"tipping off"

[Rokket]

Well, this could go in Non Model, RAF or Luftwaffe.  But being a co-mod, I'm puttin it here!

Has anyone head of, or perhaps has more knowledge of, "V1 tipping off"?

It seems the RAF lads would shoot down V1s, but this was difficult and fraught with danger. So of course they did something even more dangerous and daring: they got real close and used their wing tip to flip the V1, causing it to go wildly off course or better, lose lift and shoot into the ground (preferably over ocean).

All I have for evidence is a series of 3 grainy pix and some info from an almost anon source. But I find it fascinating! (if true).

[NZSnowman]

Yes...I heard of these stores while at school, many years ago

[billp51d]

         KINDA LIKE THIS.... ENJOY
                                       BILL
       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0sgsiMzRnU

[Marko]

hm, in my opinion this technique was possible, since the simple v-1 design could easily be damaged and if cannon/MG fire detonated the warhead in close proximity, the attacker could be shot down by the V-1 itself. I think this was altered when machine guns were re-aligned to meet up at higher distance (shooting angle from multiple MGs). So most likely this approach might be evolved from this early proximity problem.

besides, V-1 was guided though simple gyro-compass which auto compensated the pitch too, so technically, if the wing would be tipped to certain degree with a proper nudge, the gyro should be disrupted. Though i think not many were destroyed this way,  since the repositioning the guns offered the pilots a chance to gain more distance between the targets and themselves.

one guy has a build thread of spitfire tipping the V-1 here, and it looks really good:
http://s362974870.onlinehome.us/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=219136&st=0

and this one:
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/rh/articles.php?id=13501