New Vanguard 82: V-2 Ballistic Missile 1942-52 Review

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(More customer reviews)Once again, Stephen J. Zaloga delivers a handy summary of an important technical military subject in his Osprey Vanguard volume entitled, V-2 Ballistic Missile 1942-1952. While Zaloga has only 44 pages in this format, he packs it full of information culled from the considerable literature on this subject, resulting in a superb synthesis. Unlike other, longer works, Zaloga does not dwell overly long on the development aspects of the V-2 program, but devotes most of his summary to the operational use of this revolutionary weapon.
V-2 Ballistic Missile 1942-1952 begins with an 11-page section on early German rocket development, but the bulk of the volume focuses on the organization and procedures of V-2 launch units. Seven pages are spent on final German rocket designs, an analysis of the V-2 campaign, and a brief description of the post-war US and Soviet tests of captured V-2s. The color plates, by Robert Calow, include: early German test rockets; the Wizernes missile bunker; camouflage schemes; a cross-section of the V-2; a mobile launch site; and a Feuerleitpanzer fire control vehicle. Zaloga also provides several very handy appendices: A-4 missile manufacture (broken down by site and monthly production figures); V-2 targets; and Russian post-war production of V-2 derivatives. In addition, Zaloga provides an annotated bibliography, which includes Internet sites of interest.
Zaloga sees the V-2 as a technical marvel that was simply not ready for prime time, or as he puts it, a case of "too much too soon." The V-2 program cost about $2 billion - equivalent to the American Manhattan Project - but it delivered a weapon of very limited practical military value. Indeed, the V-2 was a very fragile weapon, with many ruined by rough handling on the ground and even more disintegrating in flight. Of 6,422 V-2s built, only 3,172 were launched and only about 37% fell near their intended targets. Indeed, Zaloga notes that the Luftwaffe's V-1 program, while technically less sophisticated, was much more militarily significant since it was cheaper to build and more reliable. Zaloga's description of the technical problems associated with the V-2's tricky liquid oxygen fuel and its limited guidance system are interesting, as well as his discussion of the gradual take-over of the V-2 program by the SS. There are also details about how Allied intelligence learned about the V-2 program, including recovery of parts from V-2 test crashes in Poland and Sweden.
Zaloga's review of V-2 operations also provides insight into the difficulties of targeting mobile ballistic missile launchers, insights that are still useful today. As happened during the "Scud Hunt" in 1991 during Desert Storm, Zaloga notes that the Allies in 1944 we forced for political reasons to devote about 25% of their tactical bombers to hunt V-2 sites that were hitting England. Amazingly, despite complete Allied air superiority, the Germans were still able to launch V-2s from Holland against London as late as 27 March 1945. However, due to the difficulty in detecting the launch sites and the impossibility of interception once launched, Zaloga notes that less Allied resources were devoted to deal with the V-2 than the V-1. The other lesson to be digested from the V-2 experience is that ballistic missiles with high explosive warheads might be difficult to stop, but the damage that they can inflict is not comparable with what could be achieved with conventional, large-scale air attacks.

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The German A-4 ballistic missile, better known by its propaganda name of V-2, was the world's first successful ballistic missile, breaking through the atmosphere to reach its target quicker. It was a forerunner of Cold War ballistic missiles and its combat use in 1944-45 set the pattern for the use of Scud ballistic missiles in recent decades. The V-2 offensive lasted from September 1944 until March 1945 with over 3,000 rockets being launched. This book examines the combat record of the V-2 in World War II, with a special focus on how a German missile battalion actually prepared and fired its missiles.

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