Wernher Von Braun makes missiles.

In 1931, the German army sought a new, far-reaching weaponry that was not banned by the Versailles Treaty. Missiles can be weapons in accordance with the above conditions. Captain Engineer Walter Dornberger was entrusted with the task of writing a report on the project. He immediately visited the missile airport for three consecutive days, asked the scientists and attended rocket tests. At that time, Dornberger noticed Wernher Von Braun for his energy, for his insight and understanding. Then all missile plans were transferred to the German General Staff in the fall of 1932.

Walter Dornberger & Von Braun

On one day in August 1932, Von Braun was invited to a military missile test center located at Kummersdorf. The center lurks in a pine forest in the south of Berlin. The 20-year-old Von Braun became Technical Director, Captain Dornberber served as Military Director and the center's funds were covered by German infantry.

The real rocket period began on December 21, 1932 at Kummersdorf. At this research center, accidents happen not less. Once Von Braun escaped death, but his clothes were torn. On May 17, 1933, the famous engineer Max Valier died in a pool of blood because the machine adjusted to explode before the term and launched a piece of steel into his chest. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Warmke, chemical engineer, also died to death because of new explosives invented.

At the research center, Von Braun was passionately working. People often see him sleeping on unfinished graphics: von Braun is planning to do two types of missiles, one is 1.40 meters long and the other is 3 meters tall.

On one Christmas, Von Braun and his team of professionals attended the ceremony on a small remote island in the Baltic sea. This Peenemunde Island is really too lonely, staying in an unobtrusive position, worthy of being a place to test secret weapons.

From August 1936, the German Ministry of Defense began construction on Peenemunde Island: roads, bridges, airports, launching missiles, mansions, hotels and blocks . from the plane, very difficult notice these architectures. There are thousands of physicists, chemists, engineers, students, specialists . operating here. They worked hard from morning to night. Their motto is engraved on the facade of the research center: "Physicists, engineers and technicians are pioneers of the New World". Here, accidents occur regularly but scientists also solve many new problems. The missiles are getting higher and higher, but that doesn't make the Nazi generals trust. Hitler only hoped for more heavy tanks than this novelty. Once Hitler visited Peenemunde Rocket Center without speaking for more than 10 hours and then went home depressed.

Base at Peenemunde island

After the outbreak of World War II, von Braun launched a rocket of 7,000 meters high. The rocket center sent movies to Hitler but was not answered. The senior German generals also imitated Hitler's silent attitude and called Von Braun's army of engineers. Inadequate means make results worse. The German army began losing again in all fronts, so Hitler ordered the rapid launch of missiles but after two invitations to military inspectors to attend the launches, the missiles still could not fly. The official supporter of Von Braun in Berlin, General Becker, was called by Hitler: he was given the option to go to concentration camps or commit suicide. Mr. Becker committed suicide. As for Von Braun, he knew that if after another failed missile test, he would be tried or shot by the Gestapo. Fortunately, the third attempt succeeded.

Von Braun

On July 7, 1943, Von Braun was conferred the title of Professor and Dornberger was promoted to Major General , and two people were called to Hitler's office. The Nazi dictator has expressed regret that if there was a missile since 1939, perhaps there was no war. Then Hitler ordered an urgent order to build a vengeance, how to flatten London and New York cities in a short time.

Von Braun returns to Peenemunde Island and takes full action. The island is militaryly enhanced as well as security. The director of the Gestapo Intelligence Department personally monitored the island security, the fortress fortresses around the island were automatic minefields, and high-voltage wire-wire fences made the island invisible. impregnable. But still not over, people also peen Peenemunde on the map and when calling, use the village name next to Karlshagen.

Von Braun has 5,000 people. All technicians worked hard to regain lost time. But Von Braun's secret weapon was known to the Allies. Swedish fishermen often recount that they found strange objects flying very fast and emitted audible noises. Someone picked up the debris which contained electronic parts.

