V2 Rocket: Nazi Germany's Deadliest Secret Weapon

WARNING: This documentary is under an educational and historical context, We do NOT tolerate or promote hatred towards any group of people, we do NOT promote violence. We condemn these events so that they do not happen again. NEVER AGAIN. All photos have been censored according to YouTube's advertiser policies.

In the annals of human history, few technological leaps have been as transformative and controversial as the development of the V2 rocket during World War II. This remarkable achievement, born from the visionary mind of Wernher von Braun, would forever alter the course of warfare and space exploration, leaving an indelible mark on the 20th century and beyond. As Arthur C. Clarke, the renowned science fiction author, once remarked, "The V2 rocket was the first man-made object to penetrate space. It was the ancestor and forerunner of all space rockets."

Wernher von Braun, born on March 23, 1912, in what is now Wyrzysk, Poland, was a precocious child with an insatiable fascination for space travel. Inspired by the science fiction of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, young von Braun dreamed of one day building rockets capable of reaching the stars. His passion was further ignited when, at the age of 12, his mother gave him a telescope, allowing him to gaze at the moon and planets. In 1930, at just 18 years old, he joined the German Society for Space Travel (Verein für Raumschiffahrt), where he began honing his skills in rocketry alongside other passionate enthusiasts like Rudolf Nebel and Hermann Oberth, the latter of whom became his mentor.

Von Braun's talents quickly caught the attention of the German military, and by 1932, he was working on liquid-fueled rocket engines for the German Army Ordnance Office. The rise of the Nazi Party in 1933 would soon twist von Braun's scientific pursuits into a militaristic endeavor. As he later reflected, "I was interested in science, but I had to make a living somehow." This sentiment would later be echoed in his infamous quote, "The rocket worked perfectly, except for landing on the wrong planet," highlighting the moral ambiguity that would haunt him throughout his career.

The development of liquid-fueled rockets represented a quantum leap in missile technology. Unlike solid-fuel rockets, which burn their entire fuel supply once ignited, liquid-fueled rockets could be throttled and controlled, allowing for greater range and precision. The V2, standing for "Vergeltungswaffe 2" or "Retribution Weapon 2," would become the world's first long-range ballistic missile and the first human-made object to reach the edge of space. The concept of liquid-fueled rockets wasn't new - American Robert Goddard had successfully launched the first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926 - but the V2 would take this technology to unprecedented heights, both literally and figuratively.

By 1936, von Braun and his team had moved their operations to Peenemünde, a secluded island on the Baltic coast. Here, shrouded in secrecy, they would spend the next eight years perfecting the V2 rocket. The project was not without its setbacks; early prototypes were plagued by issues of stability and guidance.

0:00 The V2 Rocket
7:12 Peenemünde Unveiled
15:31 The V2's Reign of Terror.
22:46 Mittelbau-Dora
29:34 Operation Paperclip