M. J. Powell wrote:

In message , Keith Willshaw
writes


"M. J. Powell" wrote in message
...


Ski ramp? The ski sites took their name from the large concrete
ski-shaped bunkers used to store V1s. Those were the intended
targets.

The launch ramps were ski-shaped. I have never been able to find out
why.


Its my understanding that the ramps looked like a ski-jump
rather than a ski. Certainly the one at Duxford appears that way.

http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/ima...tlaunchpad.jpg


That site appears to be a bit confused. It refers to V1's and V2's as
'Rockets'.

The V2's were launched vertically and had no ramp, only a concrete pad.
The V1's were launched along a ramp which looked like a ski laid on its
side, the curved bit near the 'adjustment house' where the compass was
set and the aircraft demagnetised with mallets.

No, actually as Keith said above, it was the bunkers which looked like
that. The ramps looked pretty much like ramps. If they had been bent at
the end, the V1 would have fallen off. The Germans were pretty stupid,
but not that stupid.

John

They were called 'ski-sites' from the first aerial photographs IIRC.