Page 58 - All About History - Issue 08-14

Hitler’s astronauts

life, but also my first contact with the theoretical applications of rockets. They had already set up a applications and, following German military
and practical aspects of rocketry and space travel.” test facility just south of Berlin, in Kummersdorf, expansion, the Nazis established a dedicated
Oberth’s work had inspired countless rocket under the direction of German artillery officer centre of rocketry at Peenemünde where these
enthusiasts in Germany, resulting in the formation Walter Dornberger, and by 1934 von Braun was technologies could be further researched and
of several amateur rocketry societies. Perhaps the actively working alongside Dornberger in the developed. On 2 April 1936, the Reich Aviation
most notable was Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR), development of a liquid-fuelled rocket. Von Braun Ministry had purchased the northern peninsula of
or the ‘Society for Space Travel’ in English. The was soon given his own team to lead and at the Usedom, a Baltic island on the border of Germany
association was established in 1927 and Oberth end of 1934 they had launched two rockets, known and Poland. Here, the village of Peenemünde
and von Braun were early members. Beginning as the A-2, with the latter reaching a new record was transformed into an unprecedented research
in 1930, the VfR requested funding from the height of 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles).
German army for rocket experiments – military By 1937 the facility was becoming too limited
development in Germany was restricted by the for the wildly ambitious tests planned by the
Treaty of Versailles, but rocketry was not inhibited. team of rocket scientists. One such project was
Thus their request was granted, and in 1930 they the development of a plane that was propelled
successfully tested a more powerful version of through rocket power alone, as opposed to a front-
Oberth’s earlier rocket motor at an abandoned facing propeller. Thus the team were moved to
ammunition dump in Berlin. By 1932 they had Neuhardenberg, an open area 110 kilometres (70
developed and flown a rocket that could reach a miles) east of Berlin. On 3 June 1937, they flew a
height of over one kilometre (0.62 miles). When modified Heinkel HE 112 plane that, for part of
the army asked the group to sign a contract for a its flight flown by test pilot Erich Warsitz, was
demonstration launch, however, the group became propelled solely by a rocket on the rear of the
divided and was eventually dissolved in 1933. plane. Although this particular concept was not
By now the German army was becoming advanced much further, it proved to Hitler and
at Peenemünde”
increasingly interested in the development and the Nazi Party that rockets had useful practical
“ The Nazis made the decision to create a
dedicated centre of rocketry Cuxhaven in Germany during Operation Backfire in 1945
A V-2 fired by the British from a launch pad near

V-2: the weapon that
CONTRACT 422-4594
terrorised Britain 1944-1945

Originally known as the Aggregate-4 (A-4), the V-2 was The liquid-fuelled rocket was developed by the
the world’s first ranged ballistic missile and a weapon various scientists and engineers at Peenemünde under
that Nazi Germany used extensively against the Allies the direction of Wernher von Braun. The V-2 was
in the latter stages of the war. The V-2 was also the 14m (46ft) tall and could reach speeds several times
first man-made device to cross the official boundary of greater than the speed of sound, making it all but
100km (62mi) into space. unstoppable. It was launched to a height of at least
88km (55mi), although often higher
and into space, before dropping
down with four fins directing it
towards its target. However, its
accuracy was limited.
The first V-2 attacks were on
Paris and London on 8 September
1944. The explosions came
without warning, leaving victims
defenceless. Over 3,200 V-2
rockets were launched against
V-2 various targets, mostly in Antwerp
and London. In Britain V-2 attacks
Conceived 1936 killed over 6,000 people and
World’s first long-range injured nearly 18,000. As a
ballistic missile countermeasure the British would
leak false intelligence, saying
the V-2s had struck further into
mainland England than they
actually had, causing the Nazis to
recalibrate them and thus strike
short of their targets, with varying
A V-2 on display in Antwerp, Belgium levels of success.

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