Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Rockets and MisslesThe first missiles to be used operationally were a series of missiles developed by Nazi Germany in World War II. Most famous of these are the V 1 flying bomb and V 2, both of which used a simple mechanical autopilot to keep the missile flying along a pre chosen route. Less well known were a series of anti shipping and anti aircraft missiles, typically based on a simple radio control system directed by the operator. However, these early systems in