Pushkin+ Exclusive: V-2 Rocket: The Evil Heart of The Weapons Program

Part 3/3: In April 1945, US troops approached a prison camp in Nazi Germany. They could hear agonized wailing, and the stench of rotting flesh filled their nostrils. Moments later they discovered a pile of smoldering corpses — and emaciated survivors, too. Next to the concentration camp they found something else: tunnels filled with tools and…partially assembled rockets. The soldiers had hit upon the evil heart of the V-2 manufacturing program: enslaved laborers, imprisoned underground. But the rocket program's director had already fled. Wernher von Braun now had just one concern: persuading the Americans to let him switch sides. This is the third episode in a three-part mini series for Pushkin+ subscribers. We’ll be back again on August 4th with a brand new episode of Cautionary Tales on the main feed. For a full list of sources for this episode, please visit timharford.com.