Fi-103 (V-1) Cruise Missile: Langsett

On Featherbed Top on Howden Moor, there is a bare patch which many including Alan Clark and Pat Cunningham have claimed is the site of a V1 crash. We have visited the site a couple of times previously, and gone with the consensus identification up to now, but we no longer think that the consensus is correct.

Following information received, we have looked into claims from "Tomsk" that this site is not in fact a V1 crater, but that the true crater lies 3/4 km away. After visiting the alternative location today, we are happy that this is the case, for the following reasons:

1. The new crater (illustrated) is very similar in appearance to the one on Black Edge, known to be a V1 site.

2. We found twisted, rusty heavy gauge steel components (illustrated) around the crater identical in appearance to those we found at the Black Edge site. Mick's doing his Big Vern face in this shot.

3. The aluminium parts we found previously (now removed by persons unknown) at the supposed V1 crater correspond to nothing we have seen at V1 sites elsewhere.

4. We have seen no other V1 sites which are a flat black scar on the peat like the supposed V1 site on Howden Moor. All other sites are sharp-sided craters like the new candidate.

5. We have evidence from Tomsk that scraps found at the supposed V1 crater come instead from a Luftmine B parachute mine. Here's a Luftmine B:

Note the distinctive cross section of the fins, and their five rivets. Here's a bit recovered from the old site with that cross section and five rivets:

6. Tomsk also identifies parts found at the new site as belonging to a V1. Here's the bolt which holds the warhead on on a museum piece:

Here's something which looks very similar recovered from the site:

Here's the guillotine mechanism which cuts the cables to send the V1 into a dive:

So our initial scepticism has been greatly tempered. The new location seems far more likely to be correct than the commonly held one. The sixth comment on this post also contains seemingly confirmatory information from the Imperial War Museum including these pics. Thanks Dave.

It'll be interesting if others modify their opinions and websites to suit. More interesting still will be who they credit-Mick tells me that Alan Clark for one is simply following us around the sites we have visited in Wales nowadays without crediting us, judging by the updates to his site.

New Location: SK 18224 97083

Howden Moor Incident

Tiny Tree, Howden Moor
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

Following this comment, (and a nasty weather forecast)we decided to scratch yesterday's planned visit to Wales, and to investigate the claim that we (along with more or less everyone else) are wrong about the location of the V1 crash on Howden Moor. It was also an opportunity to practice my map and compass navigation, ready for a Mountain Leader training course I'm doing later in the year.

Howden Moor is the focus of all sorts of strange stories, of covert military operations, UFOs, Meteor impacts, Ghost Planes, Drug Smuggling, and IRA weapons caches. That someone might suggest that a crater was caused by a parachute mine rather than a V1 seems quite prosaic compared with the other wild tales.

The problem was, we'd never seen any sign of the tree "Tomsk" refers to anywhere near the V1 crater, and we never would have seen this tiny tree if there hadn't been a complete whiteout on the day.

Location: SK 18494 96603

This is the only tree anywhere near the V1 site (albeit much further than 40 metres away), but there was no sign of a second crater in its vicinity. Can't see anything in Google Earth either on Howden Moor or Macclesfield Forest locations, despite Tomsk's claim.

We had no difficulty finding the previously located crater using map and compass only, despite the weather. Hmm.

And how about the other stories? The Howden Moor incident is a favorite of UFOlogists, who allege that a UFO crashed and exploded on the moor in 1997, and there has been a subsequent coverup.

We would suggest that of all possible explanations, this is the least likely. An optical illusion is surely the most likely explanation. Sorry, spacecadets.

Fieseler Fi-103 (V-1) Cruise Missile

V1
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Speaking of V1s, here's one on the ramp ready for launch, as photographed by Mick previously...

Fieseler Fi-103 (V-1) Cruise Missile:Black Edge

V1:Black Edge
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

In line with our recent push on V1 sites, here are two chunks of steel shrapnel from the crater left by a V1 which exploded short of its Manchester target on the moors above Buxton.

Peakland Air Crashes said there was no metal here, but it was quite easy to find, more as described by Alan Clark.

Location:SK 06177 77912

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Fieseler Fi-103 (V-1) Cruise Missile

V1:Black Edge
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

The crater left by this V1 on Black Edge near Buxton. Nice light,eh!

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Fieseler Fi-103 (V-1) Cruise Missile: Burbage Edge

V1: Burbage Edge
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Pat Cunningham of "Peakland Air Crashes" suggests this as the site of a V1 explosion based on eye-witness testimony. The field the witness gave as the site contains quite a number of depressions, none of which look all that much like a bomb crater to us. Only one of them shows a trace of metal, and this one isn't it. We weren't convinced that there was any sign of a V1 impact in this field at all.

It's well known locally that there are only about three surnames this close to Buxton(cue "Duelling banjos" from "Deliverance"). This might be considered in evaluating the trustworthiness of statements of locals.

Location of this crater:SK 02998 73724
Location of crater with metal traces:SK 02982 73690

Fieseler Fi-103 (V-1) Cruise Missile

V1 Crater: Macclesfield Forest
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

We visited this crater left by a V1 flying bomb explosion in 1944. There was surprisingly not a scrap of metal to be found around the site...

Location:SJ 95494 72683

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NOT a Fieseler Fi-103 (V-1)

V1:Howden Moor
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

This photo of the supposed V1 crater covers the same area shown in the previous visit photo. There is now however no debris to be seen anywhere around the crater. Has the site been looted by "souvenir hunters"?

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Fieseler Fi-103 (V1)?, Airspeed Oxford Mk.I LX518 and Airspeed Consul TF-RPM above Langsett Reservoir

Great outing today with young Matt: Found the "V1 crater" at:SK 18575 96507.
There was no crater left, it was all filled in.







We found some shrapnel up to 500mm long, though. It was much thicker stuff than the usual aircraft aluminium.









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Found the Oxford at:
SK 18040 96743.


















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The Consul was at:
SK 17402 96607.
















It looked like someone had been excavating the wreckage.







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