Damage to V2 rockets

[ptje63]

Have been trying to find similar posts to this subject, but too many hits...

How can any allied ground unit do damage to a V2 rocket PRIOR to it hitting the ground?
The thing is coming down at the speed of sound and would devastate anything before they would have the time to even take a shot, let alone hit it...
Still, a M16 MGMC AA-gun hits it for 2 damage...

[Razz1]

You must find it before it launches.
Many ground units have air defense attack, however it is too low of a chance for a hit.

[sn0wball]

They use the same technique Civilization 1 phalanxes used to defend against nuclear rockets.

[ThvN]

I always imagine that shooting down V2's is just a sort of representation of the fact that a lot of the missiles would malfunction and not make it to the target. But it is a bit silly, yes.

[captainjack]

That's a good point. It was possible to shoot down V1s with proximity fuses for the AA guns and some good positioning and a bit of luck for the fighter cover. I recall from a documentary some time back (about 25 years ago, so details are not guaranteed) that Tempests diving could get fast enough for a single pass at a V1 if they were at the right starting altitude and got enough radar warning. I recall one of the reputed tricks was to flip them with a wingtip so that they plunged downwards, but that sounds more like "This happened once by accident" rather than a standard tactic. Whatever tactics they used it worked well enough to be worth the effort.

As for a V2 - well you might get enough concussion from an unbelievably lucky large calibre AA shell blast to knock it off course or damage it, but since they were unguided anyway there's probably a 50/50 call as to whether knocking it off course is good or bad. Add to that the fact that you probably wouldn't know it was coming until there was a large boom somewhere nearby and it starts to sound like the air defence is not so much shooting at it, but more like "does it malfunction or not?".

[DukeDavid]

I was a child during WW2 but I know the answer to this question about the V 2 rockets. You could not intercept them or shoot them down. They went up very high and then fell to earth at a speed that made defence impossible. You couldn't hear them until they hit the ground and exploded. You couldn't see them and they didn't show up on radar until they were too close to the ground to intercept or shoot at them. Fortunately they were unguided so the target had to be London or another big city within range. As far as I know they could malfunction on the launch pad but rarely after they had been launched.
The earlier V 1 rockets were slightly easier. Their speed was only a little faster than the most advanced Allied fighters, who might catch them if they were lucky. They made a loud, distinct noise and were visible during daylight, and even at night the flaming exhaust of the rocket engine was visible. British AA guns certainly fired at them during daylight, but I doubt if they hit many. Fortunately the guidance system of the V1's was rather unreliable so they frequently did no go where they were targeted.
The payload of the V 1's was quite small, although that of the V 2's was significantly larger. Fortunately they were not as damaging as more modern weapons.
Cromwell

[ptje63]

The information about knocking out V1's is correct, their relative slow speed made efforts to flip them with a wingtip possible. With the V2 speed thats not possible.
On top of question of causing damage to them prior to hitting the ground, I have questions about the amount of damage the V2 causes in the game. In general, my Wurfrahmen and 21cmMrs18 do more damage to Allied infantry than a V2 does...