In the autumn of 1944, as World War II approached its climax and soon its end, a weapon that would make history was launched from Peenemünde on the Baltic Sea – the  V2 rocket . Officially called “Vengeance Weapon 2”, it was the world’s first ballistic missile to ever reach space before destroying its target on Earth at supersonic speed.

The V2 was no ordinary weapon of war. It was the product of years of research conducted by some of the brightest minds of the time – among them  Wernher von Braun , a young German engineer whose name would later play a central role in the American space program. In Peenemünde, a team of scientists, technicians, and engineers was assembled to create a “weapon of the future” – something that would turn the tide of the war in Germany’s favor.

Standing 14 meters tall, weighing over 12 tons, and powered by a liquid-fueled engine that generated more than 25 tons of thrust, the V-2 was far ahead of its time. Upon launch, it broke the sound barrier, soared to an altitude of over 80 kilometers – briefly entering space – and then plummeted at a near-vertical angle toward its target. Its speed: over 5,000 kilometers per hour. For its time, this was a technological sensation – but also a terrifying weapon.

Between September 1944 and March 1945, over  3,000 V-2 rockets were  launched, primarily at  London ,  Antwerp  , and other Allied cities. Thousands of civilians were killed. The worst part: the victims never saw the rocket coming. There was no wailing like with bombs, no warning sirens—just a sudden explosion, a flash, and then it was all over.

But the V2 was not only a symbol of horror, but also the beginning of a new era –  rocket and space technology . The scientific findings from Peenemünde formed the basis for what later led to the conquest of space. After the war, many of the leading German scientists were recruited by the Allies.

The Americans launched Operation  Paperclip , bringing over 1,600 German engineers and scientists to the USA – including Wernher von Braun. He later became known as the father of the American  Saturn V rocket , which put the first humans on the moon in 1969. On the other hand, the Soviet Union also used German technology to build its own rocket program – which ultimately led to the development of the legendary  Sputnik rocket.

But technological progress came at a high price. The V2 rockets were not produced in gleaming laboratories, but in the  underground tunnels of Mittelbau-Dora , a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. There, tens of thousands of prisoners toiled under inhumane conditions – many of them dying from exhaustion, hunger, or mistreatment. It is estimated that more people died during the production of the V2 than the weapon itself killed.

This dark side of the project was suppressed for a long time after the war. Only decades later did historians begin to uncover the full extent of the crimes behind the technological achievement. Today, the V2 is considered a  technical masterpiece , but also a  moral warning : it showed that science and ethics are inextricably linked – and that progress without humanity can be dangerous.

The color photographs that have survived in the archives present a fascinating picture: men in white overalls working on the gleaming rocket bodies, engine test stands ablaze, and the majestic test launches over Peenemünde. But behind each of these images lies the invisible suffering of the forced laborers whose hands built these rockets.

Today, Peenemünde is a  museum and memorial . The remains of the launch pads, bunkers, and destroyed facilities still stand – silent witnesses to a time when the line between progress and madness blurred. Visitors from all over the world come here to understand how the dream of space travel was born from the ruins of war.

The V2 was thus both: the latest marvel of the Third Reich and the first step into space. It combined death and the future in a single, breathtaking construction of steel, fire, and human ambition.

When you see the old film footage today – the rocket disappearing in a cloud of smoke and light – it’s hard to decide what you feel: fascination or horror. Perhaps both.

Because the V2 was more than a weapon. It was the beginning of an era in which man touched the sky – and at the same time a reminder that every technological power also bears responsibility.