What exactly is a V3 rocket? I have heard of them, but i dont exactly know what they are.
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The V3 was a rocket powered projectile designed to be fired from an underground cannon.
They would have been fired in barrages from the north French Coast and could have hit London.
This project never saw active service, as I believe the sites were overrun after D-Day, before they could be put into operation.
Regards,
RAY. -
Hi Mark, Ray is correct
You can read more about the V3 here. The concept was later revived with the design of the Iraqi "supergun".
Cheers, Ade.Comment
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They did in fact launch some rockets into London, but none hit targets they wanted. I know for a fact they hit the city itself, but seem to only remember one hit I found quite interesting. It hit a church.
But for the most part yes, you are right. D-Day disrupted to creating and usage of V3 rockets, but it was still used on a very small scale.Comment
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The only V3 site built never fired a single shot!
Through a combination of an accident and the later heavy bombing by RAF Lancaster's using tallboy bombs it never ever worked.
Interesting place to visit though if you ever are near Calais. The HUGE bomb craters are incredible - not least of which that their are about 8 all within 50 yards of the aim point - serious precision for WW2 bomb aiming!Comment
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This single V3 site is located in Mimoyecques and is now a grave yard as some hundered men (soldiers, scientists, OT and slave labourers) died in the RAF air raid at 07/06/44 with three Tall Boys and their bodies could never salvaged.
At 08/04/44 the USAAF mission "Operation Aphrodite" follows with a modified B-17 as a bomb (the pilot jumps out before the plane hit the target), last phase of flight was remote controlled by a B-24 crew.
The shelter was sealed by British engineers in May '45.
The V3 site with 25 guns with a lenght of 127m was constructed to terrify London, five barrels aimed the Tower Bridge in London.
Hitler's dream, a constanly artillery bombardement of London, so he forced Speer to produce 10.000 projectiles a month (what never happend).
http://www.lostplaces.de/cms/raketen...de-calais.htmlComment
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God d*mn history channel...
...or maybe I heard wrongComment
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It was definitely more than 3 tallboys on that site - maybe three direct hits, one of which opened up the underground complex to the sky and cracked just about every bit of concrete in the place with its "earthquake effect" - I know, I've been there!
And the other thing of note is that Joseph Kennedy Jr, the elder brother of President JFK was one of the airman killed in Operation APHRODITE and there is a memorial to him in the tunnel complex museum now.Comment
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