The V-2 missile was one of Germany’s wonder weapons developed during the Second World War. The V-2 rocket was a German ballistic missile weapon system that evolved into the predecessor of modern rockets and missiles such as the short range ballistic missiles (SRBM), medium range ballistic missiles (MRBM), intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBM), and the inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM). The V-2 missiles were the first man-made weapons system designed to reach sub-orbital spaceflight.

V-2 Missile Origins and Capability

The V-2 missiles, originally referred to as the A-4, were developed during the mid-1930s in a complex on the Baltic island of Peenemunde under the direction of German scientists such as Wernher von Braun, who acquired his technological understanding for the development of the V-2 missiles from American scientist, Dr. Robert Goddard. The V-2 missiles were about 14 meters long, about 1.6 meters in diameter, weighed 13,000 kilogram at launching, and developed about 27,200 kilograms of thrust when burning alcohol and liquid oxygen. Its payload was about 725 kilograms of high explosive, its horizontal range was about 320 kilometers, its peak altitude reached roughly 80 kilometers, and its top speed was about 5, 633 kilometers per hour. About ten thousand V-2 missiles were built by Germany with slave labor.

The Second World War V-2 Missiles Usage

The Germans built roughly 6,000 V-2 Rockets during the Second World War. The V-2 rockets were employed against civilian targets in Western Europe. The first attacks occurred on 8 September 1944, when V-2 rockets launched against London and Paris. When the Second World War concluded, about 4,500 V-2 rockets were fired against England where 1,500 of these missiles struck London. Although the V-2 rockets were only terror weapons, Adolf Hitler believe that these wonder weapons would create a decisive victory against Britain and her Allies. According to a few British survivors of Germany’s V-2 rocket attacks, British citizens could hear the terrifying sound of the V-2 missiles in the upper atmosphere before they caused destruction on the ground a few seconds later. Because the British lacked an anti-ballistic defense system, the V-2 rockets were an almost invincible weapon system during the Second World War. British citizens became more fearful and irritable because of the V-2 rocket attacks and the length of the Second World War.

Modern Ballistic Missiles

Today, some of the descendants of the V-2 missiles are the strategic and tactical ballistic missile weapon systems. Modern strategic ballistic missiles are usually divided in

to two general categories according to their platform. The first category involve ballistic missiles that are launched from land-based platforms such as missile silos and Transporter-Erector-Launchers. The second category includes ballistic missiles that are launched from sea-based platforms such as surface warships and submarines beneath the ocean’s surface. In addition, strategic and tactical ballistic missiles are divided according to their ranges such as ICBMs (5,500 km or more), IRBMs (3,000 km to 5,500 km), MRBMs (1,000 km to 3,000 km), and SRBMs (1,000 km or less).

Related Sources

Zermmerman, Dwight Jon; The Book of Weapons Tess Press; New York: NY 10011, 2009. Crauchwell, Thomas J.; The Book of Inventions Tess Press; New York: NY 10011, 2008.