Archie to SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air ...

Chapter 5
Ballistic Missile Defense:
The Early Years to 1991
In contrast to the eventual successful defense against the
German V-1 flying bomb, Allied efforts against the V-2 ballistic
missile proved futile. 1 The Allies bombed German missile test
sites, manufacturing, launching, and storage faculties but had
no impact on the V-2s (fig. 79). Despite total air dominance, the
Allied air forces never successfully attacked a single German
launch unit. Although a large device, it proved mobile and elusive.
Technical difficulties delayed the V-2s, not the bombing. 2
Figure 79. V-2 launch. V-2s at the German Peenemünde test site during
World War II. The World War II V-2 campaign was the first, largest, and
deadliest missile campaign yet seen. (Reprinted from US Army Aviation
and Missile Command.)
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