Wikipedia, November 27, 2007.....

Monte Davis monte.davis at verizon.net
Tue Nov 27 14:41:15 CST 2007


Mark posts a high-impact V-2 photo...
 
Kudos to Wikipedia for choosing an image that reflects how the majority of
V-2s were actually targeted rather than the predominant  "V-2s against
London" meme (ok, we'll give TRP a pass on that one). 
 
As their article notes, roughly 1600 (50%) were aimed at Antwerp vs ~1400
(40%) at London. The former caused more concentrated destruction, as the
range was less (so accuracy greater).
 
Maybe the meme reflects more news correspondents in London, with fewer other
things to write about than those with the Allied armies on the continent.
Maybe it's tied to the Blitz meme (which also exaggerated London somewhat
vis-a-vis other German bomber targets in the UK).
 
But for what it's worth, and with no intent to exculpate anybody's rocketing
or bombing, more than half of the "vengeance" weapons were in fact aimed not
at random Londoners but at the Antwerp docks, the most important single
logistical choke point for Allied operations from September 1944 on. I don't
expect the point to mellow any attitudes among Belgians of a certain age,
but military utility *did* play a part in the V-2s' use along with the spasm
of spite implied by _Vergeltungswaffen_.
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