In World War II, key German leaders felt the production of an ultimate war weapon was essential to Germany's success in the war. One of the most destructive weapons to come out of World War II was the German V2 rocket-the world's first ballistic missile. By the end of the war, an estimated 20 million people perished between 1939 and 1945, some the result of the V2.
Ironically, only 12 years after London and European cities were devastated by the V2, the same technology was used to begin the exploration of space.
The V2 Rocket
Throughout its development, the V2 rocket was known as the A4. However, once the rocket was ready for use, Hitler saw the rocket as a chance to retaliate against the Allies for the bombings of German cities. The name was later changed to V2, with the "V" standing for vengeance.
The V2 rocket was one of the greatest technological accomplishments of its time. In fact, it was so advanced that the main Allied military leaders refused to acknowledge its existence. Luckily for the Allies though, the V2 was launched too late in the war to change the outcome.
The Germans viewed the V2 as a technological triumph, but a military waste of time and money. Its development cost the Germans more than three billion dollars - nearly twice the cost of the United States' development of the atomic bomb. On the other hand, the true legacy of the V2, and its chief designer, Wernher von Braun, would be found in space decades later
