British Response to V1 and V2

Lesson at a glance

Suitable for: Key stage 3, Key stage 4

Time period: Second World War 1939-1945

Suggested inquiry questions: Use these documents to discover how Britain responded to V1 and V2 rockets in 1943.

Potential activities: Students carry out a local study to find out if their area was affected by the Blitz in 1940-1941 or by V1 and V2 rockets in 1943 during the Second World War.

Download: Lesson pack

How did Britain respond to the threat of attack by missiles in 1943?

In 1939, Britain and her allies went to war with Germany and the axis powers. To begin with, Germany was very successful in defeating its enemies. During the Blitz, 1940-1941, German bombers attacked British cities causing great damage and loss of life. Roughly 43,000 people were killed and two million made homeless by the bombing. However, by 1943 the tide of war was turning and Germany was on the defensive.

It was then that intelligence of a new threat to Britain’s cities began to emerge – missiles and rockets. The V1 missile, once launched, flew without a pilot until it ran out of fuel and came crashing down, blowing up. The V2 rocket was a long distance weapon that could travel at the speed of sound. They were known as ‘revenge weapons’ used by Germany to terrorise British civilians and undermine morale.

Use this lesson to investigate original documents which reveal how these new weapons were developed to threaten Britain from 1943.


Tasks

History Hook – Starter Activity

1. Read Sources 1 and 2. You must advise the War Cabinet on the threat level from three sites: Peenemunde, Wissant and Watten. These sites are believed to be part of the German rocket project. Read the documents and then answer the questions.

  • Is Peenemunde part of the German rocket project? Should it be bombed? Give reasons for your answer
  • Is Wissant part of the German rocket project? Should it be bombed? Give reasons for your answer
  • Is Watten part of the German rocket project? Should it be bombed? Give reasons for your answer. How good was the advice you gave?

1a. Yes: 10 points No: 0 points
Should we bomb Peenemunde?
There was clear evidence that the Germans were developing a long-range rocket there. This site was so dangerous that it had to be attacked as soon as possible.

1b. Yes: 1 point No: 9 points
Should we bomb Wissant?
While answering yes is not completely wrong, it was decided not to bomb the suspected launch sites at the time.

1c. Yes: 8 points No: 2 points
Should we bomb Watten?
This site turned out to be where the fuel was put into the rockets. So it was very dangerous and had to be attacked.

Score of 27
Excellent, you could not have given better advice. If the Germans were allowed to develop their missiles and rockets, then huge destruction could have been caused to British cities. You are going to be promoted.

Score of 15 or above
Well done, you have given good advice. If the Germans were allowed to develop their missiles and rockets, then huge destruction could have been caused to British cities.

Score of 14 or less
You have given poor advice. If the Germans were allowed to develop their missiles and rockets, then huge destruction could have been caused to British cities. You are in danger of being transferred to the Ministry of Food where your job will be to give advice on nothing more serious than how to make tasty meals using powdered eggs.

2. Look at Sources 3a & 3b: Attack on Peenemunde.

  • Study the aerial photograph of Peenemunde (3a)
  • Can you identify the areas listed here in Peenemunde Site Plan/Target Map (3b):
  • Experimental station
  • Factory workshops
  • Power plant
  • Unidentified Apparatus [machinery]
  • Experimental establishments
  • Sleeping and living quarters
  • Experimental Airfield
  • Which areas would you suggest the bomber pilots aim for?
  • Give reasons for your choice of targets.

3. Read Source 4. This is an extract from the account of the raid on Peenemunde on the night of 17-18 August 1943 by Group Captain John Searby, the Master Bomber.

  • In this account of the air raid, 250 scientific workers died. What do you feel about the killing of scientists in the attack?
  • Bomber Command losses in this operation were 41 Lancasters. How many RAF men were lost if this many Lancasters were shot down? (HINT : A Lancaster had a crew of 7 men)
  • According to the source, is the raid considered a success? Why/why not?

