Which aircraft launched V-1s against England?

Short answer

From the Heinkel He 111: the H-16/R3 and H-20/R2, in pathfinder configuration, carried V-1 flying bombs to their targets in London as part of Adolf Hitler's "vengeance" campaign. A photograph from August 8, 1944, shows a He 111H-16 with a V-1.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Which aircraft launched V-1s against England?

Fieseler Fi103 debajo de un Heinkel 111

The versions that carried the V-1

The He 111H-16/R3 and H-20/R2, in pathfinder configuration, carried V-1 flying bombs to their targets in London as part of Adolf Hitler's "vengeance" campaign. A photograph dated August 8, 1944, shows a He 111H-16 with a V-1.

When the Allies overran the launch sites

The British and Canadian 21st Army Group liberated the Netherlands and overran the launch sites; the He 111H-21 and H-22 were then tasked with launching the V-1s.

Other roles of the He 111

On June 21, 1944, B-17 Flying Fortresses of the US Eighth Air Force landed at the Mirgorod and Poltava airfields after bombing targets in Debrecen, Hungary. The Soviets had not prepared adequate anti-aircraft defenses, and IV. Fliegerkorps, with its He 111s of Kampfgeschwader 4, 53, and 55, dropped 91 tonnes (100 tons) of bombs that destroyed 44 B-17s and 15 American fighters. The He 111Z Zwilling, for its part, was a design that joined two He 111s together, producing a twin-fuselage, five-engine aircraft. It was originally conceived to tow the Messerschmitt Me 321 glider. It could tow a Gotha Go 242 or a Me 321 Gigant for up to ten hours at cruising speed.