From: agc@bmdhh298.bnr.ca (Alan Carter)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Controversy over V-2 anniversary
Date: 29 Sep 92 16:39:08 GMT
Organization: BNR-Europe-Limited, Maidenhead, England

In article <1992Sep29.095734.1@fnalf.fnal.gov>, higgins@fnalf.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes:
|> Remember a week or so ago, when somebody on this newsgroup reminded us
|> that the first flight of a V-2 (A-4, if you prefer) into "space" had
|> taken place fifty years ago, in October 1942?
|> 
|> Monday I heard a news account that ceremonies to celebrate this
|> event have become a matter of controversy.  A local FM station carries
|> the BBC World Service, and they reported that the German government
|> had withdrawn its support, or approval, or something, from a
|> commemoration sponsored by private aerospace groups.  Ceremonies were
|> supposed to take place at Peenemuende, the military base on the Baltic
|> where the A-4 was developed.  
|> 
|> Has anybody heard more detail?  Has the story appeared in print?
|> 
|> Apparently the fact that the A-4 was a nasty weapon that killed lots
|> of people overshadows the importance of the anniversary.  

There is controversy over the celebrations. Some people in Germany wanted 
to celebrate the anniversary because of its technological importance, 
while others felt that it would be in bad taste.

The whole thing has been complicated by the unvieling in London, about
4 months ago, of a statue of 'Bomber' Harris, who ran Bomber Command
when it demolished Dresden. Many of the people in the UK who defended the
Harris statue are now upset about the Germans celebrating part of their
WWII history. 

In late 1986 some disturbing documents about Peenemuende were the
subject of some TV documentaries in the UK, and possibly in Germany too,
I don't know. Films of the slave workers digging out the tunnels, being 
hung in job lots from cranes etc., together with details of the senior 
officers' military records (like SS Colonel von Braun), documentation 
signed by von Braun requisitioning more slave workers as the last lot
had been expended, did much to make people feel that to celebrate the 
technological achievements of Peenemuende is like celebrating the 
medical accomplishments of Belsen.

There was a junior Minister in the German Government (Industry I think)
who voiced support for the celebrations last week, which put the issue
in the spotlight, but on Monday the German Government announced that he
hadn't cleared his statement with his boss, who repudiated it. 

Basically, Bill is right. Just about the only thing people are not 
concerning themselves with in this argument (if they are involved at all,
I'm certainly not) is the dawning of the Space Age, but so what? There are 
still plenty of people alive today who had explosive headed V2 rockets 
falling on them, in their London homes. Tell them that this was really 
something to be cheerful about! Anyway, Goddard was at it long before.

   Usual disclaimers, Alan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Maidenhead itself is too snobby to be pleasant. It is the haunt of the
   river swell and his overdressed female companion. It is the town of showy
   hotels, patronized chiefly by dudes and ballet girls. 

   Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome, 1889
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