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2.6.1 Germany's V‐2 Rocket Program and the Application of Systems Engineering
Author(s) -
Ankrum T. Scott
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
incose international symposium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-5837
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-5837.2000.tb00449.x
Subject(s) - rocket (weapon) , nazism , politics , work (physics) , world war ii , nazi germany , aeronautics , engineering , political science , law , mechanical engineering
During World War II, Nazi Germany rained terror down on London and other European cities with the World's first guided ballistic missile. Was that a marvel of systems engineering, before the term was even invented, or were other factors at work? The V‐2 rocket was taken, by Nazi Germany, from an unproven concept to mass production and use, even while the nation was under severe political and economic stress. In this paper, the progress of the V‐2 program is traced, from concept to production and use, while highlighting the major problems and milestones. How the major elements of systems engineering were incorporated into the program, or not, is examined. Were the concepts of systems engineering known at the time, even if the term was not? If not, would an understanding of systems engineering have made a difference to the V‐2 team, given the circumstances of war, politics and economics at the time?