Assessment
Unlike the V-2, the V-1 was a cost-effective weapon for the Germans as it forced the Allies to spend heavily on defensive measures and divert bombers from other targets. More than 25% of Combined Bomber Offensive's bombs in July and August 1944 were used against V-weapon sites, often ineffectively. In early December 1944, American General Clayton Bissell wrote a paper which argued strongly in favour of the V-1 compared to conventional bombers.
The following is a table he produced.
| Blitz | V-1 | |
| 1. Cost to Germany | ||
| Sorties | 90,000 | 8,025 |
| Weight of bombs tons | 61,149 | 14,600 |
| Fuel consumed tons | 71,700 | 4,681 |
| Aircraft lost | 3,075 | 0 |
| Men lost | 7,690 | 0 |
| 2. Results | ||
| Houses damaged/destroyed | 1,150,000 | 1,127,000 |
| Casualties | 92,566 | 22,892 |
| Rate casualties/bombs tons | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| 3. Allied air effort | ||
| Sorties | 86,800 | 44,770 |
| Aircraft lost | 1,260 | 351 |
| Men lost | 2,233 | 805 |
The statistic of this report, however, have been the subject of some dispute. The V-1 rockets where often prone to exploding prematurely, occasionally resulting in the loss of the aircraft from which they were dropped. The Luftwaffe lost 77 aircraft as a result of the launch of these sorties.
Read more about this topic: V-1 Flying Bomb
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