Developed at the Luftwaffe's top secret Peenemünde Army Research Center in 1939, the V-1 flying bomb, or Fieseler Fi 103, quickly became the most fearsome weapon at Germany's disposal in World War II. 

Controlled by gyroscopes, a magnetic compass, and a barometric device, the flying bomb effectively flew itself to its target, thus becoming the world's first cruise missile. 

Initially planning to control the V-1 with radio signals, Germany instead elected to use the weapon against London in a sweeping bombing campaign, greatly diminishing the need for accuracy. 

Fired from nearby launch sites in France and a few aircraft, almost 10,000 bombs flew to London over the course of the war, with 2,000 more heading to Belgium. 

In the end, the flying bomb couldn't win the war for the Axis, but they created a powerful weapon that changed the nature of combat.