V-2 rocket facilities of World War II
Encyclopedia
V-2 rocket facilities were military installations associated with Nazi Germany
's V-2 ballistic rocket, including bunkers and small launch pads which were never operationally used.
. After having moved the launch training facility named "Heimat-Artillerie-Park 11 Karlshagen/Pomerania" from Köslin near Peenemünde, the Training and Testing Battery 444 conducted "live warhead trials" from the Heidelager military area near Blizna
, Poland, into the target area at the Pripet Marshes
200 miles (321.9 km) to the northeast. With the advances by the Russian armies, the Blizna testing was evacuated on September 8, 1944 to the Heidekraut testing-ground in the Tuchola Forest
in Polish Pomerania. In mid-January 1945, testing moved to the forests to the south of Wolgast
, and then to the area of Rethun on the Weser river west of Hannover though no launches were conducted from either location. Plans for production facilities at Demag
-Fahrzeugwerke in Berlin-Falkensee
, Raxwerke
, and the Zeppelin Works
in Friedrichshafen were never completed. The initial production plant at Peenemünde and the plant's forced laborers were transferred to the Mittelwerk
underground plant and nearby Dora
camp of KZ Dachau to produce the operational V-2 rockets. Near the Mittelwerk was a servomotor production facility in a salt mine and a quality control facility at Ilfeld
.
After the Operation Hydra bombing of the Peenemünde Army Research Center, the supersonic wind tunnel was moved to Kochel
and engine testing and calibration was moved to Lehesten
. Near the end of World War II in Europe
, Peenemünde scientists were evacuated to the Alpine Fortress A research and test facility planned since early 1944 in the Austrian Alps
(under the codename Salamander) were never implemented; the target areas would have been in the Tatra Mountains
, the Arlberg
range, and the area of the Ortler
mountain. V-2 rocket documents and drawings were hidden in a mine at Dörnten
(14 tons from Peenemünde) and buried at Bad Sachsa
(260 lbs from Walter Dornberger
's headquarters at Schwedt
-an-der-Oder
).
with a radar station at Prédefin
) were abandoned due to the Allied bombing targeted against them
. Additional plans for small launch bunkers such as at Thiennes
on the edge of the Foret de la Nieppe
, at Rauville, and at Colombières
near Trévières
; as well as for exposed concrete pads (39 north of the Somme
and 6 in Western Normandy
) were switched to use firings from mobile launch platforms
instead. Mobile launching sites included the Haagse Bos
and the Duindigt Racecourse at The Hague
.
Eight main storage dumps were planned and four had been completed by July 1944. These were all captured before being used. The storage depot at Mery-sur-Oise
was bombed on August 2, 1944. Work had been started in August 1943 and completed by February 1944; and the depots (including those at Bergueneuse
and Villiers-Adam
) included "service buildings for testing V2 sub-assemblies in the vertical position". Testing of production motors at the Southern Works was originally conducted in late 1943 at Oberraderach
near Friedrichshafen
, but was shut down shortly after going into operation because firings were visible from Switzerland across Lake Constance
. Raxwerke
motor testing equipment was eventually moved to the Redl-Zipf
facility in central Austria, which used forced labor of the Schlier-Redl-Zipf subcamp of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
.
Liquid oxygen
was produced at the motor testing facilities at Oberraderach
(900 tons/month), in the Redl-Zipf (2,100 tons/month) tunnel (for testing the Linke-Hofmann combustion chambers), and at Lehesten
near Nordhausen
-- two additional underground plants for 6,000 tons/month at Wittringen in the Saar (captured December 7, 1944) and near the Mittelwerk
were never completed. In Belgium, an underground plant at Liège
(900 tons/month) supplied launches in Holland, and plants at La Louviere
, Torte
, and Willebroeck
were also targets of allied bombing.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's V-2 ballistic rocket, including bunkers and small launch pads which were never operationally used.
Development, testing, and production facilities
V-2 research was conducted at the Peenemünde Army Research Center with most Peenemünde test launches conducted from Test Stand VIITest Stand VII
Test Stand VII was the principal V-2 rocket testing facility at Peenemünde Airfield and was capable of static firing of rocket motors up to 200 tons thrust...
. After having moved the launch training facility named "Heimat-Artillerie-Park 11 Karlshagen/Pomerania" from Köslin near Peenemünde, the Training and Testing Battery 444 conducted "live warhead trials" from the Heidelager military area near Blizna
Blizna
Blizna is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ostrów, within Ropczyce-Sędziszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It lies approximately north of Ostrów, north of Ropczyce, and north-west of the regional capital Rzeszów...