Background

The people of Britain called the V1 missiles ‘Buzz Bombs’ or ‘Doodlebugs’. The first was dropped at Swanscombe in Kent on 13 June 1944 and the last one at Orpington in Kent on 27 March 1945. During that time, 6,725 were launched at Britain. Of these, 2,340 hit London, causing 5,475 deaths, with 16,000 injured. Three lines of defence were put in place against the missiles: fighter planes over the English coast, anti-aircraft batteries in Kent and barrage balloons around London. These were successful in destroying 3,500 V1 missiles.

V2 rockets were first launched against England in September 1944. Over the next few months, 517 struck London and 537 eleven other counties. They were less accurate than V1 missiles, but since they travelled at the speed of sound, and so made no warning noise before impact, it was almost impossible to defend against them.

The Royal Air Force began bombing the launch sites in 1944. The threat from these weapons ended in 1945 as the British army and their allies advanced across France, Belgium and Holland, capturing the launch sites.


Teachers' notes

This lesson has a History Hook starter video to help ‘hook’ students into the lesson.

Students are required in this lesson to use the first two original sources to advise the War Cabinet on the threat level from three sites: Peenemunde, Wissant and Watten believed to be part of the German rocket project. They are also provided with a framework to determine the accuracy of their answers. This format is ideal for working in pairs or discussing the sources within small groups. All sources have transcripts.

The third source concerns the plan to attack Peenemunde, a rocket development site in Germany. Here students examine an aerial photograph of Peenemunde and the Peenemunde Site Plan/Target Map. Finally students read an extract from the account of the raid on Peenemunde on the night of 17-18 August 1943 by Group Captain John Searby.

The lesson covers several themes including changing technology and warfare, showing how new inventions completely change the way war is waged.

The attacks caused by these new missiles can be included in a study of the civilian experience of the Home Front. The V1 and V2 bombings are part of the story of the Blitz. Air raids are some of the most powerful British memories of the 20th century and present opportunities for students to do independent research.

The lesson can also be used to open up discussions on the nature of ‘total war’ as the First World War has often been referred to as the first ‘total war’. With the Second World War the British people were thrown into the front line. Once again, there was no longer a distinction between soldier and civilian. The lesson could be therefore be used to compare with the experience of Zeppelin raids during the First World War. However, it was not just the use of these industrial weapons of war which impacted peoples’ lives, but their other experiences as civilians on the home front. Nations waging ‘total war’ for example, affected their people through conscription, rationing, controls over factories, railways and farms, civil defence and so on.

Sources

Illustration: V2 Rocket diagram (AIR 40/2541)

Source 1: An extract from Air Scientific Intelligence Interim Report on German Long-range Missiles, 26 June 1943 (DEFE 40/12)

Source 2: Extracts from the report by Duncan Sandys to the War Cabinet Chiefs of Staff Committee on German Long-range missile development, 26 August 1943 (AIR 20/2629)

Source 3: Aerial photograph of Peenemunde (AIR 34/184) – Transcript Peenemunde Site Plan/Target Map, 1943 (AIR 34/632)

Source 4: Extracts from the account of the raid on Peenemunde on the night of 17-18 August 1943 by Group Captain John Searby, the Master Bomber on the raid. (AIR 20/4040)


External links

Flying Bombs and Rockets
Site explaining the impact of the V1 and V2 attacks on London, including photographs of bomb damage.

MOI Digital Reports
Fully-searchable versions of all the Home Intelligence Reports and all the Wartime Social Surveys produced by the Ministry of Information.

More information on V1 & V2 rockets from the Imperial War Museum

Connections to curriculum

Key stage 3
Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day: the inter-war years: the Great Depression and the rise of dictators

Key stage 4
AQA GCSE History: Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship
Edexcel GCSE History: c1900–present: Warfare and British society in modern era
OCR GCSE History: War and British Society c.790 to c.2010; attitudes and responses to war

Back to top

Lesson at a glance

Suitable for: Key stage 3, Key stage 4

Time period: Second World War 1939-1945

Suggested inquiry questions: Use these documents to discover how Britain responded to V1 and V2 rockets in 1943.

Potential activities: Students carry out a local study to find out if their area was affected by the Blitz in 1940-1941 or by V1 and V2 rockets in 1943 during the Second World War.

Download: Lesson pack

Related resources

Government posters

How did Britain encourage people at home to help win the war?

Evacuation to Canada

How much care was really taken?