Spitfire Dive-Bombers Versus the V2

This WWII military history vividly recounts the Royal Air Force campaign to counter Germany’s V2 rocket attacks.

On September 8th, 1944, the first V2 rockets aimed at southern England exploded in west London. They had been launched from a wooded street corner in Den Haag in the Netherlands. Air Marshal Roderic Hill of Fighter Command ordered a swift response to counter the threat. Six squadrons of Spitfires were sent to find and dive-bomb the mobile V2 launch sites scattered throughout the Dutch countryside.

The missiles were well camouflaged and often positioned adjacent to dwellings occupied by civilians. The RAF was under orders to cause minimum damage to Dutch property and life, therefore precision bombing became a necessity.

This complete account of the campaign includes discussions of the strategy and tactics employed and the equipment used. It also considers the effects on Dutch civilians. Bill Simpson draws on the experiences of sixteen Allied pilots, ground crew and the Dutch who were at the receiving-end of the attacks.