, Poland, into the target area at the Pripet Marshes
Pinsk Marshes
The Pinsk Marshes or Pripyat Marshes are a vast territory of wetlands along the Pripyat River and its tributaries from Brest, Belarus to Mogilev and Kiev ....
200 miles (321.9 km) to the northeast. With the advances by the Russian armies, the Blizna testing was evacuated on September 8, 1944 to the Heidekraut testing-ground in the Tuchola Forest
Tuchola Forest
The Tuchola Forest is a large forest near the town of Tuchola in northern Poland, and lies between the Brda and Wda Rivers. It contains the Tuchola Forest National Park, which is at the core of the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO in 2010.- Landscape :The area was formed...
in Polish Pomerania. In mid-January 1945, testing moved to the forests to the south of Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
, and then to the area of Rethun on the Weser river west of Hannover though no launches were conducted from either location. Plans for production facilities at Demag
Demag
Demag or Demag Cranes AG is a German heavy equipment manufacturer now controlled by US based Terex. The roots of Demag date back prior to its formation, but became Märkische Maschinenbau-Anstalt, Ludwig A.-G in 1906 as the biggest crane building company in Germany employing 250-300 people...
-Fahrzeugwerke in Berlin-Falkensee
Falkensee
Falkensee is a town in the Havelland district, Brandenburg, Germany. It is the most populated municipality of its district and it is situated at the western border of Berlin.-History:...
, Raxwerke
Raxwerke
Raxwerke or Rax-Werke was a facility of the Wiener Neustädter Lokomotivfabrik at Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria. During World War II, the company also produced lamps for Panzer tanks and anti-aircraft guns...
, and the Zeppelin Works
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, specifically of the Zeppelin type. The company was founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin...
in Friedrichshafen were never completed. The initial production plant at Peenemünde and the plant's forced laborers were transferred to the Mittelwerk
Mittelwerk
Central Works was a World War II factory that used Mittelbau-Dora forced labor in 2 main tunnels in the Kohnstein. The underground facility produced V-2 rockets, V-1 flying bombs, and other Nazi weapons.-Mittelwerk GmbH:...
underground plant and nearby Dora
Mittelbau-Dora
Mittelbau-Dora was a Nazi Germany labour camp that provided workers for the Mittelwerk V-2 rocket factory in the Kohnstein, situated near Nordhausen, Germany....
camp of KZ Dachau to produce the operational V-2 rockets. Near the Mittelwerk was a servomotor production facility in a salt mine and a quality control facility at Ilfeld
Ilfeld
Ilfeld is a municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the south foot of the Harz, at the entrance to the Bährethal, north from Nordhausen by the railway to Wernigerode.-Establishments in 1911:...
.
After the Operation Hydra bombing of the Peenemünde Army Research Center, the supersonic wind tunnel was moved to Kochel
Kochel
Kochel am See is a municipality in the district of Bad Tolz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria on the shores of Kochelsee.Apart from the idyllic scenery, it is known for The Smith of Kochel "Schmied von Kochel," who according to legend, lead a Bavarian farmer rebellion against Austro-Hungarian occupiers at...
and engine testing and calibration was moved to Lehesten
Lehesten
Lehesten is a town in the Thuringian Forest, 20 km southeast of Saalfeld.-WWII V-2 facility:After an August 1944 explosion at the Redl-Zipf V-2 liquid oxygen plant at Schlier stopped production, the third V-2 liquid oxygen plant was built at a slate quarry at Lehesten at the...
. Near the end of World War II in Europe
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
, Peenemünde scientists were evacuated to the Alpine Fortress A research and test facility planned since early 1944 in the Austrian Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
(under the codename Salamander) were never implemented; the target areas would have been in the Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
, the Arlberg
Arlberg
Arlberg is a mountain range or massif between Vorarlberg and Tyrol in Austria.The highest peak is the "Valluga" at . The name Arlberg derives from the tradition of the "Arlenburg," who are said to have once established themselves on the Tyrolean side of the Arlberg passes . Another story derives...
range, and the area of the Ortler
Ortler
Ortler is, at above sea level, the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps outside the Bernina Range. It is the main peak of the Ortler Range. It is the highest point of the Southern Limestone Alps, of the Italian province of South Tyrol, of Tyrol overall, and, until 1919, of the Austrian-Hungarian...
mountain. V-2 rocket documents and drawings were hidden in a mine at Dörnten
Salzgitter Hills
The Salzgitter Hills is an area of upland up to in height, in the Lower Saxon Hills between Salzgitter and Goslar in the districts of Wolfenbüttel and Goslar and in the territory of the independent town of Salzgitter...
