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Osprey New Vanguard #82
V-2 Ballistic Missile 1942-52
The German A-4 ballistic missile, better known by its propaganda name of V-2, was the world's first successful ballistic missile, breaking through the atmosphere to reach its target quicker. It was a forerunner of Cold War ballistic missiles and its combat use in 1944-45 set the pattern for the use of Scud ballistic missiles in recent decades. The V-2 offensive lasted from September 1944 until March 1945 with over 3,000 rockets being launched. This book examines the combat record of the V-2 in World War II, with a special focus on how a German missile battalion actually prepared and fired its missiles.
48 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2003
About the author
Steven J. Zaloga
427 books78 followersSteven Zaloga is an author and defense analyst known worldwide for his articles and publications on military technology. He has written over a hundred books on military technology and military history, including “Armored Thunderbolt: The US Army Sherman in World War II”, one of the most highly regarded histories of the Sherman Tank. His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He was a special correspondent for Jane’s Intelligence Review and is on the executive board of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/producer for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series Firepower. He holds a BA in history from Union College and an MA in history from Columbia University.
Mr. Zaloga is also a noted scale armor modeler and is a host/moderator of the World War II Allied Discussion group at Missing-Lynx.com, a modelling website. He is a frequent contributor to the UK-based modeling magazine Military Modelling. He is a member of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society.
Mr. Zaloga is also a noted scale armor modeler and is a host/moderator of the World War II Allied Discussion group at Missing-Lynx.com, a modelling website. He is a frequent contributor to the UK-based modeling magazine Military Modelling. He is a member of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 29, 2020
My son David loves books about military history, and every now and then I borrow one from him. I found this one extremely interesting... having worked at two startups, I am receptive to stories about what happens when you try to introduce new technology. Here are some of the lessons I learned from David's book on the V-2.
- The V-2 program was very expensive. In fact, it cost about as much as the US's Manhattan Project, which ended up producing the world's first nuclear weapons.
- Despite the huge investment, the V-2 hardly helped Germany at all. The first prototypes only became operational when the war was as good as lost. The number of people killed in V-2 attacks was actually less than the number of slave laborers killed in building the rockets.
- Like most new technology, V-2 rockets were exceptionally fragile. Less than half of them actually worked, and they had to be transported with great care. Military units were encouraged to think of them as perishable goods.
- All the above notwithstanding, the V-2 was a technological breakthrough. It was a proof-of-concept for a completely new type of weapon.
- The V-2, as originally conceived, was not cost-effective as a way to deliver a ton or so of high explosives to a distant target. Combined with the new and much more potent technology of atomic weapons, it was, however, the perfect delivery system.
- Despite the fact that their country was in ruins, and they had made little useful contribution to the war effort, the developers of the new technology had no trouble at all finding attractive new jobs. As soon as the Allies invaded Germany, there was a frantic scramble to kidnap/recruit the rocket scientists.
All worth thinking about next time you join a startup.
Oh yes, and one more lesson. Everyone approves of whistle-blowers in principle, but in practice things rarely go well for them. Security was tight on the V-2 project, and for quite a while the Allies didn't really know how far advanced it was. Some of the non-German workers managed to pass on information to the spy network. The Allies decided that the best strategy was a decapitation strike, killing all the management and engineers in one go. But they didn't drop the bombs accurately, and instead killed several hundred of the slave laborers, including the ones who had passed on the information.
- The V-2 program was very expensive. In fact, it cost about as much as the US's Manhattan Project, which ended up producing the world's first nuclear weapons.
- Despite the huge investment, the V-2 hardly helped Germany at all. The first prototypes only became operational when the war was as good as lost. The number of people killed in V-2 attacks was actually less than the number of slave laborers killed in building the rockets.
- Like most new technology, V-2 rockets were exceptionally fragile. Less than half of them actually worked, and they had to be transported with great care. Military units were encouraged to think of them as perishable goods.
- All the above notwithstanding, the V-2 was a technological breakthrough. It was a proof-of-concept for a completely new type of weapon.
- The V-2, as originally conceived, was not cost-effective as a way to deliver a ton or so of high explosives to a distant target. Combined with the new and much more potent technology of atomic weapons, it was, however, the perfect delivery system.
