In 1944, the first German V1 flying bomb hit London, England. A V-1 flying bomb resembled a 25-ft aircraft, with a wingspan of 17-ft. Ordinary truck fuel kept its pulse-jet engine running, which was mounted above the bomb fuselage carrrying a 1,870-pound warhead. It was simple, inexpensive to build, but it was inaccurate, unable to target even a village. However, it was accurate enough to hit a target the size of London, and that was all that was expected - a way to hit London with flying bombs launched from ramps in Europe without risking the depleted reserves of the Luftwaffe's bomber fleet. It had a maximum speed of about 400 mph. The engine's pulsing combustion process gave the flying bomb a distinctive sound in flight.