On this day in 1944, Nazi Germany launches the V-1 Flying
Bomb, marking the first use of a cruise missile in warfare.

Dubbed "buzz bombs," these pilotless terrors droned
ominously over London, delivering destruction and
dread in equal measure.

The V-1, officially designated Fieseler Fi 103, was developed
by the Luftwaffe at the Peenemünde Army Research Center
in 1942.

It was powered by a pulsejet engine, which produced its
distinctive buzzing sound, and featured a simple guidance
system using a gyroscope, magnetic compass, barometric
altimeter, and a nose-mounted vane anemometer.

A V-1 on display in the Musée de l’Armée, Paris.