Hitler's Miracle Weapons - Vol. 3 - review

[edwest]

The great Allied victory over Germany was widely hailed, but this book shows how close it came to disaster. The 27 August issue of Life magazine (of which I have a copy) clearly tells readers that victory was gained "by the skin of our teeth." Reference is made to secret weapons being built underground - "Some of these things can now be revealed. Others cannot - yet." There is an illustration of Do 335 airframes partially completed. So, after the V-1 and V-2, what was left? An article from American Magazine from 1946 is quoted that mentions: "After the conquest of Germany I visited V-weapons launch sites. I can only say, and repeat over and over: We were just in time! They were not quite ready, and for that reason alone we were not defeated."

It is quite remarkable to read a statement the author claims was released only in 2001: "At a CCS meeting in Washington, Dec 8, 1944, the CCS discussed 'without much interest' a Presidential directive which would take action to meet a V-3 threat -- intercontinental missile attack against the United States." In an Associated Press story, dateline London, Dec. 18, Mayor La Guardia states: "If an attempt is made to bomb a defenseless city, the people of New York will have no business relations with Naziland for 100 years to come." Indeed, it would be completely irresponsible if the American authorities had not alerted the people regarding such a possibility.

How far along were the other rocket projects? Quoting CIOS Report XXXII-125, titled German Guided Missile Research, we learn: "A-11, A-12, A-13, A-14 further development models of the A9/A10 with 3500 mile range. Long-range rockets for attacks on the United States." In Appendix 1 of this report, it states: "Only the A-15 was never constructed."

The author mentions a book written by astronaut Gordon Cooper and the following is from that book: "At war's end, a manned V-2 was sitting on the pad at Peenemunde, all tested out, fueled up, and ready to go. ... - came about a week or so of being launched." This was revealed during a discussion between Mr. Cooper, Werner von Braun and former Luftwaffe test pilot, Joachim Kuettner. (Leap of Faith, HarperCollins, 2000)

Long-range guidance and accurate weather reporting were both required and the author makes a strong case that these were in place. An automatic weather station was set up on the coast of St. Martin's Bay, Labrador, south of Cape Chidley and operational from 23 October 1943. The Canadians denied it existed until 1981 when they received information as to its exact location. It is now located at the Canadian War Museum in Ottowa. According to an Austrian and German newspaper, Wehrmacht units did not capitualute in Greenland until 1949. He goes on to state that beacons on U-Boats or released from U-Boats, plus beacons at the target in New York would have assisted in getting the rocket-missile to its target.

The author mentions various guidance schemes and devices, but actual progress to final development is not conclusive from existing documents. Again, an American source, this time, General Arnold, is quoted:

[edwest]

"... that the V-2, perfected with wings and electronic equipment, could fly over 3,000 miles, and at 2,000 miles would hit the target 'on the button.'"

Mention is also made of a German "weather station" located 5,000 feet high on Gausted mountain in Norway, which was discovered by the British 21st Army Corps in May 1945. "Its purpose, according to Allied specialists, was the transmission of transatlantic radio signals and the telecontrol of flying bombs on long-range flights."

A side note about the guidance system that may have been used mentions valves (or radio tubes) as being too large, too fragile and needing a lot of current. A photo is shown of the 1940 Telefunken steel valve, DL 11. It only needed 1.2 volts at 60 milliwatts. "... so one thousand 'DL 11' needed the same current as a light bulb." After 1940, work was proceeding on advance models designated Sg66 and Sg70.

The author borrows a few photos from Leslie Simon's book German Research in World War II (published 1947). A few rockets are shown that clearly show a 'horse and rider' combination similar to the American space shuttle and booster. He provides color photos of various scale models showing the various configurations of rockets planned, including one reminiscent of the American X-20 Dyna-Soar project.

There is information about the German orbital station and the Space Mirror. This was originally published in Life on 23 July 1945. Apparently, the Americans wanted to show off this secret rather quickly. The Germans had concrete plans about using the mirror to send light to a receiving station which would then power "sun cannons" in the Redoubt in the Alps. (In the 1960s, in a newspaper comic strip, titled Our Space Age, Otto Binder showed the concept as a way to provide light to an area hit by a blackout or natural disaster.) The Russians attempted to orbit a smaller scale version of the space mirror in 1999, code name SNAMJA, but the equipment failed to deploy properly.

All in all, there is enough information in this book to show that the world may have missed an attack by some type of weapon of mass destruction. Mention is made of A9/A10 attacks against Russian manufacturing targets in the Urals. A look back at Volumes 1 and 2 of this series makes a convincing case that such a long-range attack was not planned to just drop a 1000 kg warhead on New York. A diagram that I frst encountered in a book dated 1946 shows an area of destruction with a 4 kilometer radius in Manhattan. Far-fetched? Recently, a diagram of a Plutonium bomb was located in Russian archives and published in Germany and on physicsweb. Here I will reference yet another book. This one titled Spying on the Bomb by Jeffrey T. Richelson: "In August 1941, [Fritz] Houtermans completed The Question of Starting a Nuclear Chain Reaction, reporting that a reactor using natural uranium as a fuel could produce plutonium, which could then be removed by chemical means and used as an explosive."

There are other things that I left out, so for those interested, there will still be some surprises. Highly recommended.


Ed