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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 24, 2021 19:13:55 GMT 12
I just found this, and was very surprised to read that it was actually fired during the war and fell on London. I don't think i have ever read that before and always assumed it was captured intact at a firing point by the Allied forces. From the PRESS, 9 SEPTEMBER 1955
FLYING BOMB GIVEN TO MUSEUM
TRANSFER FROM WEEDONS TO AUCKLAND
(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, Sept. 7.
A VI flying bomb which fell in London is now in the Auckland Museum. The war-head failed to detonate and was made harmless, and after the war the missile was shipped to New Zealand and used by the Air Force for technical instruction. No longer useful to the Air Force, the bomb arrived at the War Memorial Museum from the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station, Weedons, yesterday —a gift from the Government Stores Board. Asked why the bomb had been given to the Auckland Museum rather than to the Dominion Museum, the Director (Dr. G. Archey) said, that Auckland’s was the only war museum in New Zealand, “A Japanese Zero fighter is being kept at Hobsonville until the museum has room for it,” he said. Sir Keith Park has arranged for one of the two remaining Spitfire fighters in England to be shipped to the museum in a few months.
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Post by saratoga on Sept 24, 2021 19:59:58 GMT 12
I thought it was one of the US post war copies, ie the Loon?
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davem2
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 97
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Post by davem2 on Sept 24, 2021 22:08:07 GMT 12
I thought it was one of the US post war copies, ie the Loon? No, that is the MOTAT example, the War Memorial's is a genuine V-1. Must have glided to a nice landing in Hyde Park if it 'fell' on London! |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 24, 2021 22:26:45 GMT 12
No, that is the MOTAT example Ex-MOTAT |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 25, 2021 17:04:03 GMT 12
So this article about the same V1 begs to differ, saying it was captured in France.
GERMAN V-1 BOMB ON DISPLAY: NAZI WARTIME TERROR
Immigrants from England who have come to New Zealand since the cessation of hostilities would have little trouble in recognising the German V-1 bomb—the “doodlebug” as it was called in 1944 when it was causing destruction to the towns and cities of England.
To New Zealand residents the V-1 is still only something they have read about. The Gisborne public will be given an opportunity of viewing one this week, however. Until Friday the bomb will be on public display at Ormond Motors as part of the R.N.Z.A.F.’s recruiting campaign.
The bomb is conveyed on a massive air force transporter which even on its own attracted a good deal of attention when parked in Gladstone road yesterday.
Three airmen are travelling with the bomb, which is under the charge of Corporal K. Jackman, who has with him L.A.C.s G. Read and J. B. J. Hughes.
Carries Ton of Explosive
During the latter portion of the war L.A.C. Read, who was a prisoner-of-war, saw German bombers flying overhead and awkwardly carrying, “pick-a-back” fashion, strange stubby looking machines. They climbed and lumbered off in the direction of England.
He also saw considerable experimental activity with what later proved to be the flying bomb’s even more deadly successor, the V-2 rocket bomb.
The V-1 is an impressive-looking machine. With a top speed of 450 miles per hour it can remain in the air for about 35 minutes carrying one ton of high explosives. The charge and the firing pin are contained in the nose of the 22ft.-long cigar-shaped fuselage. Short, square-tipped, stubby wings are set about 8ft. back from the nose. The wings are of plywood construction, but the body of the bomb is made of steel. At the rear there is a tailplane unit similar to that of a normal aeroplane with elevators and a rudder.
Captured in France
A gyro is included in the nose mechanism and this operates the automatic pilot, which is located near the rear of the bomb to control the rudders and elevators. Above the rear of the main structure rests another long tapering cylinder which houses the jet propulsion unit. The fuel used was wood alcohol.
This particular flying bomb was captured intact in France after the invasion and it is destined eventually for the Wellington Museum. It is the smallest type of V-1 constructed, the biggest models weighing up to 22 tons.
The R.N.Z.A.F. transporter in which the bomb is conveyed has been named by the crew “Queen Mary” because of its length, 62ft. 6in. Normally used for the salvaging of wrecked aircraft, the transporter is 8ft. 4in. wide. It consumes a gallon of petrol every six miles. Little difficulty was experienced in negotiating the road between Napier and Gisborne. From Gisborne the bomb will be taken to Auckland.
GISBORNE HERALD, 8 MARCH 1949
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Post by Richard Wesley on Oct 5, 2021 17:00:21 GMT 12
Sounds a lot more likely to have been captured in France. Even a non-detonation 'landing' on London surely would have destroyed it?
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Post by davidd on Oct 6, 2021 15:58:19 GMT 12
I would have to agree with Richard!
