Vergeltungswaffe 2

V-2 or Vergeltungswaffe 2, as the Germans called it, had the type designation A4 (Aggregate 4) and was the world's first ballistic missile. The development of V-2 took place at the army's research station in Peenemünde and was led by Wernher von Braun.

V-2 rocket was unmanned, it was autonomous and had a range of 350 km. The  weighted by firing was 12.7 tons, of which burst head was one ton.

V-2 rocket was guided by a complex navigation system, which controls four external and four internal rudder.

In 1943 the Germans were ready for a real mass production, but a massiv allied bombing of Peenemünde in autumn 1943, killing many of the German scientists and thereby delay the production. The Germans now began construction of a large underground production in the town of Nordhausen in the south of the Harzen. Production was largely performed by forced laborers and KZ-prisoners from the nearby Dora-Dora concentration camp. In total, approx. 60000 KZ prisoners was engaged in the production.

On 8 September 1944 the first V-2 rockets was sent against London and the city was the rest of the war hit by approx. 1350 rockets. A total of approx. 3200 V-2 rockets was fired and targets were besides London particular The port of Antwerp, Liege, Norich, Lille, Paris, Tourcoing, Maastricht and the Bridge in Remagen.

In total, there were produced approx. 5000 V-2 rockets between August 1944 and March 1945.