The magnetism of organometallic vanadium-benzene [V(C6H6)](infinity) nanowires in an electric field has been investigated by density functional calculations. In the absence of an applied external electric field, [V(C6H6)](infinity) is found to be ferromagnetic (quasi-half metallic), with a moment of 0.92 mu(B) per unit cell, and an applied electric field enhances this value substantially, to 1.32 mu(B) in a field of 1.8 eV/angstrom. The electric field also changes the preferential magnetization direction (easy-axis direction), from perpendicular to the wire to parallel to the wire. This transition occurs in an electric field of 1.0 eV/angstrom. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.