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A German V-2 rocket and Meillerwagen launching trailer are being restored and prepared for exhibition display by the Australian War Memorial.
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V-2 rockets, the world’s first large-scale liquid-propellant rockets and an ancestor of modern long-range ballistic missiles, were originally developed and constructed by Germany in 1944 during World War II.
Two rockets were sent to Australia following World War II with one displayed around the nation before falling into disrepair and a second being used for research purposes and managed by the then-Department of Supply before eventually finding its way to the memorial’s Mitchell storage facility in the ACT in 1982.
The soon-to-be displayed rocket and a Meillerwagen launching trailer is being restored at the memorial’s storage hub and is now housed alongside a 460 Squadron RAAF Bomber Command aircraft that took part in a raid on the German V-2 Rocket research facility at Peenemünde on 17 August 1943.
“The V-2 was the first operational long-range surface-to-surface missile to be deployed operationally and pioneered ballistic missile technology. Usually known as the A-4 by the Germany Army, the rocket was conceived in 1936 as a design study for a rocket to supplant heavy artillery,” information published by the Australian War Memorial stated.
“The A-4 was one of a series of liquid-fuelled rockets developed by Werner von Braun and Walter Dornberger, firstly at the Artillery Research Station at Kummersdorf West and later at the Peenemünde Research Establishment.
“The first successful prototype launch was carried out in 1938 but it was not until early 1944 that the first production examples were ready for operational deployment. Attacks against England began in September 1944.
“The accuracy of the V-2 was such that rockets fired at London with a mean range of 240 kilometres could be expected to fall anywhere within a rectangle measuring 25 kilometres long by 20 kilometres wide.
“The warhead was filled with Amatol, a rather weak explosive by contemporary standards, but which was chosen simply because the warhead underwent considerable heating in descent through the atmosphere, and any more sensitive filling would have given premature explosions.
“Guidance was provided by two gyroscopes which were pre-set prior to launch, using programmed controls, and then shutting off the motor at some calculated point to allow the rocket to reach the target on a ballistic trajectory.
“Operational V-2 rockets were provided with their own six-wheel, reusable transport erection trailer which enabled the rocket to be transported to any location before launch, and made detection of missile sites very difficult. In all, about 10,000 rockets were produced, of which 1,115 were fired against England, 1,341 against Antwerp, 65 against Brussels, 98 against Liege, 15 against Paris, 5 into Luxembourg, and 11 against the Remagen bridge.”
