A Doodlebug

During the later part of World War II Hitler's Germany used a new kind of weapon to bomb the people of London. Germany invented what was in effect the first cruise missile or self propelled bomb. It was known as the V1 buzz bomb or to the people of London "The Doodlebug". It would take off from a steam catapult in Germany pointed towards London. The theory was that it had enough fuel to fly to London and then when it ran out of fuel it would fall from the sky exploding on impact with the ground. It was powered by a pulse jet engine, the forerunner to the rocket engine, which made a loud buzzing sound, hence the name buzz bomb. The Royal Air Force used planes that were fast enough, such as Spitfires to catch the V1, fly along side it and then use it's wings to tip up the wings of the V1 and make it crash. My grandmother used to tell me the stories of when they would hear the V1's flying over the air raid shelters, waiting for the engine to stop and then the resulting explosion as it hit the ground. 

This V1 is on display at the Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum.