Royal Air Force reconnaissance photo of Peenemunde's Test Stand VII, site of V2 test launches. Surrounding elliptical 35 foot sand wall stretched for 670 yards. Building labeled 'A' utilized as a missile assembly and preparation building.
V2 assembly area inside Harz Mountains.
Members of The League of German Girls in summer uniforms. Triangular sleeve patch denotes geographic district of membership. Open to girls between the ages of 14 -18, the league served as the female arm of the Hitler Youth.
Test launch of a V2 rocket. Black and white 'checkerboard' exterior used to identify rotation (spinning) during lift-off or flight. Missiles deployed into combat utilized solid or camouflage colors.
Weight: 28,000 lbs
Altitude: 55 miles
Range: 200 miles
Payload: One ton Amatol warhead.
Dr. Wernher von Braun (7th from right) and Peenemunde engineers brought to America in Operation Paperclip.
Von Braun's brainchild, the
Saturn V rocket and direct
descendant of the V2.
Of its 13 launches, 9 carried men to the moon.
