V-1X-4
GERMAN EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE - BOMBS, BOMB FUZES, ROCKET, LAND MINES, GRENADES AND IGNITER
Chapter 3
GERMAN ROCKETS
V-2

DESCRIPTION. The V-2, also known by the Germans as the A-4, is a streamlined missile 45 feet 10 inches long with a body diameter of 5 feet 5 inches. The nose is very sharply pointed and the afterbody carries four external fins mounted in quadrature. The weight at take-off is 14 tons, of which 1 ton is explosive, and 9 tons is used up in the first mi-nute.

A large steel venturi is used for propulsion. The fuels, alcohol and liquid oxygen, are pum-ped into the motor at the rate of 9 tons per minute by a permanganate-hydrogen peroxi-de turbine which develops 460 horsepower. The thrust produced is 28 tons.

In flight the missile is controlled by fins in the tail surface which are positioned by hy-draulic servo-mechanism controlled by an elaborate intelligence system:

1. Two gyros to provide stability about the three axis of the missile.

2. A radio (optional) to provide azimuth control by flying on a beam.

3. A radio or integrating accelerometer to turn off the motor at a specified velocity, to provide range control.

4. A time switch control to bend the missile over toward the target after it is launched vertically.

After an elaborate preparation requiring much time, personnel and equipment, the V-2 is fired vertically from a metal mobile stand. A few seconds after it is in the air the time switch control causes it gradually to bend over in the direction of the target. After 1 mi-nute of flight the motor is turned off, the missile being at an angle of about 45° and hav-ing a velocity of about 3,400 miles per hour. For the remainder of the flight, the V-2 fol-lows the trajectory of a free body in space, reaching a maximum height of about 50 miles before returning to the surface of the earth. About 5 minutes after take-off it strikes the earth some 200 miles from the launching site with a velocity of approximately 1,800 miles an hour. At this instant the warhead and any remaining fuel explode.

TECHNICAL DATA OF THE APPARATUS. The following details included as pertinent in-formation of the V-2 were taken from the translation of a German Manual on the subject. (See fig. 196.)
A. MEASUREMENTS:

Length of warhead: 2,010 mm.

Length of control: 1,410 mm.

Length of middle part: 6,215 mm.

Width of the ventilating split between the middle part and the tail: 5 mm.

Length of the tail: 4,401 mm.

Total length of the A 4: 14,036 mm.

Caliber: 1,651 mm.

Length of fins: 3,935 mm.