(14 tons from Peenemünde) and buried at Bad Sachsa
Bad Sachsa
Bad Sachsa is a town in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km south of Braunlage, and 25 km southeast of Osterode am Harz. It is well known for being the town where Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and his four...
(260 lbs from Walter Dornberger
Walter Dornberger
Major-General Dr Walter Robert Dornberger was a German Army artillery officer whose career spanned World Wars I and II. He was a leader of Germany's V-2 rocket program and other projects at the Peenemünde Army Research Center....
's headquarters at Schwedt
Schwedt
Schwedt is a city in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the largest city of the district Uckermark near the Oder river on the border with Poland.-Overview:...
-an-der-Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
).
Launch and support facilities
Initial plans for large launch bunkers at Watten and WizernesLa Coupole
La Coupole , codenamed Bauvorhaben 21 , Schotterwerk Nordwest or Wizernes, is a Second World War bunker complex built by the forces of Nazi Germany between 1943 and 1944 to serve as a launch base for V-2 rockets against London and southern England...
with a radar station at Prédefin
Prédefin
Prédefin is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Population:-References:* -External links:*...
) were abandoned due to the Allied bombing targeted against them
Operation Crossbow
Crossbow was the code name of the World War II campaign of Anglo-American "operations against all phases of the German long-range weapons programme—operations against research and development of the weapons, their manufacture, transportation and their launching sites, and against missiles in flight"...
. Additional plans for small launch bunkers such as at Thiennes
Thiennes
-References:*...
on the edge of the Foret de la Nieppe
Nieppe
-Points of interests:*A local historic museum*Château de Nieppe - features a treasue legend, its part and a centennial tree*War cemeteries of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:** Nieppe Communal Cemetery** Pont-D'Achelles Military Cemetery...
, at Rauville, and at Colombières
Colombières
Colombières is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-External links:* *...
near Trévières
Trévières
Trévières is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Administration:Trévières is part of the communauté de communes de Trévières, which includes 25 communes and has its seat in Formigny....
; as well as for exposed concrete pads (39 north of the Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
and 6 in Western Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
) were switched to use firings from mobile launch platforms
Meillerwagen
The Meillerwagen was a German World War II trailer used to transport a V-2 rocket from the 'transloading point' of the Technical Troop Area to the 'launching point', to erect the missile on the Brennstand , and to act as the service gantry for fuelling and launch preparation...
instead. Mobile launching sites included the Haagse Bos
Haagse Bos
Haagse Bos is an area and a forest in the centre of The Hague, Netherlands. It reaches from the Center of The Hague near Malieveld to the city of Wassenaar...
and the Duindigt Racecourse at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
Eight main storage dumps were planned and four had been completed by July 1944. These were all captured before being used. The storage depot at Mery-sur-Oise
Méry-sur-Oise
Méry-sur-Oise is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* * *...
was bombed on August 2, 1944. Work had been started in August 1943 and completed by February 1944; and the depots (including those at Bergueneuse
Bergueneuse
Bergueneuse is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A village located 28 miles northwest of Arras at the D94 and D71 road junction.-Population:-References:* -External links:*...
and Villiers-Adam
Villiers-Adam
Villiers-Adam is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* *...
) included "service buildings for testing V2 sub-assemblies in the vertical position". Testing of production motors at the Southern Works was originally conducted in late 1943 at Oberraderach
Oberraderach
Oberraderach was the World War II location of Prüffeld-Anlage Raderach, a V-2 rocket test facility code named "Porcelain Factory" . Oberraderach testing ensured V-2 turbopumps did not overpressure combustion chambers and was planned for rocket motors to be installed by the nearby Zeppelin Works ...
near Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
, but was shut down shortly after going into operation because firings were visible from Switzerland across Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
. Raxwerke
Raxwerke
Raxwerke or Rax-Werke was a facility of the Wiener Neustädter Lokomotivfabrik at Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria. During World War II, the company also produced lamps for Panzer tanks and anti-aircraft guns...
motor testing equipment was eventually moved to the Redl-Zipf
Redl-Zipf
The Redl-Zipf V-2 rocket facility in central Austria between Vöcklabruck and Vöcklamarkt was for V-2 rocket motor testing after Raxwerke test equipment had been moved from Friedrichshafen...
facility in central Austria, which used forced labor of the Schlier-Redl-Zipf subcamp of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
.