London is very worried. The bombing of Peenemunde island was issued in late July 1943. The Allied flying fortresses rehearsed and arrived on August 17. That night, thousands of tons of bombs fell on the island. The whole island is submerged in a sea of ​​fire. Thousands died. Weapons workshops were badly damaged. The next morning, while flying on the island, Von Braun had to cry for his work.

A second missile center is set up in Volkenrode in the Hartz Mountains. The Germans tried to work again. Flying bombs are mass-installed at two missile centers. Von Braun studied the intercontinental missiles all day and the types of missiles launched from submarines. However, in December 1943, Von Braun was also detained for half a month: Himmler accused him of sabotage because he focused on conquering space rather than trying to destroy London and New York cities. . When General Dornberger had to personally ask for Hitler, Von Braun was allowed to return freely.

V-2

Since 1942, Von Braun experts have acknowledged that there are no weapons against flying bombs. Even making bombs go astray is very difficult. Admiral Canaris, the director of the German Counterintelligence Department, was distant, so he sent 10 spies who were responsible for placing radio transmitters to emit short waves and marks at the roofs of skyscrapers in New York City. . These transmitters will guide bombs flying from German submarines floating off the Atlantic Ocean.

Flying bombs have been available since early 1944, but Hitler has not ordered them. After the Allied invasion of Normandie, that secret weapon appeared. The first V-1 flying bomb fell on the British ground on June 16, 1944, opening for the Vergeltung campaign. The Germans used the V to name the flying bomb.

Many people have reported that at 4:00 am on the morning of June 16, an observer He saw a bright object fly back. The closer the object got, the more the sound of the machine being heard, and the object fell into the outskirts of London city with the sound of the sky exploding, destroying a surrounding area. Normally, there are 200 V-1 bombs falling in the UK one day. It was calculated that within three weeks, the city of London suffered more than 3,000 bombs. Prime Minister Churchill called for an amendment to the air defense method. But wait until 3 months later, the British found a way to fend off.

By September 8, 1944, V-2 bombs began to flutter. This is a weapon that can carry 800kg of explosives to targets farther than 2,000 miles, again flying at supersonic speed ie one mile in a second, while at that time, there was no perfect system. Which alert the arrival of the flying bomb. Over 3,000 V-2 bombs destroyed the city of London and the Netherlands all day and night. This delicate weapon marked a step forward in the history of humanity's war. A few years later, in an interview with the New Yorker magazine, Von Braun talked about that weapon: "I sincerely regret that our missiles were born for an ideal, but were applied. We have drawn rockets with the aim of paving the way for other planets, not to destroy this Earth itself. "

The devastating power of V-2

In addition to the flying V-1 and V-2 bombs, it is not yet a secret weapon. The Germans also intended to use a horrible bomb 10 thousand times: atomic bomb. Indeed, right from 1939, German physicist Otto Hahn succeeded in shattering the atomic nucleus. By 1942, Otto Hahn built Plutonium. Then the results of the research work of Otto Hahn in 1944 led him to win the Nobel Prize in physics in 1945. All of these events make people believe that Germany has embarked on making bombs. atom.

In 1945, Allied troops advanced into German territory. Peenemunde is about to fall into the enemy's hands. Von Braun and rocket experts wondered if they would choose the Democrats or the Communist factions. When the Red Army was 100 kilometers away from Peenemunde, von Braun ordered an evacuation from the missile center: people used anatol, V-2 bomb explosives, to destroy all factories. Von Braun and the majority of specialists decided to meet the US military. The convoy transports the wheels to Bavière, crossing fields full of refugees. Von Braun, Dornberger and over 400 refugees in the Allgau region, waiting. At the road, 5 German technicians escaped to meet Soviet Red Army. Twelve years later, they were the first to launch Spoutnik satellite. During the evacuation journey, Von Braun injured his arm, had to cast a cast, but he never left an important document pack, which contained an intercontinental missile project and a satellite project. artificial.

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