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Wernher Von Braun: The Third Reich And The Space Race

Colt Simmons

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Published in Dark Side Of The Moon: Wernher Von Braun The Third Reich And The Space Race

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Wernher von Braun was a German rocket scientist who played a major role in the development of rocketry in Nazi Germany and later in the United States. He is considered one of the fathers of modern rocketry and space exploration.

Dark Side of the Moon: Wernher von Braun, the Third Reich, and the Space Race

by Wayne Biddle

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Von Braun was born in Wirsitz, Germany, in 1912. He developed an early interest in rocketry and began experimenting with rockets as a teenager. In 1932, he joined the German Army and began working on the development of military rockets. In 1942, he was appointed technical director of the Peenemünde Army Research Center, where he oversaw the development of the V-2 rocket.

The V-2 rocket was the first operational ballistic missile. It was used by Nazi Germany to bombard Allied targets during World War II. After the war, von Braun and his team of scientists were captured by the Americans and brought to the United States. In the United States, von Braun worked for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and later for NASA.

In the United States, von Braun played a major role in the development of the Saturn V rocket, which was used to launch the Apollo missions to the Moon. He also helped to develop the Space Shuttle program. Von Braun died in 1977.

Von Braun's Legacy

Von Braun's legacy is complex and controversial. He was a brilliant scientist who made major contributions to the field of rocketry. However, he also worked for the Nazi regime and helped to develop the V-2 rocket, which was used to kill thousands of people. After the war, he worked for the United States and helped to develop the Saturn V rocket, which was used to land men on the Moon.

Some people believe that von Braun was a war criminal who should have been punished for his role in the Nazi regime. Others believe that he was a brilliant scientist who made major contributions to the field of space exploration. Ultimately, von Braun's legacy is a complex and controversial one.