John,
What devastation ! I believe the civil authorities thought that a massive gas leak was responsible for the first of these attacks, for it had come out of the blue with no sound.
It is sobering to think that, had it not been for the Peenemunde raid, they would have started far earlier and caused thousands more casualties. In the end, it was only when the Allied advance overran the launch sites that they ceased. Hitler's most effective "Revenge Weapon" was just a bit too late !
But in war that is fatal.
Danny.