- Despite the fact that their country was in ruins, and they had made little useful contribution to the war effort, the developers of the new technology had no trouble at all finding attractive new jobs. As soon as the Allies invaded Germany, there was a frantic scramble to kidnap/recruit the rocket scientists.
All worth thinking about next time you join a startup.
Oh yes, and one more lesson. Everyone approves of whistle-blowers in principle, but in practice things rarely go well for them. Security was tight on the V-2 project, and for quite a while the Allies didn't really know how far advanced it was. Some of the non-German workers managed to pass on information to the spy network. The Allies decided that the best strategy was a decapitation strike, killing all the management and engineers in one go. But they didn't drop the bombs accurately, and instead killed several hundred of the slave laborers, including the ones who had passed on the information.
February 4, 2020
Este libro me ha gustado mucho porque te ayuda entender el impacto del misil V-2, tanto en el plano científico como militar. Es sorprendente que la percepción que se tiene sobre el V-2 es que "llegó tarde para cambiar el curso de la Segunda Guerra Mundial", pero lo cierto es que el desarrollo del misil V-2 comenzó mucho antes de que estallase el conflicto, y ya en 1937 existía un programa oficial de desarrollo.
Una maravilla tecnológica para su época, el V-2 fue un absoluto fracaso como arma: debido al reto que suponía su reentrada en la atmósfera, el explosivo empleado era de poca potencia. Como resultado, la campaña de lanzamientos entre finales de 1944 y principios de 1945 (siete meses) supuso menos explosivo (en cuanto a capacidad destructiva) que un bombardeo de la RAF EN UNA NOCHE.
El fracaso militar del V-2 se puede resumir en la trágica estadística de que murieron más personas en su desarrollo, ya que se emplearon trabajadores forzados de campos de concentración de las SS en condiciones deplorables, que en su empleo. En un análisis al final de la guerra, se determinó que la V-1 (el misil de la Luftwaffe, sencillo y fácil de fabricar), había tenido mucho más éxito que la maravilla tecnológica de la Wehrmacht.
Un muy buen libro para l@s aficionad@s a la historia militar y también a la ciencia, porque es innegable que los desarrollos tecnológicos del programa V-2 fueron la base para la carrera espacial y la tecnología de satélites que tenemos hoy en día.
Una maravilla tecnológica para su época, el V-2 fue un absoluto fracaso como arma: debido al reto que suponía su reentrada en la atmósfera, el explosivo empleado era de poca potencia. Como resultado, la campaña de lanzamientos entre finales de 1944 y principios de 1945 (siete meses) supuso menos explosivo (en cuanto a capacidad destructiva) que un bombardeo de la RAF EN UNA NOCHE.
El fracaso militar del V-2 se puede resumir en la trágica estadística de que murieron más personas en su desarrollo, ya que se emplearon trabajadores forzados de campos de concentración de las SS en condiciones deplorables, que en su empleo. En un análisis al final de la guerra, se determinó que la V-1 (el misil de la Luftwaffe, sencillo y fácil de fabricar), había tenido mucho más éxito que la maravilla tecnológica de la Wehrmacht.
Un muy buen libro para l@s aficionad@s a la historia militar y también a la ciencia, porque es innegable que los desarrollos tecnológicos del programa V-2 fueron la base para la carrera espacial y la tecnología de satélites que tenemos hoy en día.
March 2, 2026
A very readable book a good introduction to this subject
September 5, 2010
كتاب ممتاز, وكان يجدر أن يدمج هو وكتاب صاروخ سكود لنفس الكاتب. ولكن ركز الكاتب على الجوانب التاريخيه في معارك الحرب العالمية الثانيه المتعلقه بهذا السلاح مما يدخل الممل على على القارئ. الكتاب يؤكد على أن التقنيه العالية ليس كفيلة بحل المعارك الكبرى وأهم دليل على ذلك تطوير الألمان لأول صاروخ بالستي في-2 وتطويرهم لأول صاروخ كروز في-1 وبالرغم من لك خسروا الحرب أمام الصواريخ الروسية البسيطه قصيرة المدى منعدمه التوجيه والدبابت تي-34 الفائقه البساطه, العبره هي أستخدام أبسط وسيلة لتحقيق الهدف وليس التشدق بالتكنولوجيا المستخدمه.
December 30, 2015
A lavishly illustrated short introduction to the V-2. Especially welcome were the sections on the American and Soviet uses of captured V-2s and equipment.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews