Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Buried Evil: V2 Rocket (Part 3)
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Mar 1, 2024 Wernher von Braun, a prominent German aerospace engineer and architect of the V2 rocket program, discusses the dark past of his creation during World War II. He reveals the horrifying conditions of the enslaved laborers who built the rockets in brutal secrecy. The podcast dives into the moral dilemmas faced by those in power, including von Braun, as they navigated ambition amidst immense human suffering. His dual legacy raises urgent questions about the ethics of innovation when intertwined with historical atrocities.
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Peenemünde: A Worker's Paradise
- Peenemünde, the initial V2 rocket base, was a worker's paradise with modern homes and leisure facilities.
- Von Braun prioritized research over mass production, creating shorter shifts and ignoring wartime labor decrees.
Mittelwerk: From Paradise to Hell
- After the British bombed Peenemünde, V2 production moved to Mittelwerk, an underground site near Nordhausen.
- This new facility utilized slave labor from the nearby Dora Mittelbau concentration camp.
Mittelwerk: Human Cost
- The Mittelwerk construction, overseen by Hans Kamler, prioritized speed over human life, neglecting prisoner welfare.
- Thousands of prisoners, mostly Russian, Polish, and French, endured horrific conditions, with many dying daily.
