1. #1
    How would the Germans have coped with a V1 campaign as per the one they launched against Britain/Occupied Europe?

    Of the available interceptor types apart from the few Me 262's available what other types could reach around 400mph at low altitude to counter the V1 flying bombs which I believe flew on average around 380/400 mph between 1000 - 3000 ft.

    There are a few key factors the RAF had that the Luftwaffe didnt have for example 150 octane fuel, high performance low altitude types, spare planes and pilots, proximity fused AAA network, and night fighters fast enough to down them.

    The 262 has the considerable problem of short ranged low velocity cannon. It would be tough to hit a V1 at long range with Mk 108s imo. At night the Bf 110 stood no chance in catching V1s so WildSau like units would have to be formed to try and counter but obviously without on board detection devices and long on station time ect.
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  2. #2
    i dont think the germans would be too happy with the luftwaffe bombing their own people...
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  3. #3
    Originally posted by biggs222:
    i dont think the germans would be too happy with the luftwaffe bombing their own people...
    Ya think?
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  4. #4
    ... cmon you didnt say it was the british sending V1s over the channel did you?

    but anyway, ill bite.

    i feel like the luftwaffe would have had plenty of planes / weapons at their disposal to deal with the V1s. the 190D for one would have been able to tackle the low altitude pursuits. the later 109G's would have been able to dive on the V1's much like the mkIXs did.

    the 88' flak batteries would have done a nice job of shooting them down to.

    so basically i dont even think 262s would have been necessary to down them... although it certainly would have been the "easy button" if you will.
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  5. #5
    It would have been lost in the background from the RAF's and USAAF's bombing campaigns.
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  6. #6
    Originally posted by biggs222:
    ... cmon you didnt say it was the british sending V1s over the channel did you?

    but anyway, ill bite.

    i feel like the luftwaffe would have had plenty of planes / weapons at their disposal to deal with the V1s. the 190D for one would have been able to tackle the low altitude pursuits. the later 109G's would have been able to dive on the V1's much like the mkIXs did.

    the 88' flak batteries would have done a nice job of shooting them down to.

    so basically i dont even think 262s would have been necessary to down them... although it certainly would have been the "easy button" if you will.
    The Fw 190 D9 had not entered service yet, the Bf 109 G series like the Spitfire IX were not fast enough to guarantee interception and the Germans did not have proximity fuses for their AAA.

    As I said in my 1st post I dont think shooting at a very small hard to hit highly explosive target with short ranged mortars is a good idea. the 262 would be very 'blast' sensitive imo, although it would definitely be the best aircraft they had for the job - but how many did they have in June 44?

    The biggest problem would be shooting them down at night. The Bf 110 stood no chance at all.
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  7. #7
    a 190A with a 801D2 1.85ata low level boosted(like the F versions), armor,nose MG and Wing MG151 removed and a MW50kit would be enough ...maybe?...but at night????How did the english for the night interception?
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  8. #8
    berg417448's Avatar Senior Member
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    ...but at night????How did the english for the night interception?

    They used Mosquitos. The Mosquitos would fly at higher altitude and dive down to gain enough speed to intercept the V-1. The flame from the V-1 could be seen for many miles so the interception could be done visually. There is a good description of this in the book "Night Fighter" by C F Rawnsley.
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  9. #9
    I think Mosquito night fighters were particularly fast remember that they were given increased boost rating like the other types used to counter the V1s and they were fast even before this upgrade. One Mosquito pilot shot down 9 V1s in a single Sortie iirc so the aircraft would have needed some margin of speed superiority to achieve this imo.

    After the Tempest the Mosquito was the next most successful type with (428) destroyed

    Infact if you look at all the types involved only the high performance fighters prospered.

    Tempest V 638 Kills
    Mosquito 428 Kills
    Spitfire XIV 303 Kills
    Mustang 232 Kills

    all other types combined 158 Kills

    Question: What HP would a Merlin 25 engined variant achieve when running at 21lb or 25lb ? And how fast would this have made a VI at low altitudes?

    a 190A with a 801D2 1.85ata low level boosted(like the F versions), armor,nose MG and Wing MG151 removed and a MW50kit would be enough ...maybe?...but at night????How did the english for the night interception? Blink

    i dont know if an A series Fw 190 would be fast enough to overtake a V1 in level flight, it would be fast enough to dive down on one obviously but in terms of speed I think even a hotrodded Fw 190 A8 would be slower than a D9, a Tempest or a Mustang III. ps I dont think any Fw 190's powered by BMW 801 ever got MW 50?
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  10. #10
    Originally posted by mynameisroland:

    There are a few key factors the RAF had that the Luftwaffe didnt have for example 150 octane fuel,
    The Luftwaffe had 150 octane fuel 1.5 years before the RAF, and on industrial scale. It`s the C-3.
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