How were V1 Rockets destroyed before they reached Great Britain in World War 2?

Answer 1

at first the V1s were destroyed (or were attempted to be destroyed) using supermarine spitfires, hawker hurricanes, and anti aircraft guns, later on in the war the British used hawker tempests and hawker typhoons which were much faster and could catch up with the V1

Answer 2

Usually shot down by AA (Anti-Aircraft) fire when they reached the coastline. Other times, planes (most noteably, the Spitfire and the DH-Mosquito) were sent as interceptors, and simply destroyed the rockets with machinegun fire.

The latter was not always foolproof, however - when the rockets exploded, damage was often done to the aircraft, sometimes enough to bring it down. In addition, the bombs gave off blinding light when they were detonated, causing temporary blindness in pilots.

The final way V1's were brought down was by barrage balloons (balloons that were rigged with explosives - detonated on contact). They were tethered in the English Channel and, theorectically, should've destroyed the rockets when they flew past. Unfortunately, the wingtips of the V1 were equipped with cable cutters, and could slice right through the tethering cables without detonating the balloons. Only 300 rockets were brought down by barrage balloons (as opposed to 2,500 downed by intercepting aircraft).

More Information

It is important to understand that the V-1 was not a rocket at all. In modern terms, the V-1 operated much like a cruise missile, flying level and relatively slowly. The V-1 was powered by a "pulse jet" engine; the distinctive sound of its exhaust gave the V-1 its nickname "buzz bomb."

One other method sometimes used to defeat a V-1 was called "tipping." A pilot in a fast fighter, such as a Spitfire or a P-51, could catch up with a V-1, slide a wingtip under the flying bomb's wing, and literally tip it over, causing it to fly off course and into the ground -- or into the sea.