The V-2 rocket was one of the most revolutionary and terrifying weapons developed during World War II. As the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile, it represented a giant leap forward in military technology. Guided by an analog computer using gyroscopes and an accelerometer, the V-2 could reach a range of 320 kilometers while carrying a 1,000-kilogram Amatol warhead. Traveling faster than the speed of sound, it struck without warning, making defense nearly impossible.

The first operational V-2 attacks were launched in September 1944, targeting Paris and later London, as part of Nazi Germany’s attempt to turn the tide of the war. Over 3,225 V-2 rockets were fired, killing an estimated 9,000 civilians and military personnel. Tragically, an additional 12,000 concentration camp prisoners died producing these rockets under brutal conditions.

The V-2 was a technological marvel but also a grim symbol of war’s human cost. It laid the groundwork for post-war missile and space programs, as both the U.S. and the Soviet Union captured German scientists to develop their own rocket technologies after the war.

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