In Episode 62 of Mil History Talk, Hope and Brian explore the German V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket—the first operational cruise missile and the world’s first ballistic missile. Developed during World War II as “vengeance weapons,” these systems marked the beginning of the modern missile age. The episode examines how the weapons worked, how Britain defended against them, and why their psychological impact failed to break civilian morale. The discussion also connects these early unmanned strike systems to today’s missile and drone warfare. For more, check out our Combat Machines YouTube Shorts on the V-1 and V-2 and the accompanying Substack article linked in the episode notes.

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V2 short:

https://youtube.com/shorts/2ftaWl8tdEg?feature=share

V1 short:

https://youtube.com/shorts/XKPOilerkqo?feature=share

Substack:

Mil History Talk | Louis DiMarco | Substack