Hitler's V-2 is 70 years old

just requested it from library...much thanks

 

Not really a big fan of this blue-blooded Nazi, but this picture of him and his baby represents one of mankind's greatest technological achievements.

 

Coincidence, I was just looking through a set of 6 books published in 1950 and came across this.

 

What difference would it have made if they could get its accuracy sorted? Certainly cities like London would have been smashed...

was a manned rocket ever invisioned?

 

I suspect the only advantage the V1 and V2 gave Germany was to delude the populace into believing that the new Wonder Weapons would sort out the disaster hanging over their heads. A single allied bomber mission like Hamburg or Dresden did more damage to Germany than a year of rocket attacks on England.

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Actually, KB, from what I've read, the V-weapons increased the war-weariness of the British public-especially in London, their major target. This certainly wasn't enough for the public to demand an immediate end to the war, like the Germans hoped; but it did have an effect on morale. Once the Germans were pushed back and out of range, British morale shot back up. It wasn't the actual damage that caused the morale problems; it was randomness of it all. The V-2s were especially hated because they gave no warning and could land at any time. They were truly terror weapons.

 

the Brits were ''all alone'' with Germany on her door step and conquerors of Europe...disasters at Dunkirk, Crete, Greece, etc ....
..and then comes Russia, and then the US to the Brits' team .....and then the landing in Normandy
...the Brits were not as demoralized by the V weapons as they were early in the war

 

Usually such demoralization (actually traumatization) is cumulative.

 

I suspect most of that demoralization just turns into anger and has the opposite of the desired effect. I'll point out the Germans again, that suffered at least 100 times the deaths and damage the British did. They didn't start a revolution or mass strikes like they did in WWI, they just hunkered down and kept living as best they could. It was probably fear of the USSR that kept them from breaking because nothing could be as bad as what they envisioned from the east.
For the British, it was different. After 1942/3 they knew they'd win. They had no illusions that it would be easy, but every few months another landing, another victory, another milestone was passed that foreshadowed the eventual fall of Germany. You don't negotiate when victory is in sight, you continue to clobber the opponent. Parliament knew that, and so did the ordinary people.

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You really can't compare the two societies. Germany was under the rule of a demented mad-man and the Gestapo. Any sort of rebellion or anti-war demonstration would have been quickly crushed with lots of people ending up hanging from trees and lamp posts. The German people had no choice, but from every contemporary account I've read, the German civilian population was miserable and depressed-especially in the cities that were bombed. So much so that German servicemen coming home on leave couldn't wait to get back to the front! At least at the front they could do something-like fight back.

Of all the Allied nations, Britain had been in the war by far the longest. In early '44 it was looking like things were indeed getting better and starting back to the old "normal". Then the V-1 and V-2 bombardment started and again, from what I've read, there was kind of this feeling that, "Oh crap, here we go again! Will this s%*t ever stop?" No one has ever said this downturn in morale was serious and the mood lightened after the bombardment stopped. Still, it had an effect, but not even close to what the German leadership wanted.

 

..the V2 ''offspring'' were used in the Iran-Iraq War and PG1--very telling about how poor their militaries were/are

 

Of all the Allied nations, Britain had been in the war by far the longest. - Ahem...Australia declared war within 24 hours of Britain.
On September 3, 1939, Britain declared war on Germany. This marks the beginning of World War II in Europe. - Wiki
Australia entered World War II on 3 September 1939. - Wiki

 

I cannot be sure but glad the Germans could not make the V3 in full action. V2 looked awesome so I guess Hitler and staff were sure it would turn the war. And very glad Hitler did not start using sarin.

 

The morale effect is quite interesting, as despite all the 'London can take it' rhetoric, Civil Defence organisations & government were reporting serious concerns about the low ebb of people's mood during the rocket assault.
V1s were seen as the more persistent threat, but the V2's way of coming in so hard with almost no warning had begun to take it's toll.

Still weirds me out that my other half's old man was a teen in London while large rockets were being thrown at him from the continent.
That old bloke standing next to you at the supermarket may well have seen a thing or two...

 

.....during the Blitz the Germans dropped how much tonnage compared to the V2s? much more, yes?
V2 warhead about 1 ton....impacts very scattered ....

 

..that's a question of mine: did not some of his staff and generals know the V2s and V1s would not change the course of the war--not even a little?? I've read, and been reading again a lot about the V2s...3 books now on my table...in V-2 by Dornberger, he talks about how hitler made the wrong decision to try building the huge bunkers for the V2 operations...of course the Alllies made mincemeat of these bunkers ....Dornberger says page 179:
'''the writing was now on the wall in letters of glowing flame: those fateful words, '''Too late'', that had dogged our work all through the war''...hitler also was not interested in the V2s at first.....then he was ecstatic about them ...then hitler was skeptical again because of the problems the V2s were having