Dr. Wernher von Braun was born into extreme wealth, he was given an impressive name; (Wernher Magnus Maxmillion von Braun)and he was born a baron into an aristocratic family; his parents bought him a telescope to stargaze when he turned 11. This event was pivotal in shaping the mind of a famous rocket scientist the world would get to know within a decade. All these things contributed to the solar plexus of this complex man's soul. He was a brilliant man that defied explanation. People who knew him claimed he was a kind man who did kind things, but when one examines his work in Germany, working under no one more evil and hideous than Adolf Hitler himself, one wonders WHY.
WHY didn't von Braun defect and run to the USA and claim political asylum? He didn't have to build those evil V 2 rockets, now did he? I don't know and I don't want to be so quick to point the finger at this brilliant man.
Once he surrendered to American forces, he was put into isolation in a deserted desert called White Sands of New Mexico, under the secret project named, "Operation Paper Clip."
The operation was named such because the top brainiac rocket scientists that came over from Germany were hand-picked by an American military man to come and build weaponry for the Dept. of Defense - USA this time.
Wernher von Braun always wanted to shoot for the moon, and he was the one who predicted that Russia would beat us to it months before Sputnik made it's historic flight in low space orbit.
Von Braun was ready to launch a US satellite, but as an alien to this country, von Braun readily got tangled in a ball of red tape and bureaucracy. Soon enough, people started to listen to him and he became a rocket scientist like the world had never seen before, and likely - never will see again.
Von Braun had an intellect like no other. He had a brilliant scientific method of building complex rocket machinery which ultimately resulted in the biggest, most complex machine ever built in the history of mankind; the Saturn V rocket.
It is a sad thing to consider; most of von Braun's notes on the Saturn V is lost to the winds and there are no scientists alive that remember how to build or assemble such a monster of a machine.
That technology may be called obsolete or inferior by our modern, computerized world today - but I'll bet you there is not a man alive who could assemble and build a fully functional Saturn V rocket today. Even with the help of high-speed, modern computers assisting!
What von Braun did back in the day was beyond mankind's ability to dream - but he somehow managed to launch 3 men into space, land them on the surface of the moon and bring them safely back to earth. President Kennedy's dream realized.
Von Braun rests in peace today, buried like any mere mortal - under six feet of silent brown earth. He took a lot of his trade secrets to the grave with him. It's sort of a shame that there aren't any more like him.
In the end, God will judge us all. How God will judge the heart of Wernher von Braun is beyond my comprehension. How does God judge a former Nazi? Then again, didn't von Braun pay his dues to society by getting an American man on the moon? Didn't all the good he did on this beautiful earth outweigh all the bad?
There is an old saying that goes, "The only thing necessary for a bad man to succeed is for a good man to do nothing."
In a way we are all responsible for this quote and I am glad that God is powerful and intelligent enough to judge von Braun.
I would think that God forgave him.
I didn't really pay a lick of attention on the life of Wernher von Braun my entire life. I was shortchanging the man because of his German alliances and I didn't give him the credit that he so richly deserves.
This book taught me a huge deal about personal redemption, moving forward despite strong opposition and bias and ultimately achieving the pinnacle of one's highest aspirations.
Please give this book and Dr. Wernher von Braun your attention. You will learn a huge amount of good things and even a measure of personal forgiveness.
God bless.
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Do not waste your money, or more importantly your time with this book
I thought it would be a good read on Von Braun given the authour's engineering AND journalistic background. I thought it might give me insight into Von Braun's thinking and problem solving methodology. Instead, I learnt nothing new from this book aside from from that he was an avid pilot and enjoyed his alcohol. This book should be titled "VON BRAUN FOR DUMMIES", as it's probably at a 7th grade level of reading. It's almost an insult to the great man.
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ERIC MERRALL
A visionary and unique story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2021
