The Nazi Rocketeers: Dreams of Space and Crimes of War

(Hardback)

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In the late 1920s, German scientist Herman Oberth dared to dream the impossible - that, equipped with the proper technology, a man could travel in space. His dream captured the imagination of his countrymen, particularly a group of scientists led by Wernher von Braun. From the genius of von Braun and his fellow scientists came the first modern rockets and the birth of the Space Age. Although seemingly created with space exploration in mind, this goal was subverted to create Nazi weapons of mass destruction. Most accounts contend that von Braun and his group were forced to use their rocket technology to further the Nazi cause under threat of their lives. "The Nazi Rocketeers" tells the real story, one that has been hidden for over 50 years. Here, at last, is the truth about von Braun's collaboration with fellow scientists, soldiers, and politicians in Nazi Germany. These men were not naive dreamers interested only in space travel but brilliant, sinister visionaries who were willing participants in the Nazi cause and crimes. "The Nazi Rocketeers" describes how von Braun and his contemporaries progressed from the innocent dream of space travel to the creation of the V-2 ballistic missile, a weapon that killed thousands. Among the other rocket warriors discusssed are Army General Walter Dornberger, career soldier and von Braun's mentor, Albert Speer, technocrat and advocate of the rocket as a weapon, and SS General Hans Kammler, architect of concentration camps and director of the V-2 rocket war. This book shows that von Braun's group of scientists were active members in the Nazi movement who were highly honoured by the Third Reich and Hitler himself. Most damning, the book reveals how the scientists actively collaborated with the SS in the exploitation of concentration camp slave labour for the purpose of building the V-2 missile. The story of these men is the ultimate example of what happens when a noble idea and technological genius are mutated to serve an evil cause.

Reviews

Although von Braun and his fellow rocket scientists dreamed of exploring space, they readily embraced the goal of creating weapons of terror and mass destruction. The myth they encouraged after the war described them as brilliant visionaries whose genius was exploited by the Nazi regime. Now, The Nazi Rocketeers tells the true story of how these men enthusiastically participated in the Nazi cause and crimes.-Jewish World Review
Piszkiewicz tells how the dream of space exploration was perverted by the complicity of its developers in Nazi military goals.... In the course of a decade's work as the inspirational figure and chief engineer in the program that developed rockets for Hitler, von Braun joined the SS, was promoted to major, and regularly curried favor with SS chief Heinrich Himmler, the architect of the Holocaust. In the final years of the war, construction of the rockets was carried out by slave laborers in two giant underground facilities... Thousands died of starvation and abuse, and mass executions were common. Yet at war's end von Braun and his colleagues thought only of how they might trade in on their skills to guarantee good treatment. They managed to continue their work in America virtually without interruption.... This is a gripping tale.-Kirkus Reviews
"Although von Braun and his fellow rocket scientists dreamed of exploring space, they readily embraced the goal of creating weapons of terror and mass destruction. The myth they encouraged after the war described them as brilliant visionaries whose genius was exploited by the Nazi regime. Now, The Nazi Rocketeers tells the true story of how these men enthusiastically participated in the Nazi cause and crimes."-Jewish World Review
"Piszkiewicz tells how the dream of space exploration was perverted by the complicity of its developers in Nazi military goals.... In the course of a decade's work as the inspirational figure and chief engineer in the program that developed rockets for Hitler, von Braun joined the SS, was promoted to major, and regularly curried favor with SS chief Heinrich Himmler, the architect of the Holocaust. In the final years of the war, construction of the rockets was carried out by slave laborers in two giant underground facilities... Thousands died of starvation and abuse, and mass executions were common. Yet at war's end von Braun and his colleagues thought only of how they might trade in on their skills to guarantee good treatment. They managed to continue their work in America virtually without interruption.... This is a gripping tale."-Kirkus Reviews

Author Bio

DENNIS PISZKIEWICZ has been an enthusiast of space exploration since his childhood in the 1950s. In the post-Sputnik era, he chose a career in science. During his years of teaching college-level chemistry and biochemistry, he received a NASA fellowship. For the past 10 years he has been a scientist in the medical products industry, and he has spent his spare time exploring the origins of rocket development and space exploration.