World War II: Germany begins V-1 and V-2 attacks on Antwerp, Belgium.

The German V-1 and V-2 attacks on Antwerp in late 1944 and early 1945 were part of a desperate effort to disrupt Allied logistics after the liberation of Belgium. Once Antwerp’s port fell into Allied hands in September 1944, it became one of the most important supply hubs for the advancing armies. German planners knew they couldn’t retake the city conventionally, so they turned to long-range “revenge weapons”—the pulse-jet–powered V-1 flying bomb and the supersonic, ballistic V-2 rocket—to inflict damage, slow down supply flow, and undermine morale.

The V-1 campaign began first. These pilotless bombs, launched mostly from sites in the Netherlands, followed a relatively low and predictable flight path, giving Allied anti-aircraft defenses at least some chance to intercept them. Antwerp became the single most targeted city by V-1s during the final months of the war. Although many were shot down, a substantial number still reached the city, causing widespread blast damage, fires, and civilian casualties. The attacks were frequent enough that residents became accustomed to the characteristic buzzing sound of the pulse-jet before impact—or abrupt silence when the engine cut out just prior to a crash.

The V-2 threat was more severe. As the world’s first operational ballistic missile, the V-2 traveled faster than the speed of sound, meaning there was no warning and no possibility of interception. Rockets launched from Dutch territory struck Antwerp with devastating power, destroying entire blocks in seconds. The deadliest single V-2 attack of the war occurred in Antwerp on 16 December 1944, when a rocket hit the Rex Cinema during a crowded screening, killing hundreds. These strikes created deep psychological strain because they were essentially unstoppable and entirely unpredictable.

Despite the intensity of the bombardment—Antwerp endured more V-weapon attacks than London during this late phase of the war—the city’s port operations continued. Allied engineers and logisticians worked around the clock to keep supply lines functioning, and the population showed remarkable resilience. Ultimately, the V-1 and V-2 campaign failed to achieve its strategic aim: the Allied advance continued, and German resources spent on the rocket attacks brought no decisive benefit. By the spring of 1945, as launch sites were overrun, the bombardment ceased, marking the end of one of the earliest large-scale missile campaigns in history.