Magnus von Braun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Magnus von Braun
Magnus von Braun (far left, cropped) with brother Wernher von Braun (center) after surrender to Allies, May 1945
Magnus von Braun (far left, cropped) with brother Wernher von Braun (center) after surrender to Allies, May 1945
Born May 10, 1919(1919-05-10)
Greifswald, Germany
Died June 21, 2003 (aged 84)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Fields Aerospace engineering, chemistry
Alma mater Technische Universität München
Doctoral advisor Hans Fischer

Magnus "Mac" von Braun (10 May 1919 – 21 June 2003) was a German chemical engineer, Luftwaffe aviator, and rocket scientist at Peenemünde, the Mittelwerk, and via Operation Paperclip, at Fort Bliss. He was the brother of Wernher von Braun.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Von Braun was born in Greifswald, Pomerania, to Magnus Freiherr von Braun and Emmy von Quistrop. After completing boarding school at Hermann Lietz-Schule in Spiekeroog, he began his studies in 1937 at Technische Universität München. There he remained after receiving his Masters degree in organic chemistry, and became an assistant to Nobel lareate Hans Fischer.[1]

Von Braun arrived at Peenemünde in July 1943 at the request of Wernher von Braun.[2] In March 1944 he was arrested with fellow rocket specialists Wernher von Braun, Klaus Riedel, Helmut Gröttrup, and Hannes Lüersen, but was later released.[1] In late summer 1944 he transferred to the Mittelwerk where he engineered V-2 rocket gyroscopes, servomotors, and turbopumps:

Mr. Huzel, would you wait a moment, please? ... As you may be aware, we are having difficulties at Mittelwerke in several critical areas. The inferior quality of certain components is seriously reducing output. We are just going to have to divert more people to get the program out of trouble. ... We've decided to send Magnus there to take over gyroscope production. Would you be interested in taking his place as my technical assistant?

– Wernher von Braun , at meeting with Dieter Huzel and Magnus von Braun, October 1944 at Peenemünde Haus-4 [2]

[edit] Surrender at Reutte

After evacuating from Nordhausen, Magnus von Braun was at the Behelfsheim in Weilheim when Wernher von Braun arrived there from Oberammergau on April 14, 1945. The next day, Magnus had arrived at the Haus Ingeborg in Oberjoch by the end of the day. When Huzel became von Braun's assistant, Dr. Kurt Debus became Engineer in Charge of Test Stand VII -- Huzel had served since May 1944 after replacing his old friend Hartmut Kuechen. The Mittelwerk was designated for production after the August 17, 1944 Operation Hydra bombing, and production started well afterward, so Magnus von Braun's claim that he was selected to transfer in October 1943 is inaccurate.[2] After hearing the radio report of Hitler's death, Wernher von Braun announced to his group early in the morning of May 3, 1945 that "Magnus, who speaks English, has just left by bicycle to establish contact with the American forces at Reutte. We cannot wait here forever."[2] "It was quite courageous for Magnus to come down on his bicycle and find the American troops," said Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, member of the V-2 team. "He had a white handkerchief tied to the handlebars of the bicycle and that was all he had to protect him."[3]

von Braun surrendered to Private First Class Frederick P. Schneikert of the Antitank Company, 324th Infantry of the 44th Infantry Division, and Schneikert took von Braun first to his company command post, then to the command post of the 44th Division's Counter-Intelligence Corps at Reutte, 26 kilometers away, where von Braun was turned over to CIC agent First Lieutenant Charles L. Stewart. von Braun presented his curriculum vitae composed while waiting.

About two in the afternoon, Magnus returned, "I think it went well, I have safe conduct passes and they want us for further interrogation."[1] The Mission Accomplished: The Battle History of the 44th Infantry Division] claim that there was a "hectic night of interrogation, plans and counter-proposals" after Magnus von Braun rode his bike downhill in the morning and met members of the "Anti-tank Company, 324th Infantry" "before he went out and in a short time returned with his brother" is inaccurate: Huzel, McGovern, & Ordway, in their researched works, distinctly state Magnus returned about 2 in the afternoon the same day.[4]

Dieter Huzel described the surrender of the group: "Thus, in the dull, rainy, late afternoon of Wednesday, May 2, 1945, seven men [Magnus & Wernher, Walter Dornberger, Axster, Huzel, Lindenberg, & Tessman] ... began their lonely descent from Adolf Hitler Pass toward ... Schattwald. ... Suddenly, around a curve, an American soldier ... waved us to a stop. Magnus got out and showed a piece of paper to the guard ... After about a half an hour, ... we were flanked by two ... "jeeps," ... We reached Reutte after dark. ... The next morning ... we emerged from the mess hall ... several Army photographers were on hand and spent some time taking pictures."[2] During a photo shoot the next day, Magnus von Braun commented "We're celebrating now, but I'll bet they will throw telephone books at us if we ever reach New York. By noon, Magnus von Braun (along with Axster, Huzel, Lindenberg, & Tessman) arrived in Peiting where forty other Peenemünde personnel already had arrived, and the Germans departed for Garmisch-Partenkirchen on May 8. At that location, Magnus von Braun adapted The Importance of Being Earnest to a musical show and played the leading male role.[1]

[edit] Operation Paperclip

Von Braun arrived in New York on 16 November 1945 aboard the SS Argentina and was soon at work at Fort Bliss, Texas and later at Redstone Arsenal Huntsville Alabama.[5] He became a US citizen and produced a version of A Christmas Carol, but with the future in the year 2000 and 88-year-old Wernher von Braun seeing man's first flight into space![1] Von Braun was interrogated as a witness for the Andrae war crimes trial in which Mittelwerk general manager Georg Rickhey was acquitted.[6] Fort Bliss Army CIC agents believed Magnus von Braun was a "dangerous German Nazi", with one agent remarking, "is type is a worse threat to security than a half a dozen discredited SS Generals."[6][7]

In 1955, he began a career with Chrysler -- first in the missile division and then in the automotive division.[1] After living in Michigan, he relocated to Coventry to serve as Chrysler UK export director. Magnus also resided in Huntsville Alabama for a while. He retired to Arizona in 1975, where he resided until his death.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ordway, Frederick I, III; Sharpe, Mitchell R (1979). The Rocket Team, Apogee Books Space Series 36. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, p4,7-12,53,311,391,423. ISBN 0690016565. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Huzel, Dieter K (1962). Peenemünde to Canaveral. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, p116,164,180,187-9. OCLC 1374588. 
  3. ^ Cassingham, Randy (22 June 2003). Magnus von Braun: an Honorary Unsubscribe. This is True. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  4. ^ Victory: von Braun capture. Militaria. Flume Creek Company. LLC (2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
  5. ^ Wade, Mark (2007). "Von Braun, Magnus". Encyclopedia Astronautica. OCLC 44281221. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. 
  6. ^ a b Hunt, Linda (1991). Secret Agenda: The United States Government, Nazi Scientists, and Project Paperclip, 1945 to 1990. New York: St.Martin's Press, 45,53,279,281. ISBN 0312055102. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. 
  7. ^ Vanech, A. Devitt, Asst US Atty General (1947). Magnus von Braun JIOA dossier, RG 330, NARS. National and Archives Records Site (NARS), p45,53,279. 
  • Neufeld, Michael J (1995). The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile Era. New York: The Free Press, p346. ISBN 0-02-922895-6.