FAU-2 (missile) - the superweapon of the Third Reich

What legends at the present time does not go about the times of the Third Reich! Airplanes with reverse sweep of the wing, jet aircraft and "flying saucers", top-secret research laboratories Anenerbe, located almost in kilometers underground ...

Most of all this - the usual fiction and frank delusions. But there was one branch in which the Germans really advanced far enough - missile technology. Their FAU-2, "Weapon of Retribution", really was a technological breakthrough. Especially "appreciated" the power of these missiles the British, as this weapon was created and used to attack London.

Brief historical digression

Each FAA-2 was launched from a special mobile mobile installation. On board each rocket, which was 14 meters long, there was almost a ton of explosives. For the first time this type of missile fell to London in early September 1944. After it there was a ten-meter funnel, three dead and 22 wounded people.

Prior to it, the Germans had already used the FAU-1 projectile, but this technique was a fundamentally new example of armament. The missile flew to the target in just five minutes, due to which the means of detection of that period were in front of it completely powerless. From the historical point of view, FAU-2 represents the last attempt of the German defense industry to turn the course of the war in its favor. On the outcome of the Second World, their "superweapon" had no influence, but it was an important milestone in the development of world rocketry and the exploration of outer space.

Witnesses later recalled that huge piles of fragments rose in the air, all accompanied by a terrible rumbling. The launching of the missiles themselves passed almost soundlessly: in most cases, this event was reminiscent of a light cotton that came from the other side of the English Channel.

About development and costs ...

How many people died because of FAA-2 launches, is still unknown, since such data was not recorded anywhere. It is believed that only in one Britain from the missile attacks killed about three thousand people. That's only the very production of "miracle weapons" has taken life at least 20 thousand people.

The rockets were built by the forces of prisoners of concentration camps. Nobody considered them, their lives were not worth anything. The FAU-2 missile was assembled near Buchenwald, the work was round the clock. To speed up the process, specialists (especially welders and turners) were taken from other German concentration camps. People were starving, they were kept without sunlight, in underground bunkers. For any offense, prisoners were hung directly on the cranes of the assembly lines.

The creator of these missiles, Werner von Braun, is considered almost a genius of the world rocket science. An evil genius, it must be said: von Braun never was tormented by those who collect weapons created by him, under what conditions the unfortunate prisoners worked and died. However, the recognition of the merits of this man had a strong reason: the Allies, after seizing the technical documentation on missiles, recognized the superiority of German developments over their projects.

Forward to the stars!

For its time, the rocket engine was extremely powerful: it was able to lift it to an altitude of about 80 kilometers with a range of about 200 kilometers. The power plant worked on a mixture of oxygen and technical ethanol. Particularly important is that the Germans began to use a supply of oxidizer (oxygen), which was placed in a container on board the rocket. This made it independent of atmospheric air. In addition, it was possible to significantly increase the engine power. We can say that the FAU-2 rocket was the first technique that could really leave the Earth, reaching the cosmos.

Of course, small developments in this area existed approximately from the 30s of last century. But all of them were characterized by a much more modest size, a small fuel supply, and nobody even thought about the cosmos during their development. Thus, FAU-2, the "superweapon" of the Third Reich, became a real springboard, which helped all mankind to develop near-Earth space.

Technological breakthrough

But even this was not so surprising to the technicians of the allied states. The most important technological innovation, which was massively used in the design of these missiles, was a completely autonomous targeting system .

For those times it was a real fantasy, which only real FAU-2 could do! The "rewind" of the Third Reich could hit its target, without needing a tip from the ground. To achieve such impressive results, German developers used the simplest (at the present time) electronics. In the "on-board computer" before launching the coordinates of the target were entered, to which the rocket was "guided".

Other technical solutions

In addition, specially created gyroscopes were used for the first time, which stabilized the flight with considerable accuracy. Steering wheels located on the side stabilizers, corrected the direction in the event that the rocket deviated from the set course. It is not surprising that even before the end of the war, the USSR, the United States and Britain were eager to seize the technology of creating the FAU-2 (photos are available on the pages of this article).

For quite understandable reasons von Braun was not too eager to fall into the hands of Soviet soldiers, preferring the American "captivity". To the Soviet Union, there remained almost an entire assembly line, several missiles and several technical personnel. Domestic and American experts disassembled copies of technology, which went to their countries, literally on cogs. However, the Yankees German FAU-2 rocket was so interested that they immediately took a few pieces across the ocean. There new technology was used for some high-altitude experiments.

Further developments of Brown

In the United States, it was well understood that the FAU-2 designer is much more valuable than the assembly line for its production. Von Braun realized that the Americans would immediately provide him with everything necessary for a beautiful life and the continuation of further work, and therefore quickly surrendered to the Allies. It is necessary to give this person due: despite his active participation in the program of creating intercontinental missiles, he did his best to ensure that the main activity of his department was aimed at developing the space program, since this is what he dreamed about almost his whole life.

Soon the creator of the FAU-2 missile makes its American version, Redstone. It was the actual continuation of the line of German missiles, with minor "cosmetic" improvements and additions. A little later, the Americans improved the redesigned and significantly improved version of Redstone in 1961 to deliver their first cosmonaut, Alan Shepard, into orbit.

Von Braun's heritage

Thus, to find the connection between those missiles that were collected at the cost of the lives of thousands of prisoners of war, and the first flights into space is not so difficult. Simply put, the Americans got not only the creator of the FAA-2, but also all the technological developments in this field. Technologies that cost huge resources, the main of which were human lives.

Immediately there is a fairly complex moral and ethical question: how realistic was it to send a man into space, an artificial satellite of Earth and to travel to the Moon without using the technique that was developed by Nazi scientists? Of course, the USSR and the US had their own developments, but the "help" of fascist Germany allowed to save a huge amount of time and money. In general, nothing unprecedented has happened and this time: the war simply spurred many scientific branches. In the 30-40-ies of the last century, this particularly affected the rocket building, which until then was almost rudimentary.

A fundamental contribution to the exploration of outer space

In general, the fundamental principles on which FAA-1 and FAU-2 were developed have not undergone significant changes over the past seven decades. The overall design of rocket engines remains unchanged, liquid fuel has proved that it is the most optimal option, and in flight stabilization systems, to this day, all the same gyroscopes are used. All these decisions were once laid thanks to FAA-2. The "weapon of retribution" once again proved the power of human thought. Thanks to the technique still used, a person received a constant reminder that science should always remember about humanity.

Modern use

It should not be assumed that today the FAA exists only in the form of state space programs. Approximately 15-20 years ago, some enthusiasts began to talk about the fact that soon the creation of spacecraft will become the prerogative of private specialists. Today Elon Musk demonstrated the truth of these statements.

At the same time, these people could not rely on the help of powerful investors, no one believed in them. And even more so, no one would transfer technology, on the basis of which it would be possible to build missiles. To help again came FAA-2. It is her scheme that is the basis of those spacecraft of private designers, who soon promise to begin to intercept large space orders from the state industry.