The V stood for Vergeltungswaffen, meaning revenge. Hitler had his best scientists working on long-range, jet-propelled weapons that came close to winning the war. Click on Wartime Wednesdays to read more.
Elinor, there is a V-1 in the grounds of Dover Castle. As a boy we vacationed at Destin, Florida, home of Englin Air Force Base. They owed a strp of Santa Rosa Island on the Gulf of Mexico. M In the mid 50's my brother and I took a boat over, ignored "No Trespassing" signs , and found a half dozen corroding V-1's on the island, along with a abandoned block house and a long launch ramp pointing out to sea. Exciting find for young bows. Apparently they were brought back to test. We could not find a way to get one home !!! Gaines
I don't think they can reasonably be considered to have come anywhere near "close to winning the war". It's also worth noteing that had the war gone on much longer they would have been burried in a product improved allied version.