[Translate to EN:]

, 1938

Political correctness or not: The engineers in the Kummersdorf missile laboratory were indeed gifted tinkerers. One of the many challenges to be solved was the steerability of missiles. After all, what is the use of such a miracle weapon if it does not get where it is supposed to go? It might do major damage anyway, just not in England. And because the propulsion units were made of steel, a whole new set of technical problems appeared. The plan was to deflect the gas jet of the engine through steel rudders and thereby regulate the flight direction. For that to work, the control elements had to withstand temperatures of approx. 2,000°C. They would have loved to have used molybdenum. But it was too pricey. So, of all people, it was a design draftsman who in 1938 had the idea of using graphite instead. It turned out to be perfectly suitable for the job. After countless tests, the steel rudders were ready to go into serial production. In "Aggregate 4", the missile propagandistically referred to as "V2", they were actually used in 1944. But as we all know, that was too little too late.