Hitler's Missile Program

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Recommended: Advancements in allied technology during world war 2

Hitler's Missile Program At the start of World War II, Germany lead the field in nuclear physics, having confirmed the fission of uranium-235 in 1938. With this new, incredible source of power, it would only be a matter of time before its power could be harvested in the form of a weapon. So as World War II progressed, both the Ally and Axis powers proceeded with their research on how to turn nuclear energy into a bomb. As many people know, the United States was the first to unleash a nuclear warhead on Japan in the summer of 1945. What many people don't know, and what Philip Henshall argues, is that Germany and Japan were about to unleash their own terror on the western coast of the USA with a so called "miracle weapon". Meanwhile, the V-2 rocket program was in development and plans were being made to develop a modified V-2 capable of carrying a nuclear payload. Unfortunately for Germany, and lucky for us, some small but critical mistakes were made that prevented any German nuclear missiles from ever leaving the ground. However, if Germany had just a little more time, or hadn't made one crucial mistake with regards to priority ratings, the outcome of the war could have dramatically been changed. "Vengeance: Hitler's Nuclear Weapon: Fact or Fiction", concentrates on two main things. The primary part of the book focuses on Germany's progress on both the V-2 rockets and nuclear technology through out the course of World War 2. A secondary theme revolves around the construction of numerous rocket sites built in northern France during the war. With respect to the rocket program, the A1 rocket was first completed at the end of 1933. It was only 5 feet long and powered by an alcohol and liquid oxygen motor. Gener... ... middle of paper ... ...ast years of the war, it was just too little, too late. Philip Henshall is a leading historian on Germany's rocket and nuclear programs. He has written two other books on the subject, "The Nuclear Axis: Germany, Japan and the Atomic Bomb Race, 1939-45" and "Hitler's Rocket Sites". "Vengeance", published in 1998, is a culmination of information he has discovered by traveling to various French rocket sites and researching Germany's nuclear program. Henshall does not show any biases in the book; rather the book gives the feel that he's an investigative reporter trying to uncover the secrets of the rocket and nuclear programs. The book does a wonderful job describing the potential for a "miracle weapon" and really gives a sense of how close we were to a completely different war. Overall, it is very informative, exciting, and revealing. I highly recommend it.

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