ABSTRACT
V-1/V-2 Offensive (June 1944-April 1945) In the early hours of 13 June 1944, a special Luftwajfe unit deployed in northern France. FlakRegiment 155(W), commanded by Colonel Max Wachtel, launched ten Fieseler 103 flying bombs toward London. Six of these devices, later known as Vergeltungswajfe (Reprisal Weapon) Number One, or V-l for short, crashed almost immediately or disappeared without a trace. The other four reached southern England, where one, coming down on Bethnal Green, killed six people and se riously injured another nine. Two and a half days later, on the evening of 15 June, Wachtels men launched a second attack against Britain, this time on a much larger scale. From then until late March 1945, more than 22,000 V-ls were sent off against various targets in Britain and on the Continent, with Belgian cities, in particular, becoming favor ite targets.
