Beauty and the Beast

[djmodels1999bis]

Based on a colorised picture found on the net, but lacking much info, this little vignette is made from the very old Frog V1 missile (that used to come with a Spit) and a scratchbuilt figure.

I have often questionned the ‘reality’ of this scene and photograph.. Lots of unanswered questions.. Staged or not? The fact that a photographer and a civilian were just there before any officials to restrict access to an unexploded device, yet some buildings can be seen in the photo’s background. Was it in Britain, in the Netherlands, in Belgium or Northern France? Many V1s did not make it to their destinations, some coming back towards their launching pads.. The camouflaged missile is more likely to be one thatwasair-launched from a carrier He 111, thus probably originating from the Netherlands.. A similarly stuck V1 was also photographed in Kent, UK, near the West Malling air base (making the possibility of civilians being there first even more remote..)

What do you think?

[keavdog]

Nicely done! According to a quick google image search:

• The image was taken in the Netherlands around 1945, shortly after the end of World War II.

• It is featured in the 16mm color documentary film Herwinnen door werken (Recovering through working), which portrays the devastation and rebuilding of the Netherlands.

[djmodels1999bis]

Thanks for that, Keavdog. To me, it is doubtful that an unexploded V1 would have stayed months (we are clearly in late spring or early summer) just ‘there’. Authorities, most likely military ones, would have at the very least cordonned off the area. My ‘reading’ of the picture tells me this was taken during the summer of '44 (from June onwards), either in England or in the Netherlands; in the latter case, this would almost certainly be an air-launched missile that did a 180degree turn after being launched. V1 were known for this type of stunt..