World War II (1939-1945)
During World War II weapons such as rockets, missiles, and the atomic bomb changed 20th century warfare, creating the technological foundations for the Space Race. Nazi Germany led the world in the research and development of ballistic missiles as part of their military campaign. An immense achievement during WWII was mid-flight guidance onto a moving target. Many were targeted through radio control or radar which did not need a human operator.
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"Germany will either be a world power or will not be at all."
- Adolf Hitler, 1926
- Adolf Hitler, 1926
Wernher von BraunWernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun was born on March 23, 1912 in Prussia, Germany. Von Braun was a German aeropsace engineer who was the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany. He is credited with inventing the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany.
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The V-2 Rocket The V-2 rocket was the world’s first long range guided ballistic missile, launched on October 3rd, 1942 from Peenemund. V standing for vergeltungswaffen or retaliatory weapon was Germany’s last attempt to change the course of the war. Its supersonic speed & high flight altitude resulted in targets being defenseless. This was a major technological advancement that shaped the beginning of the Space Race.
Periscope Film
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Operation Paperclip
With the collapse of Germany at the end of WWII, the remaining superpowers wanted Nazi Germany rocket technology and chased after Von Braun & others for it. Von Braun and his team made a plan to surrender to the U.S. because of their reputation of better treatment than the Soviets. On May 2, 1945 they made it to Austria, Von Brauns brother approached a U.S. soldier on a bicycle and said: “My name is Magnus von Braun. My brother invented the V-2. We want to surrender”. Von Braun was recruited under the program called Operation Paperclip, that brought more than 1500 German scientists, engineers, and technicians to U.S. Von Braun arrived in the U.S. in September of 1945.
"We knew that we had created a new means of warfare, and the question as to what nation, to what victorious nation we were willing to entrust this brainchild of ours was a moral decision more than anything else..." -Wernher von Braun, 1945 |