Plausibility Check: V-1 Flying Bombs used in Anti-Aircraft role

MrP

Banned
In the course of WW2, the Germans came up with several prototypes for a surface-to-air guided missile: the Enzian, the Wasserfall, the Schmetterling and others. But all ran into development problems and couldn't be deployed operationally.

Could the V-1 have been used in such a role without extensive modifications? And if so, might it have made a difference in the last year of the war?
 

MrP

Banned
Well, rather than actually hitting a target, I was thinking of something cruder: exploding in its general vicinity like an AA shell, and hoping enough shrapnel hits to cause critical damage. It would be used against large bomber formations.

Still unfeasible?
 
Command guidance? In the 40's? That would pose interesting technical challenges in radio- electronic combat.

It would also simply recapitulate the problems of Wasserfall, which were mostly guidance and control related, those that were not purely issues of quality control.

I don't think it's the rocketry side that's the problem, it's the electronics, and that was common to all of them. A ton warhead's worth of blast would go a long way to breaking up defensive box formations, true- if you could get it in the right place at the right time, and have conventional fighters to take advantage.

Not looking like a great window of opportunity, really, and not very likely to work as advertised.
 

Deleted member 1487

Well, rather than actually hitting a target, I was thinking of something cruder: exploding in its general vicinity like an AA shell, and hoping enough shrapnel hits to cause critical damage. It would be used against large bomber formations.

Still unfeasible?
Yep, it was designed for horizontal flight, not vertical like a SAM; plus it would need extensive modification to its engine, as I'm not sure if the pulse get would work that the necessary altitudes in the vertical plane and its guidance system would need to be totally redesigned; it would effectively need to be a new missile to operate as a SAM
 

MrP

Banned
Yep, it was designed for horizontal flight, not vertical like a SAM; plus it would need extensive modification to its engine, as I'm not sure if the pulse get would work that the necessary altitudes in the vertical plane and its guidance system would need to be totally redesigned; it would effectively need to be a new missile to operate as a SAM
OK. That settles it then. Not an idea worth pursuing.
 
That is a heavily modified version that does not fit what the OP asked for. It also was not meant to be a SAM type missile, instead an air dropped missile launched by He111 above the bomber boxes.
Well put on ramp, and you got crude point defense SAM. But of course, it would not work same way Reichenberg didn't work.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
Well, rather than actually hitting a target, I was thinking of something cruder: exploding in its general vicinity like an AA shell, and hoping enough shrapnel hits to cause critical damage. It would be used against large bomber formations.

Still unfeasible?

Possible?

Yes.

Practical?

Not really. It is actually slow enough climbing that a fighter escort could intercept it. It took more than five man weeks of effort (350 hours) to construct one V-1 (F-103) so the cost:benefit is terrible. If you use a shrapenel warhead the overwhelming majority of the frags are going to fall onto civilian locations or other targets (not to mention the "duds" that won't detonate at altitude and will return to earth before exploding, the City of Honolulu had more than 20 building destroyed by "dud" AAA shells on December 7th). Firing a couple dozen V-1s at the bomber stream might do more damage on the ground than the bomber stream.
 
Command guidance? In the 40's? That would pose interesting technical challenges in radio- electronic combat.

The USN version of the V-1 had that.

The Germans couldn't though. The Pulse Jet had enough vibration to destroy most tube based electronics.

The US had practice with that, miniature tubes that could survive being fired from cannons.
 
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