Looking for photos of U-Boats with V-1 deck launchers
 

I have heard such U-Boats were spotted in Norway during the war.




Thanks in advance,
Ed

Re: Looking for photos of U-Boats with V-1 deck launchers
 

Ed,
It's not quite what you're looking for, but the following link is of the USS Cusk launching the US-copied V-1 Loon rockets.


http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08348.htm


Assuming the US captured V-1s and probably Kriegsmarine sub-launched V-1 documentation, I surmise that the deck-carriage-and-launch systems would have been likely similar.


...geoff

Re: Looking for photos of U-Boats with V-1 deck launchers
 

geoff,


That is one reason I'm looking for information from the German side. There was another American submarine that launched the Loon. There is also a magazine that has a photo of a US launch with the caption "Our 100 Mile Stinger."


Thanks,
Ed

Re: Looking for photos of U-Boats with V-1 deck launchers
 

There is some German info here, it debunks some of the stories:

http://dubm.de/en/u-511-and-missiles/

Re: Looking for photos of U-Boats with V-1 deck launchers
 

http://www.uboataces.com/articles-rocket-uboat.shtml


This link seems to reinforce the opinion, that Luftwaffe v Kriegsmarine inter-service rivalry meant some resistance to deploying a "Luftwaffe weapon" - the V-1 - onto Kriegsmarine U-Boats.


Equally interesting are the US plans to potentially use the sub-launched V-1/Loons against Japanese targets during the invasion of the Japanese home islands.


...geoff

Re: Looking for photos of U-Boats with V-1 deck launchers
 

The United States was expecting such a deployment. In any case, the plan was to use the V-1 copies to aid in the invasion of Japan. Designated JB-2 (Jet Bomb 2), production began but was halted. Instead the Navy had ships modified to carry multiple rocket launchers. Although these had smaller warheads, they could produce a greater saturation effect.


https://www.amazon.com/U-s-Navys-Int.../dp/0786498595

Re: Looking for photos of U-Boats with V-1 deck launchers
 

I don't see the need to use V-1 for US against Japan. A German attack on New York using V-1 would have been a propaganda hit, and could have forced the USN to keep more ships on the east coast, but would have changed little to the war situation.

On the other hand, in summer 1945, the US were bombing Japan on a regular basis from the air, but also from the sea, and a V-1 attack would not have added anything of value.

Re: Looking for photos of U-Boats with V-1 deck launchers
 

Laurent,
I get the impression that the USN intended use of the JB-2 Loon was based on a different philosophy to the USAAF B-29 bombing effort.


My theory - think of it as a extended range shore bombardment during and immediately after a beach landing. If a target of significance was discovered 100 km inland, it would be beyond 16-in battleship gun range; and routing a B-29 strike would take at least a day (arranging bomb-load, target maps, etc). The navy would probably like the operational flexibility of pounding the target with 100x 2000-lb warheads via a JB-2 bombardment. The submarine trials were much later (c.1951-52). There appear to have been plans for shipboard launch systems to carry a larger number of JB-2s (Navy KGW-1).


As an aside:
https://books.google.com.au/books?id...rocket&f=false

Google-books preview of the book "Aircraft Carrier Impero" - the Italian Regia Marina's V-1 shipboard system/pseudo-aircraft carrier.


Better book on USAAF & USN JB-2 Loon production, testing and philosophy of use:
https://books.google.com.au/books?id...page&q&f=false




...geoff