2-611-999 - Keystone Archives/Heritage Images

German V-1 flying bomb, World War II, c1944-c1945. Nicknamed the 'buzz bomb or 'doodlebug' by the British, the V-1 was an unguided missile powered by an air-breathing ramjet and carrying around 900 kg of high explosive. About 8000 of the bombs were fired across the English Channel at southern England from launch sites in northern France and the Netherlands between June 1944 and March 1945, killing over 5500 civilians. The effectiveness of the V-1 declined as the RAF became proficient at shooting them down, and as Allied armies advanced into Europe after D-Day, targets in England became out of range. The 'V' stands for Vergeltungswaffe (retaliation weapon).