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How Nazi Germany Planned to Wipe Out London in Minutes – The V3 Supergun Project
In 1944, London faced the terrifying possibility of being destroyed in minutes. Nazi Germany’s V-3 “supergun” was one of the Third Reich’s most ambitious weapons projects, designed to fire massive shells from northern France directly at the city. Using a multi-charge barrel system, it could theoretically hurl 140-kilogram shells over 100 kilometers, threatening London like never before.

Germany had experimented with long-range artillery before, but the V-3 represented a major leap in engineering ambition. Engineer August Cönders oversaw the construction of massive underground installations at Mimoyecques, reinforced with concrete and steel. Forced laborers, including prisoners of war and concentration camp inmates, were used to build the tunnels and galleries, many paying the ultimate price.

Despite Nazi propaganda presenting it as a decisive weapon, technical challenges made the V-3 unreliable. Precision timing, sealing systems, and barrel metallurgy caused frequent misfires and cracks. Yet Hitler and his engineers pressed on, hoping to bypass Allied defenses and break civilian morale.

Allied intelligence quickly recognized the threat. Operation Crossbow combined reconnaissance, analysis, and strategic bombing to neutralize the V-3. On 6 July 1944, Lancaster bombers dropped Barnes Wallis’s Tallboy bombs on Mimoyecques, collapsing key tunnels and preventing the weapon from becoming operational.

Smaller mobile versions were tested later, but logistical issues and Allied air superiority prevented widespread use. Postwar analysis confirmed the concept could work in theory, but large-scale deployment under wartime conditions was impossible.

The V-3 stands as both a technical marvel and a human tragedy. Thousands of laborers were exploited and killed, and today Mimoyecques serves as a museum and memorial. This story highlights how technological ambition, propaganda, and human cost intersected during the final years of World War II.

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Chapters:
0:00 – Introduction: London in 1944
1:45 – The Concept of the V-3 Supergun
4:30 – Multi-Charge Principle Explained
6:50 – Germany’s Engineering Ambition
9:15 – Forced Labor and Human Cost
11:40 – Allied Intelligence and Operation Crossbow
14:20 – Barnes Wallis & the Tallboy Bombs
16:50 – Destruction of Mimoyecques
18:15 – Legacy and Lessons of the V-3
19:00 – Conclusion: Why London Survived