Diameter of outer edge of fins: 3,564 mm.
B. WEIGHTS:
1. Warhead: 1,000 kg.
Payload: 750 kg.
Empty weight of nose: 250 kg.
2. Control: 450 kg.
+ Additional ventilation: + 30 kg.
"Mischgerät": 17 kg.
"Verdoppler": 14 kg.
Gyro (roll and yaw): 4.2 kg.
Gyro (pitch): 5.4 kg.
Two batteries: 52 kg.
Fuze firing circuit: 5 kg.
"Kommando" battery: 8.7 kg.
3 Invertors: 38 kg.
3 Regulators: 4.8 kg.
"Kommando" receiver: 19 kg.
Main junction box: 30 kg.
Pull away plug (side of body): 8 kg.
3. Middle section: 742 kg.
Shell (cell): 418 kg.
Conduit and Cables: 30 kg.
Frame Ring: 18 kg.
Fire Wall: 11 kg.
A-Tank: 121 kg.
B-Tank: 76 kg.
4. Engine Block: 931 kg.
Motor: 422 kg.
Frame: 56 kg.
Pump: 159 kg.
P-Battery: 75.5 kg.
T-System: 73 kg.
Heat Exchanger: 6.7 kg.
5. Tail: 750 kg.
Tail Rib Section: 475 kg.
Servo-Motors: 160 kg.
6. Remainder: 105 kg.
Pressure Pieces: 60 kg.
7. Total Empty Weight of A 4: 4,000 kg.
8. Filled Weight of A-Tank.
(to overflow): 4,900 kg.
9. Filled Weight of B-Tank.
(empty space of 0.29 cubic meters): 3,800 kg.
10. Filled Weight of T-Tank: 175 kg.
11. Filled Weight of Z-Tank: 13 kg.
12. Total Weight of a 4 Fully Tanked: 12,700 - 12,900 kg.
13. Weight of Fuels (in Pipes Cooling Jacket Heat Exchange and T-System): 210 kg.
C. PERFORMANCES: Individual Parts:
1. Control Room:
Two Batteries: 27 volts, 20 ampere hours.
One "Kommando" Battery: 50 volts, 1.3 ampere hours.
Firing Circuit: 27 volts.
Three Invertors: DC/AC 3-phase.
Invertors: Motor: 27 volts, 12 volts, 10,000 r.p.m.
Generator: 40 volts, 500 cycles, 180 watts.
Three Regulators for Invertors: Regulation 1 percent.
"Verdoppler" Transmitter: Output 15 watts, wavelength 6.5 meters, frequency 46 Mc.
2. Engine Block:
Electrical Armatures: Constructed for 24 volts.
Turbines:
Capacity Ca.: 21 kg/sec.
Revolution: 3,800 r.p.m.
Output: 460 hp.
Additional thrust by Venting Ca.: 50 kg.
A-Pump:
Output: 190 hp.
Output pressure: 18.7 atm.
Output Ca.: 72 kg/sec.
B-Pump: Revolutions Ca.: 3,800 r.p.m.
Output: 270 hp.
Output pressure: 22 atm.
Output Ca. 58 kg/sec.
T-System: T and Z output pressure: 31 atm.
T-Stoff Flow Ca.: 2.1 kg/sec.
Z-Stoff Flow Ca.: 0.2 kg/sec.
Pressure in Steam Chamber: 25 atm.
Steam Produced: 2.3 kg/sec.
Fresh Steam Temperature: 385° C.
Pressure Reducing Setting: 31 atm.
P-Batteries: Number of Bottles: 7.
Contents: 7 liters per bottle.
P-Pressure: 200 atm.
Total Amount: 12.25 kg = 9,600 liters.
Heat Exchanger Flow: 0.3 kg/sec. of A-Stoff; 2.3 kg/sec of steam.
Temperature of Outflow: 280° C.
Temperature of A-Stoff (After Going Through Heat Exchanger) Ca.: 0° C.
Motor: Fuel Consumption per Second in Preliminary Stage:
A-Stoff Ca.: 38 kg.
B-Stoff Ca.: 35 kg.
Total Ca.: 73 kg.
Fuel Consumption per Second in Main Stage:
A-Stoff Ca.: 72 kg.
B-Stoff Ca.: 58 kg.
Total Ca.: 130 kg.
Mixing Proportion: B:A: 0.81.
Fuel Injection Pressure into Motor: 18 atm.
Pressure in Combustion Chamber: 14.5 atm.
Temperatur in Combustion Chamber: 2,000° C.
Exit Velocity of Gases Ca.: 2,000 m/sec.
Inner Efficiency (WA/WA TH = Actual to Theoretical Exit Velocity): 95 percent.
Thrust: 25,700 kg.
3. Total Apparatus:
Shooting range Ca.: 300 km.
Ceiling Ca.: 80 km.
"Brennschluss" height Ca.: 28 km.
"Brennschluss" range Ca.: 25 km.
"Brennschluss" Maximum Velocity Ca.: 1,500 m/sec.
Burning time Ca.: 60 - 63 sec.
Flight time Ca.: 320 sec.
Speed at targe Ca.: 800 m/sec.
Angle with Perpendicular At "Brennschluss": 47°.

Greatest Impact Pressure: 8 - 10,000 kg sq/meter (Reached in 45 sec at 12 km height at 650 m/sec).
Highest heating of the Skin: 300° - 500° C.
Lifting Acceleration Ca.: 1g. (9.81 m/sec2).
Maximum Acceleartion (at Top of 25-ton thrust) Ca.: 6g.
D. OTHER DATA – TOTAL APPARATUS.
Evaporation Out of the Filling Device of the A-Stoff:
In the first hour Ca.: 320 kg.
In the second hour Ca.: 160 kg.
In the third hour Ca.: 130 kg (and following hours).
Rigidity of the apparatus:
Untanked: up to 23 m/sec wind speed.
Tanked: up to 35 m/sec wind speed.
Transportation.
Height of the Device: 4.2 meters.
Transportation.
Width of the Device: 3.22 meters.
Transportation.
Length of the Device: 14.7 meters.
The apparatus with full A-Stoff can stand up to 6 hours without impaired function.

The servo-motors must warm up 30 minutes before shooting condition of the wiring sys-tem a detanking of A-Stoff can not take place in the meantime, since in most cases an undesirably high deterioration of the condition of the wiring system is unavoidable as a result of the sweating. The insulation coefficient for the 27 volts wiring system measured at the break-away plut at terminals 1 - 4 against the body is 10,000 ohms.

Figure 196 – A-4 "V-2" Rocket

V-1X-4