The first authoritative biography of Wernher von Braun, chief rocket engineer of the Third Reich—creator of the infamous V-2 rocket—who...
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Dec 08, 2007
Maureen
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I’m reviewing Michael Neufeld’s biography of Wernher von Braun for The Common Review, and reading this book, I’m struck by how flabbergasting it is to discover what others find interesting and the questions I have that they don’t even begin to answer. Neufeld is an academic mucky-muck at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum (to whatever degree that designation still stands — the Smithsonian has turned away from its academic potential to a great degree in the last twenty years). And, o
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Aug 09, 2011
The life of Werner von Braun is really a fantastic story. A writer with very good imagination might invent something that comes close but I doubt it. This book is like the definite biography, well researched, lot of references, different points of view etc. For the tech nerds (like myself) it is a bit disappointing that we do not get more technical details. Also comparisons of technical solutions adopted by von Braun and NASA to those chosen by Korolev in the USSR would have been interesting. On
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Feb 07, 2010
getAbstract
rated it: 
Warts-and-all biography of Wernher von Braun
When German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun came to the U.S. after World War II to build rockets for the Americans, he became famous as a brilliant visionary engineer, as a manager of complex technology projects and as a charismatic, handsome genius in his field. Walt Disney made memorable TV shows about von Braun’s contribution to science, and Collier’s magazine spotlighted him and his plans for manned spaceflights. Neither Disney nor More...
When German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun came to the U.S. after World War II to build rockets for the Americans, he became famous as a brilliant visionary engineer, as a manager of complex technology projects and as a charismatic, handsome genius in his field. Walt Disney made memorable TV shows about von Braun’s contribution to science, and Collier’s magazine spotlighted him and his plans for manned spaceflights. Neither Disney nor More...
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Feb 13, 2009
Nalin
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“Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War” by Michael J. Neufeld is a broad, sweeping look at the life and work of one of the most iconic and ethically conflicted engineers in history, Dr. Wernher Von Braun. A dreamer of space from a young age, Von Braun always held the manned exploration of space as his ultimate goal; however, to reach for this dream, the brilliant and charming engineer would, apparently rather non-chalantly, accept the support of Hitler’s Nazi regime for early rocket deve
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Jan 19, 2009
Matthew
rated it:
It's odd that so few people know about von Braun today, given his importance to the US space program. I've never seen him in any documentaries about NASA, nor any of those fictional dramatizations like Apollo 13 and whathaveyou. This is a biography of a somewhat forgotten figure who was willing to do anything for the dream of spaceflight. He went to work for Hitler and was willing to use the labor of concentration camp slaves to build V2 rockets that bombed London. He helped create the balance o
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Feb 14, 2010
Mike
rated it:
Okay, here's attempt number two....
Werhner Von Braun was once considered a national hero to many Americans. Through relentess promotion and a convincing manner he became in many ways the face of the manned space program. And yet few knew his true history even when he was being touted as "THE Rocket Scientist".
Before you read any further know two things:
1) I grew up considering Von Braun to be a great man like others of my generation. I am a space More...
Werhner Von Braun was once considered a national hero to many Americans. Through relentess promotion and a convincing manner he became in many ways the face of the manned space program. And yet few knew his true history even when he was being touted as "THE Rocket Scientist".
Before you read any further know two things:
1) I grew up considering Von Braun to be a great man like others of my generation. I am a space More...
Dec 19, 2008
John
rated it:
A quality and very detailed description of a complicated man. The book does a good job with his life history. However, I found more fascinating his work history. Like many great men, it's not about who they married, or where they lived or what drugs they took (though recent autobiographies have become dry medical charts of substances ingested), it is their work.
And in detailing the work, the engineering and the business of rocket building that this book is really fascinatin More...
Jun 15, 2008
Faust, anyone? I caught this magisterial biography on C-SPAN's Booknotes and immediately ordered it. An amoral technocrat who didn't care which flag he engineered under (unless it was expedient to), von Braun punched holes in Antwerp and London... and got us to the Moon. Within a decade von Braun's moral gyroscope, such as it was, yawed from slave labor (he was an SS-Sturmbannfuhrer) to pitching space flight in Collier's magazine and on Disney's Man in Space. Researched using the primary source
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Jul 22, 2011
Ruben
rated it:
One very balanced account on his life, it talks a lot about his dreams, and his determination to acomplish them, as much as his compromises with the Nazi regime. Extremely well documented and full of quotes from him and his friends and family. Maybe lacking detail on the space missions, which would've added drama to the book, other than that, a great historic document ... Highly reccomendable.
Jul 18, 2009
Nick
rated it:
Well, I appear to have another hero. Also, trivia unknown to me: Margrit Von Braun, Wernher's younger daughter, was also a Yellow Jacket (Chemical Engineering)! Furthermore, she went to hated Westminster here in Atlanta, the archrival of my own alma mater (Marist). Awesome!
Feb 05, 2008
Ponto
rated it:
I had met Werhner von Braun and wanted to know more about him.
I knew he had designed the V-2 rockets for Hitler, that bombed London, and I knew he'd done a lot for the USA space program. I had no idea how hard the USA space program was to work with or how much each branch of the Military had fought so hard against each other instead of working together. It's pretty clear the USSR would not have beat us to space if our government had worked together with itself!
This is an excellen More...
I knew he had designed the V-2 rockets for Hitler, that bombed London, and I knew he'd done a lot for the USA space program. I had no idea how hard the USA space program was to work with or how much each branch of the Military had fought so hard against each other instead of working together. It's pretty clear the USSR would not have beat us to space if our government had worked together with itself!
This is an excellen More...
Sep 04, 2010
Kermit
rated it:
Well written book, containing everything you would ever want to know about my cousin, Wernher von Braun. Amazing detail about every aspect of his exciting life.
Aug 06, 2011
Mads
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Fascinerende skildring af geniet bag både Hitlers V-2 raketvåben og det amerikanske raketprogram, der kulminerede i den kæmpestore Saturn V løfteraket og de succesfulde missioner til Månen i 60'erne og 70'erne. Wernher von Braun bliver kaldt for en Faust-skikkelse, der i det hellige rummåls navn sælger sin sjæl og kunnen til hvem, der kan hjælpe ham på vej - uden at tænke over de moralske eller etiske konsekvenser - og bogen er en rigtig god gennemgang af dette skisma uden forfald til hverken he
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Sep 15, 2010
Scott
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Feb 28, 2008
Phil
rated it:
Yet another book added to my pile. This one breaks down the great Wernher von Braun to the human level, which is critical to understanding what really happened during the Cold War and the development of launch vehicles. Neufeld's work is always top-notch when it comes to space history, and this work appears to be no exception.
Aug 22, 2009
Abb
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This is the best book I've read on Von Braun and I've read many! Too bad he was only 65 when he died - too young
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