page_title: Operation Aphrodite
section_title: Procedure
hierarchical_section_title: Operation Aphrodite / Procedure
caption_attribution_description: English: A U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F-27-BO Flying Fortress (s/n 41-24639, c/n 3324), nicknamed "The Careful Virgin" in flight over an airfield in England (UK). It was assigned to the 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Bomb Squadron, which arrived at RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire (UK), in November 1942. After completing 80 missions, this aircraft was transferred to AFSC for "Operation Aphrodite" (flying bomb). It was launched against German V-3 site at Mimoyecques, Pas-de-Calais (France) on 4 August 1944, but impacted short of target due to a controller error. Français&#160;: U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F-27-BO Flying Fortress (s/n 41-24639, c/n 3324). Appartient au 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Bomb Squadron.
context_page_description: Aphrodite and Anvil were the World War II code names of United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy operations to use Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated PB4Y bombers as precision-guided munitions against bunkers and other hardened/reinforced enemy facilities, such as "Crossbow" operations against German long range missiles.
  The missions were not generally successful and targets in Europe were either overrun by the ground advance of Allied troops or by conventional attacks by aircraft.
context_section_description: Old Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were stripped of all normal combat armament and all other non-essential gear (armor, guns, bomb racks, transceiver, seats, etc.), relieving about 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) of weight. To allow easier exit when the pilot and co-pilot were to parachute out, the canopy  was removed.  Azon radio remote-control equipment was added, with two television cameras fitted in the cockpit to allow a view of both the ground and the main instrumentation panel to be transmitted back to an accompanying B-17 "CQ-4" 'mothership'.
  The drone was loaded with explosives weighing more than twice that of a B-17's normal bomb payload. The British Torpex (from "Torpedo Explosive") used for the purpose was itself 50% more powerful than TNT alone.
  A relatively remote location in Norfolk, RAF Fersfield, was the launch site. Initially, RAF Woodbridge had been selected for its long runway, but the possibility of a damaged aircraft that diverted to Woodbridge for landings colliding with a loaded drone caused concerns. The remote control system was insufficient for safe takeoff, so each drone was taken aloft by a volunteer crew of a pilot and a flight engineer to an altitude of 2,000 ft (600 m) for transfer of control to the CQ-4 operators. After successful turnover of control of the drone, the two-man crew would arm the payload and parachute out of the cockpit. The 'mothership' would then direct the missile to the target.
  
  When the training program was complete, the 562nd Squadron had ten drones and four "motherships".
  For Anvil, the controller aircraft was a Lockheed PV-1, a B-17 accompanied to receive the television signals.
caption: After completing 80 missions with the 323rd Bombardment Squadron, Aphrodite B-17F (The Careful Virgin) was used against Mimoyecques but impacted short of target due to controller error.
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