045 METEOR I vs V1 FLYING BOMB 1944

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A total of 10,500 missiles were launched as part of the V1 attack, of which 3,957 were destroyed by the defenses. Indeed, it could have been much worse, for by the end of the war the Germans had manufactured close to 32,000 flying bombs.

Rushed into action in July 1944 to help counter the V1 threat, Britain's Gloster Meteor I was the first jet fighter to enter RAF service. On 4 August the Meteor scored its first V1 victory. Having just closed in on a flying bomb, its officer squeezed the trigger but his guns jammed. Using the Meteor's superior speed, he was able to overtake the missile and, using his wing tip, he tipped the craft over and sent it crashing into the ground. The interceptions between the V1 and Britain's Gloster Meteor were historic, and ushered in a new era of aerial combat.