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
was produced at the motor testing facilities at Oberraderach
Oberraderach
Oberraderach was the World War II location of Prüffeld-Anlage Raderach, a V-2 rocket test facility code named "Porcelain Factory" . Oberraderach testing ensured V-2 turbopumps did not overpressure combustion chambers and was planned for rocket motors to be installed by the nearby Zeppelin Works ...
(900 tons/month), in the Redl-Zipf (2,100 tons/month) tunnel (for testing the Linke-Hofmann combustion chambers), and at Lehesten
Lehesten
Lehesten is a town in the Thuringian Forest, 20 km southeast of Saalfeld.-WWII V-2 facility:After an August 1944 explosion at the Redl-Zipf V-2 liquid oxygen plant at Schlier stopped production, the third V-2 liquid oxygen plant was built at a slate quarry at Lehesten at the...
near Nordhausen
Nordhausen
Nordhausen is a town at the southern edge of the Harz Mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Nordhausen...
-- two additional underground plants for 6,000 tons/month at Wittringen in the Saar (captured December 7, 1944) and near the Mittelwerk
Mittelwerk
Central Works was a World War II factory that used Mittelbau-Dora forced labor in 2 main tunnels in the Kohnstein. The underground facility produced V-2 rockets, V-1 flying bombs, and other Nazi weapons.-Mittelwerk GmbH:...
were never completed. In Belgium, an underground plant at Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
(900 tons/month) supplied launches in Holland, and plants at La Louviere
La Louvière
La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...
, Torte
Torte
A torte is a rich, usually multilayered, cake that is filled with buttercreams, mousses, jams or fruits. Ordinarily, the cooled torte is glazed and garnished . A torte is made with little to no flour, but instead with ground nuts or breadcrumbs, as well as sugar, eggs, and flavorings.- Origin...
, and Willebroeck
Willebroek
Willebroek is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Blaasveld, Heindonk, Tisselt, Klein Willebroek and Willebroek proper. On January 1, 2006 Willebroek had a total population of 23,044...
were also targets of allied bombing.
V-2 suppliers
The materials and parts for the V-2 were drawn from several suppliers.- Berlin-LichtenbergLichtenbergLichtenberg is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen.-Overview:...
plant of Siemans PlaniawerkeSGL CarbonSGL Carbon is one of the world's leading manufacturers of products from carbon. The company portfolio ranges from carbon and graphite materials to carbon fibers and composites...
(blanks for exhaust steering vanes) - MeitingenMeitingenMeitingen is a market town in the district of Augsburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Lech, south of Donauwörth, and north of Augsburg....
plant of Siemans Planiawerke, near Augsberg (vane graphitizing & machining). - VossVossis a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Voss. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen....
Works at SarstedtSarstedtSarstedt is a town in the district of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany. It has around 17,800 inhabitants. Sarstedt is close to Hanover.The GEO 600 gravitational wave detector is located nearby....
(nose cone) - Linke-Hoffman-Busch-Werke AG in Breslau (combustion chambers)
- WeimarWeimarWeimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
near the Buchenwald camp (electrical parts) - WumagLBE Nos. 1 to 3Locomotive numbers 1 to 3 on the Lübeck-Büchen railway in Germany were streamlined tank locomotives. The locomotives had a 2-4-2 wheel arrangement, a two-cylinder, superheated engine and were capable of push-pull operations...
Abt. Maschineenbau (HeinkelHeinkelHeinkel Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight.-History:...
factory) in JenbachJenbachJenbach is a municipality with 6897 inhabitants in the district of Schwaz in Tyrol, Austria. Many inhabitants of Jenbach believe that the name "Jenbach" is derived from "Jenseits des Baches", which means "Beyond the brook", however earlier versions of the name, for instance "Umbach" give hint that...
(turbopump & steam generator) - MarienthalMarienthalMarienthal may refer to one of the following places:Germany*Marienthal , a quarter of Geisenheim, Hesse*Marienthal, Hamburg, a quarter in the Wandsbek borough of Hamburg*A part of Goosefeld, Schleswig-Holstein*A part of Zehdenick, Brandenburg...
railway tunnel at Rebstock (electrical wiring & harnesses, MeillerwagenMeillerwagenThe Meillerwagen was a German World War II trailer used to transport a V-2 rocket from the 'transloading point' of the Technical Troop Area to the 'launching point', to erect the missile on the Brennstand , and to act as the service gantry for fuelling and launch preparation...
) - PetsamoPetsamoPetsamo may refer to:*A former area of Finland, which is now Pechengsky District and part of Kolsky District of Russia*Finnish name for the urban-type settlement of Pechenga, Russia...
, Finland (nickel in the 9% nickel steel for the low temp LOX tanks & pipes)