Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a fantastic piece of WWII History! After the failed "Battle of Britain" waged by Germany against Great Britain, the Allies were able to successfully launch devastating bombing raids against German cities. This led to the development of German "V-weapons", known in original German as Vergeltungswaffen ("retaliatory weapons" or "reprisal weapons"). These were a particular set of long-range artillery weapons designed for strategic bombing during World War II, particularly terror bombing and/or aerial bombing of cities.

The first of these was the V-1 flying bomb, also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb, or doodlebug, which was a very early "cruise missile" design. The official RLM aircraft designation of Fi 103 was used for this weapon, however it did not have a very long range. Due to this, attacks had to be launched from very close to the target, so most V-1 launch sites were along the French (Pas-de-Calais) and Dutch coasts. The launches started on 13 June 1944, one week after the successful D-Day landings.

Developed concurrently was the much more advanced V-2 (Vergeltungswaffe 2 or "Retribution Weapon 2"), with the technical name Aggregat 4 (A4). Developed by a team under Wernher von Braun, this was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, had a much farther theoretical range, as well as a much better guidance system.

A series of prototypes culminated in the A-4, which went to war as the V-2. Beginning in September 1944, over 3,000 V-2s were launched by the German Wehrmacht against Allied targets, first London and later Antwerp and Liège. According to a 2011 BBC documentary, the attacks from V-2s resulted in the deaths of an estimated 9,000 civilians and military personnel, and a further 12,000 forced laborers and prison camp prisoners died as a result of their forced participation in the production of the weapons.

Unlike the V-1, the V-2 rockets travelled at supersonic speed, arrived without warning, and there was no effective defense against them. It was truly a terrifying weapon, which brought sudden destruction from the skies.

This is a very nice set of V-2 fragments, recovered from an attack hear Southend-on-Sea in Pitsea England, located to the east of London north of the River Thames. The fragments are mounted on a very nice display board, which gives maps of the impact site, as well as details and a map of the launch site:

LAUNCH AND IMPACT DATA

Oct. 07, (08.48 hours). Battery 2./485,
The Hagus, Bloemendaal, A4 Rocket fired
Impacted Pitsea Southend.

There are also pictures of the V-2/A4 Rocket, as well as a diagram of the internal structure, and even a small paper model of the V-2/A4 on the left side of the display board.

The two fragments, which are twisted and crumped piece of metal, measure 11" and 5 1/2" long, and are secured to the display board. The longer piece on the left is not magnetic, while the piece on the right side is. The display board is made from partical board, and measures 22"W x 18 1/2"H, with a width of about 4 inches due to the attached items.

A great piece of WWII Memorabilia from the later days of WWII, when Germany was well on the way to defeat, but wanted to cause as much damage to the Allies as possible.