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Post by nuuumannn on Oct 6, 2021 17:15:40 GMT 12
I once contacted the museum for information on its provenance, but it has little information on it, bar a Government Stores Board letter offering it to the museum dated 6 July 1955. Apparently, the Australian War Memorial example has a similar "Serial Number", which I take might mean its Werk Nummer (WK Nr)? The Swastika motif was probably added on arrival in New Zealand, but the museum has no confirmation of when exactly it was added; it is pretty much in the same condition as when the museum first received it.  Auckland Museum V 1The AWM one for comparison is in a better state and has had a sympathetic finish. The AWM received theirs from the RAF Air Historic Branch in late 1945, the AHB was at RAF Stanmore Park at the time, but no information about where it was captured.  AWM V 1 The British would have been collecting as much information on these weapons as possible post-war, so the occupied territories and Germany were being scoured for hardware, so without making a trip to the AHB, which is now at Uxbridge, it would be very hard to verify exactly where it came from. I suspect the Auckland V 1 was shipped from the UK, which would make sense even if it was captured in France. There are a few V 1s in museums in Britain, some of which have documented histories, but some that don't. If anyone was going to research its origins, getting hold of info like shipping information on its arrival here in New Zealand via Weedons, and work backwards through to the UK... |
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Post by madmac on Oct 6, 2021 19:00:32 GMT 12
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Post by oj on Oct 6, 2021 19:28:29 GMT 12
I thought it was one of the US post war copies, ie the Loon? No, that is the MOTAT example, the War Memorial's is a genuine V-1. Must have glided to a nice landing in Hyde Park if it 'fell' on London! Obviously didn't plummet! |
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Post by oj on Oct 6, 2021 19:35:57 GMT 12
"Three airmen are travelling with the bomb, which is under the charge of Corporal K. Jackman, who has with him L.A.C.s G. Read and J. B. J. Hughes."
i am sure that was Gordon Read, who in addition to Weedons, also served at Taieri and no doubt other bases before Ohakea, where he was my Flight Sergeant in charge of the Ground Equipment Bay in 1963/64. He was a pom who came out to NZ and was good for a yarn about his experiences.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 6, 2021 20:27:37 GMT 12
Thanks Grant, Madmac and OJ. Yes it seems to have toured around the country a bit to various events to be shown off with other RNZAF equipment before it got to the museum.
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Post by nuuumannn on Oct 7, 2021 11:55:07 GMT 12
Thanks Grant, Madmac and OJ. Yes it seems to have toured around the country a bit to various events to be shown off with other RNZAF equipment before it got to the museum. On that subject, many years ago in Tauranga there was the Orange Festival, (which to this day I can only equate to the proliferation of orchards in the area, or does it have to do with Irish immigration and William of Orange?) and one year I can vaguely remember a V 1 being put on a float and towed along Cameron Road. Was it the Auckland Museum one or the Loon that was at MoTaT at the time? Does anyone have any information about this, why this was done and what year? Come to think of it, every year the Army held a military tattoo in the Domain, which I remember going to, was the V 1 on a float for that, I wonder? |
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davem2
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 97
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Post by davem2 on Oct 7, 2021 12:57:09 GMT 12
I remember a V-1 being displayed on the back of a truck which was doing a tour of some description. This was in Timaru / Temuka either late 1970s or early 1980s. I have photos 'somewhere.'
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Post by curtiss on Oct 8, 2021 8:42:40 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 8, 2021 9:58:23 GMT 12
This shot is from the PRESS, 4 August 1949, and it does not look to be camouflaged. Hard to tell.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 8, 2021 10:02:17 GMT 12
Returning to the original question of this thread, it seems that at least one V1 did indeed land in Britain unexploded. It was defused by Major John Pilkington Hudson, CBE, GM & Bar, VMH (24 July 1910 – 6 December 2007) who was awarded the George Cross for doing so.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 8, 2021 11:31:54 GMT 12
From newspaper reports the flying bomb was on display at Ormond Motors, on the intersection of Peel Street and Gladstone Road, Gisborne, from about 8th of March 1949 for about a week.
It arrived in Whakatane on the 15th of March 1949.
It was at the Industries Fair in Christchurch from the 5th of August 1949.
That shot from Wigram of it at the Oxford A&P Show is dated 11/04/1953.
So it certainly got around the country and did so over a few years.
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Post by tbf2504 on Oct 8, 2021 12:14:18 GMT 12
From the photos above it looks as though the swastika was added for that travelling road show in 1953, as there is no evidence of it in the 1949 shots. Probably at the same time it was painted silver
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 8, 2021 13:01:22 GMT 12
I wonder if it spent time at the TTS with the Zero and other odd types, getting painted by trainee Aircraft Finishers?
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