Bell X-1 sonic boom.

[Ed Majden]

I was watching a program on the Canadian Discovery Channel on the
American Rocket Program, in particular, when the Bell X-1 broke the "so
called" sound barrier in 1947. It stated that ground crews were startled by
the "first ever" sonic boom. The first ever perhaps, produced by a manned
aircraft, as sonic booms are generated by some meteoroids entering the
earth's atmosphere. I was wondering if the V2 rockets fired during WWII
produced an audible sonic boom on the ground. Not at the impact site of
course but prior to impact just as the Space Shuttle produces one on
re-entry? Perhaps the "boom" was not recognized as being produced by a V2!

[Ed Majden]

"Glenfiddich"
> The V-2 certainly did produce a sonic boom - but audible
> AFTER the impact. The warhead arrived ahead of its sound...

What you say is of course true at the impact site. I was wondering if a
sonic boom was heard along the trajectory, long before impact. Perhaps the
V2 would be too high for the sound to be propagated down to the ground.
Meteoroid sonic booms are generally heard below an altitude of 30 km but
more likely at lower altitudes. From what I have read the V2 reached an
altitude of around 60 miles but I'm not sure what the flight trajectory
altitude would be several minutes before the impact area. Any idea?

[Tex Houston]

"Ed Majden" > wrote in message
news:cltyb.530304$6C4.395229@pd7tw1no...
> Perhaps the "boom" was not recognized as being produced by a V2!
>
There was no shortage of "booms" in Europe during the era.

Tex

[Keith Willshaw]

"Ed Majden" > wrote in message
news:fxvyb.536596$9l5.121016@pd7tw2no...
>
> "Glenfiddich"
> > The V-2 certainly did produce a sonic boom - but audible
> > AFTER the impact. The warhead arrived ahead of its sound...
>
> What you say is of course true at the impact site. I was wondering if
a
> sonic boom was heard along the trajectory, long before impact. Perhaps
the
> V2 would be too high for the sound to be propagated down to the ground.
> Meteoroid sonic booms are generally heard below an altitude of 30 km but
> more likely at lower altitudes. From what I have read the V2 reached an
> altitude of around 60 miles but I'm not sure what the flight trajectory
> altitude would be several minutes before the impact area. Any idea?
>

From eye witness reports there seems to have been no warning.
Indeed early incidents were put down to sabotage or gas explosions

Keith

[Brian Colwell]

"Keith Willshaw" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ed Majden" > wrote in message
> news:fxvyb.536596$9l5.121016@pd7tw2no...
> >
> > "Glenfiddich"
> > > The V-2 certainly did produce a sonic boom - but audible
> > > AFTER the impact. The warhead arrived ahead of its sound...
> >
> > What you say is of course true at the impact site. I was wondering
if
> a
> > sonic boom was heard along the trajectory, long before impact. Perhaps
> the
> > V2 would be too high for the sound to be propagated down to the ground.
> > Meteoroid sonic booms are generally heard below an altitude of 30 km but
> > more likely at lower altitudes. From what I have read the V2 reached an
> > altitude of around 60 miles but I'm not sure what the flight trajectory
> > altitude would be several minutes before the impact area. Any idea?
> >
>
> From eye witness reports there seems to have been no warning.
> Indeed early incidents were put down to sabotage or gas explosions
>
> Keith
>
I was part of a convoy of AVF heading for the docks at Tilbury in late "44,
when we experiecend this incredibly loud explosion about a 1/4 of a mile
away followed shortly after by a sound like a jet going by (at that time I
used the expression of an express train going by !! :-)) ) This was one of
the first V2 to land in Britain, at the time we were not sure what the hell
had landed !!.

I have heard that of the 5000 that were launched only 1100 reached the UK
with a loss of 2724 lives.

Regards, BMC