German Report On Russia’s Missile

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28371, 2 September 1957, Page 14

German Report On Russia’s Missile

HAMBURG, August-30. German scientists forced to work on Soviet missile projects after World War II say there is no doubt that the Russians have succeeded in firing an intercontinental missile and landing it in the target area, the newspaper “Die Welt” reported today. The newspaper said that the missile, which had three stages, could better be described as a rocket bomber than as a pure ballistic missile. It had been developed from a secret German “Project A 9” for an intercontinental missile which was to have reached the United States in the last days of the last war. Instead, the Russians had captured the plan and had used it “like a Bible.”

“As, according to the present state of Soviet rocket development it is believed that the combustion intervals of these rockets do not exceed 70sec, only the first stage of this rocket consisted of a pure rocket thrust,” the newspaper said. “The second stage, on the other hand, was driven by means of a ram jet That is basically an open tube, from which the hot combustion gases stream forth, producing thrust. This engine, of the simplest and cheapest construction, uses no movable parts. “The third stage of the Soviet rocket is the flight of the warhead which, before re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere, after the whole missile has flown through space, is blown off. “According to our information this warhead is fitted with a gliding fin and has an additional cruising motor so that the missile approaching its target does not lose speed in the earth’s dense atmosphere.’ * “Secret Plan Captured”

“Die Welt” said that in 1945 the Russians had captured the secret German plan of an intercontinental long - distance bomber, which had been worked out by the German aerodynamic expert, Saenger. “From the start the Soviet burdened and pestered the German scientists, who had to work for them in the Soviet Union with it (the plan). They were told to develop this project. This German project, called A 9, had been intended to reach the United States in the last days of the war.” As fuel the Russians had used a development of normal paraflin. “Die Welt” said that the Russians were also believed-to have used boron compounds as fuel. (Boron is a non-metallic solid element, resembling borax in some respects.) Even aluminium had been added to these. “Die Welt” said that the German scientists had participated largely in the revolutionary Russian rocket developments. The last of the German rocket experts returned from the Soviet Union in 1954. “Die Welt” did not say from which particular scientist or scientists it had obtained its information.

At Washington, United States Government sources said today that the Soviet Union was believed to have fired four, and possibly six, long-range, ballistic missiles in the last two months. The test firings were reported to have ’been made on a range in northern Russia and Siberia, with the missiles travelling between 4000 and 4500 miles to a target.