E177 - Vengeance from the Skies

March 2025

In 1943 there seemed to be few mysteries left unsolved for Bletchley Park. But by the middle of that year, whispers would be heard of new threats: the V-1 ‘flying bomb’ and V-2 rocket.

What began with hints of secret trials on the Baltic would grow into an investigation which would strain Allied scientific intelligence to the utmost, as well as revealing serious flaws in the operation at Bletchley Park.

But by the time ‘vengeance-weapon’ attacks against the United Kingdom began in 1944, the Allies knew what they were facing; enabling countermeasures to be put in place which, despite the immense destruction the weapons caused, likely saved thousands of lives.

In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Head of Audiences and Programmes Vicki Pipe is joined by Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham to discuss the secret weapons which represented Nazi Germany’s last-gasp attempt to turn the tide of World War Two.

This episode features Oral History recordings of WAAF Filter Officer Eileen Younghusband.

Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents.

Image: ©Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-1880 / CC-BY-SA 3.0

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