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Hitler's Last Weapons: The Underground War Against the V1 and V2

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This book provides a detailed history of the German Nazi development of the V1 and V2 weapons, and the role of the Allies (notably the Polish Underground) in uncovering the secrets of their design. Warning: This book contains details of Gestapo tortures. They may be upsetting to sensitive readers.

The Germans made the mistake of using foreign forced labor at their top-secret testing site at Peenemunde. This made it possible for agents to pass the location and significance of this site on to the British. Surreptitious aerial reconnaissance confirmed the rocket-testing nature of this site, and a British air-raid destroyed a large fraction of this facility. The Germans were completely fooled into thinking that the intended target had been Berlin.

The Germans made the second mistake of moving the testing site to Blizna, a location in German-occupied Poland. Was it safe from prying eyes? Hardly! The Polish Underground had no problem monitoring the rocket tests and reporting on them. A nearly-intact V2 rocket fell nearby, and was concealed, taken apart, and photographed by the Polish Underground. The Underground actually smuggled some V2 parts into England.

Although there was no direct defense against this fearsome German weapon, the British were relieved to learn that the V2 had "only" a one-ton warhead, not a five or ten-ton warhead as originally feared.

The Germans built an underground factory (Mittelbau Dora) in the Harz Mountains, near Nordhausen. It was inside the Kohnstein Mountain, and was bomb-proof. The work conditions for the slave laborers were horrible, but not as bad as at Auschwitz. Garlinski, an Auschwitz inmate himself, estimates the mortality at 15% at Dora in contrast to 84% at Auschwitz (p. 108; not counting, of course, those murdered by the Germans upon arrival).

Thanks to underground activities, the Allies learned of the existence and significance of this underground factory. Garlinski (p. 188) touches upon an American plan to attack Kohnstein Mountain with a gasoline-soap mixture (evidently an early form of napalm) in the hope that the fumes would seep down the ventilation shafts into the underground factory, ignite there, and burn out the interior. It was never attempted. However, although the factory itself could not be knocked out by conventional bombing, its productivity was reduced by the Allied bombing of the incoming railroad tracks and other above-ground infrastructure. (There is no mention the destruction of Nordhausen itself).

Garlinski provides a table of V1 and V2 attacks, giving the cities which were hit and the approximate numbers of dead and wounded.

Garlinski also sheds light on other aspects of WWII. He point out that, within 24 hours of the German attack on the Soviet Union, Winston Churchill promised "every assistance with no political conditions." (p. 50). This statement must have emboldened Stalin. It was clearly the first step in the betrayal of Poland to the Soviet Union, culminating years later at Teheran and Yalta.

Great book! If you want to add to your knowledge of WWII, read this book. Many of us have no idea of this aspect of the war. This book also gives attention to the many forgotten heroes and "true heroes" of WWII; The Poles and the Polish nation. Every WWII buff, needs to read this book. Well written, without a dull moment. Highly recommended.

Jozef Garlinski gives a story of the German advncement through the war during the years of 1939 through 1945. Hitler leads the Nazi regime into war against many foes. In the story it shows the events in France, Poland, Denmark, England, and Russia. The major parts of the book deal with the weapons Hitler discovered. Himmler's organizations, which conducted experiments for violent weapons, came across weapons of mass destruction. Rockets and explosives nearly changed the war for Hitler even towards the end. The Third Riech was a very unique organization that was very evil. They worked hard for their cause, mainly to satisfy Hitler.