PEENEMUNDE AND WEAPONS OF REVENGE Peenemünde, a town in northern Germany, overlooks the mouth of the Peene River, where it flows into the Baltic Sea. In 1935, engineer Wernher von Braun identified the village, which offered a 400-kilometer test site off the German coast, as the perfect secret location for developing and testing rockets. Frantic construction work began on the world’s largest and most modern weapons center. Around 12,000 people worked on the first fully functional cruise missiles and large-scale rockets at the site, which covered an area of ​​25 square kilometers. The German secret weapons research and development carried out at Peenemünde was not only crucial to the course of the largest war in history, but also had an impact on the future of weapons of mass destruction, as well as military history and space travel. The sinister combination of scientific enlightenment and dark intentions was captured by the military leader of the rocket program, Walter Dornberger. In a 1942 speech manuscript, Dornberger wrote that the recent successful launch of the world’s first long-range rocket, known as the V2, or ‘Vengeance Weapon’ – was “the engineer’s dream: to have developed a device which, being one of the most revolutionary inventions of recent times, will give the State itself military, economic and therefore political superiority.” Peenemünde was not fully completed when Hitler declared war in 1939. Thus began a struggle for priority, personnel and materials, after the initial unlimited funding of the rocket program. It was only after Dornberger and von Braun showed Hitler a film of the successful launch of the A-4 that he finally granted full approval for the weapon by the war room of the German high command. By now the situation was desperate, and a new layer of history had disturbed the scene. In June 1943, 12,500 concentration camp prisoners were forced to help with the planned mass production of the rocket. They worked under terrible conditions to produce weapons that would wreak havoc and devastation on their homelands, leaving their mark on World War II to this day. In 1944, Hitler realized his miscalculation and expressed his regret for not having approved the project earlier to Dornberger: “I have only had to apologize to two men in my entire life. The first was Field Marshal von Brauchitsch. I did not listen to him when he told me again and again how important your research was. The second man is you yourself.” But the end of the war did not mean the end of the work at Peenemünde. After the war, the Allies sought to acquire the technology contained in the V-2, the first missile to deliver a large warhead along a predetermined trajectory. German rocket scientists and engineers who worked for the Nazi regime were granted citizenship and employment in the USSR, Great Britain, France and the USA. Most famously, von Braun lived in the USA and worked for NASA, where he developed the rockets that launched the manned Apollo moon landings. In addition to influencing the space race and guided missiles of the Cold War, the research and development carried out at Peenemünde was the basis for all subsequent developments in rocket engineering. As we explore the site, with its many layers of history and complexities, we become increasingly entangled in its contradictions, questions and unknowns. Peenemünde reflects both the darkest and most enlightening aspects of humanity, making it relevant to all of us today. Peenemünde’s continued relevance has inspired international artists. Peenemünde is a “place where there was once a concentration camp, a place of research, creation, intelligence, weakness, contrasts, frustration, helplessness and the struggle for the most rudimentary things.” In addition to using visual art as a way of processing history, the museum has won awards for its efforts to promote reconciliation and peace. When visiting the sunny Usedom peninsula, Peenemünde attracts visitors with its many shades of light and grey. Today, what remains of the complex is a former red-brick power station that houses the Peenemünde Historical Technical Museum. On our historical tour, the solid, rectangular building with rusty chimneys and the model rockets scattered around the museum grounds made an eerie impression. But inside, the exhibits – from old documents to broken and bent pieces of metal rudders, rocket tails and turbo pumps – are truly eye-catching. #militaryhistory #warroom #history ▼ Travel with us and discover incredible places: Phone/WhatsApp: (35) 98404-9918 E-mail: [email protected] ▼ SOCIAL NETWORKS: ➜https://linktr.ee/viagemnahistoria ➜ Instagram - / viagemna_historia