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Peenemünde was the location of the Third Reich's Army Research Center (Heeresversuchsstelle Peenemünde - HVP) from 1937. This research center developed, for example, the V2 ballistic missile and the Wasserfall anti-aircraft missile. Peenemünde also conducted test launches of the V1 cruise missile and the Schmetterling rocket.
In 1937, the Germans built a secret weapons center in Peenemünde, on the recommendation of Wernher Freiherr von Braun. The purpose was to continue the development and testing of the A4 missile (Aggregat 4, later V2) that had begun in 1936, in secret from other countries' intelligence. A large research and testing center was built for this purpose in Peenemünde, located on the Baltic Sea. The area also housed various factories and workshops where the aforementioned weapons and their parts were manufactured.
The construction itself was carried out by Organisation Todt and a number of private construction companies. Polish forced laborers and Soviet prisoners of war worked under the OT. They erected factory halls, storage buildings, housing, laboratories and test stations.
 Heeresversuchsstelle Peenemünde (HVP) in summer 1943. Map: © TH 2025 |
The head of the research unit (HVP) located in Peenemünde was Generalmajor Walter Dornberger. Wernher von Braun was the technical director of the HVP and Dr. Walter Thiel was the deputy director. The HVP consisted of nine different departments.
Within the framework of various rocket projects, the V2 ballistic missile, the Wasserfall, Schmetterling, Rheintochter, Taifun and Enzia missiles were developed in Peenemünde. The long-range V3 missile, which was intended to be used against the United States, was also designed at Peenemünde.
Dr. Rudolph Hermann headed the Aerodynamic Institute in Peenemünde, which had a wind tunnel. Hermann had a large team of technicians and engineers working under him, which numbered up to 200 in 1943.
Peenemünde also housed Heimat-Artillerie-Park 11, which was effectively an anti-aircraft missile testing battery. Magnus von Braun, Wernher von Braun's youngest brother, worked as a chemist on the anti-aircraft missile development project.
On 28 October 1942, the Luftwaffe tested the V1 cruise missile from a Focke Wulf Fw 200 Kondor in Karlshagen (Peenemünde-West). The missile was found to be well designed and stable. The next test was carried out on 10 December 1942, this time the V1 missile also carried a warhead. Read more: V1-risteilyohjus
In November 1938, Walther von Brauchitsch ordered the establishment of a production plant for the A4 missiles in Peenemünde. The work was led by Walter Dornberger. The production plant (Werke Süd) was completed in the summer of 1943. In July 1943, a huge hangar (Fertigunghalle F-1) was also completed, where the mass production of the missiles was to be carried out. Read more: V2-ballistinenohjus
In May 1944, the Hs 117 Schmetterling anti-aircraft missile was tested, with a total of 22 Hs 117 Schmetterling anti-aircraft missiles being fired at Karlshagen (Peenemünde). After modifications, series production began in December 1944. Read more: HS 117 Schmetterling
General Walther Dornberger had already begun preparations for the mass production of the V-2 rocket at Peenemünde when the Royal Air Force (RAF) attacked on 17 August 1943.
The RAF bombed the Peenemünde test site on the night of 17 August 1943. The air raid involved 598 heavy bombers, which approached the coast by flying at the surface in the light of the full moon. At the same time, a Mosquito unit had been sent towards Berlin as a diversion, attracting German interceptors. The diversion attracted up to 203 German interceptors, which were stationed at airfields in the vicinity of Peenemünde. The attack was carried out in three waves, dropping approximately 2,000 tons of bombs. The head of the Peenemünde facility, Obest Dr. Walter Dornberger, stated after the bombing that the damage was surprisingly minimal, for example, crucial facilities such as the wind tunnel, the test range and the measurement building were not hit. However, direct hits were made on the Tressenheide forced labor camp (18 out of 30 barracks were destroyed) and the homes of German scientists. The British lost ten bombers, with 290 Englishmen not returning from combat flights. The aerial bombing caused extensive damage and thus slowed down the start of mass production of the missile.
Reichskanzler Hitler blamed the Luftwaffe for the failure of the defense, and thus the blame was also placed on the Luftwaffe commander, Hermann Göring. The background was also the bombing of Regensburg and Schweinfurt by the US Air Force that had taken place that same night. Generaloberst Hans Jeschonnek, who was responsible for the defense, took his own life after a telephone conversation with Göring on August 18, 1943.
The Wasserfall project also suffered a significant setback when Dr. Walter Thiel was killed during the British Royal Air Force (RAF) bombing of the V-2 production facility in Peenemünde during Operation Hydra on August 17-18, 1943. Operation Hydra caused considerable damage in Peenemünde, and a total of 732 people died, of whom an estimated 500-600 were foreign conscripts. The British lost 40 bombers, with 290 men on board
The aerial bombardment revealed how vulnerable the Peenemünde design and production facilities were. As a result, the SS took the V2 project away from Dornberger and moved production to underground factories in Nordhausen. At the same time, development of a mobile launch platform began, as fixed platforms were highly vulnerable to aerial bombardment.
17.12.2011 (5.8.2025 11:36)