Werner Von Braun

General WWII era German military discussion that doesn't fit someplace more specific.
kanzel
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Re: Werner Von Braun

Post by kanzel »

There's a new, almost 600 page, book I'm currently reading. Von Braun Dreamer of Space/Engineer of War is an honest effort to explain his life and times in more detail than I' ve seen before.
greenhorn
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Re: Werner Von Braun

Post by greenhorn »

von Braun's a Boy Scout compared to some. The director of Unit 731, Shiro Ishii (Lt-Gen Kwangtung Army in Manchukuo) was granted immunity after his capture by the US.

Unit 731 experimented on live "subjects"..... he's a real war criminal.
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Annelie
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Re: Werner Von Braun

Post by Annelie »

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:R71 ... =clnk&cd=1

Article ..............Shiro Ishii and Lt-Gen Kwantung Army in Manchukuo
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greenhorn
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Re: Werner Von Braun

Post by greenhorn »

The fact is the US did their damnedest to ensure top quality scientists and engineers weren't captured by the "other" side (their red Allies).

If the Russians had v.Braun running their space programme, how much earlier do you think Sputnik would have been delivered. And would the US got to the moon first if v.Braun team from Peenemunde had been swept up by the Russians.

The same rationale explains the US's reluctance to prosecute the Japanese war criminals in Units 731 & 100. Expediency. They could not risk the Russians obtaining that biological warfare know-how.

Even though the Germans carried out heinous experiments on live subjects, "researching exposure" for the Luftwaffe, I believe this knowledge once learnt, was not put aside by the scientific community. I believe within the last ten years the University of Heidelburg had specimens (in jars) of muscles & organs from "high dubious" watrime research, which caused a bit of an outcry.

May be v.Braun was aware of the plight of the slave labour, but I doubt he was in a strong position to upgrade their conditions. May be some can correct me, but I believe the SS owned these prisoners and farmed out their labour to generate revenues.....
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Epaminondas
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Re: Werner Von Braun

Post by Epaminondas »

He aimed for the moon, but sometimes hit London....
Simon_G
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Re: Werner Von Braun

Post by Simon_G »

The secret untold story of WW2 is that Von Braun and Dornberger were sent to Lisbon by Obergruppenfuhrer Dr Hans Kammler in October 1944 to hold secret talks with US representatives about the capitulations of Germany's nuclear bomb project and it's advanced weapons program.

He earned big brownie points for that.
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