingtips of the aircraft
| to make the V1 wobble in flight and then crash.

The second tactics was not necessarily for the foolhardy - sometimes
it was the last resort.

I know of one instance when one British pilot (in his Spitfire, I believe)
got behind a V-1 and crept within the machine gun range.  He didn't 
want to get too close ... then he pushed his gun button .... nothing
happened ... the machine guns had frozen ... the pilot did some thinking
... he didn't want to let the V-1 go because it might fall on a city
and kill civilians ... what should he do ... then he decided to risk it
and flew abreast of the V-1 ... moved his right wing under the left
wing of the V-1 ... easy, easy, that thing contains a lot of explosive
... gently nudged its left wing ... it worked! ... the V-1 wobbled out
out of its predesignated flight path and crashed harmlessly.

That British pilot certainly risked his life for the civilians.

Steve Williams               |  "An expert is a person who has made all the
Department of the Navy       |  mistakes which can be made in a very narrow
David Taylor Research Center |  field."     -- Niels Bohr, Danish Scientist