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19th October 1943


antarmike

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On 19 October 1943, General Emil Leeb, head of the Army Weapons Office, issued War Contract No. 0011-5565/43 to Mittelwerk GmbH for 12,000 A-4 missiles at 40,000 Reichsmarks each.

 

We know the A4 as the V2 revenge weapon. The V-2 rocket (German: Vergeltungswaffe 2) was the first ballistic missile and first man-made object to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight. It carried nearly a tonne of explosives. There was no defense against this weapon and the only action the Alliescould take was to knock out the production plants, or destrroy the Missiles in transit. It was almost impossible to target the Mobile Launchers.

V2.jpg

Over 3,000 V-2s were launched as military rockets by the German Wehrmacht against Allied targets in World War II, resulting in military personnel and civilians casulalties of about 7,500, while as many as 20,000 at Mittelbau-Dora died constructing V-2s

 

Of these 20,000 inmates, 9000 died from exhaustion and collapse, 350 hanged (including 200 for sabotage), the remainder were shot or died from disease or starvation. 6,000 bodies were found on the ground when American troops liberated Mittelbau-Dora. In comparison, the number of V-2 rocket casualties was 2,541 killed and 5,923 injured.

 

The weapon had proved to be far costlier in human life to build than it was in use.

Edited by antarmike
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