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The Peenemünde Wind Tunnels: A Memoir by Peter P. Wegener

1998; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 39; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/tech.1998.0152

1097-3729

Peter L. Jakab,

History of Computing Technologies

128 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE duction also contains a concise bibliographical essay which should be especially useful for readers new to this literature, recommending both primary and secondary sources. This new paperback edition of Loeb’s book will be welcome not only on the personal bookshelves of many historians but also as an important addition to reading lists for courses in the history of tech­ nology, intellectual history, American social history, and many other classes. Segal describes Life in a Technocracy as portraying a world of “technology that, in Loeb’s vision, all citizens would respect but not worship” (p. xxviii). Understood both within its own Depressionera historical context and in light ofsubsequent economic and social debates, Loeb’s work can help stimulate ongoing reflections about the relationships among technology, economic developments, and social progress. Amy Sue Bix Dr . Bix is assistant professor of history at Iowa State University. She is completing a book about America’s Depression-era debate over technological unemployment. The Peenemunde Wind Tunnels: A Memoir. By Peter P. Wegener. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996. Pp. x+187; illustrations, chro­ nology, notes, index. $30.00 (cloth). Few subjects in the history of technology are as intrinsically inter­ esting as the German army rocket program at Peenemunde during World War II. The story revolves around a charismatic cast ofcharac­ ters led by the fascinating and somewhat inscrutable Wernher von Braun, and an exciting and seminal new technology, all woven into the context ofone of the central political, military, and cultural phe­ nomena ofthe 20th century, Hitler’s Third Reich. As such, a memoir by one ofthe ballistic missile pioneers at Peenemunde is a tantalizing offering. Does The Peenemunde Wind Tunnels satisfy the appetite whetted by its subject matter? In interesting ways, yes and no. In a literature traditionally dominated by sensational and hagiographic works about von Braun and the superiority of German rocket engineering, Peter Wegener has produced an admirably disciplined memoir. This is not a reminiscence built on a foundation of ego. Assigned as a young physicist to the supersonic wind tunnels at Peenemunde, Wegener presents what he did, experienced, and witnessed in lively, straightforward terms. He never overstates his personal role in larger historical events. In addition, he provides an honest, frank assess­ ment ofthe viability ofGermany’s so-called miracle weapons beyond the V-l and V-2, rumored to be close to operational status at the end of the war. Wegner carefully distinguishes personal recollections and insights from his telling of events fleshed out by subsequent TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 129 archival research and secondary reading. The result is a readable, economical snapshot of the development of the world’s first ballistic missile through the eyes of a firsthand participant. While this economy and modesty are strengths in some respects, in other ways they contribute to the primary weakness of the book. Wegener leaves some enticing hints that there is more he could share. For example, concerning von Braun, he states that he “knew him well” (p. 93). Yet his comments on this pivotal figure are con­ fined to “a few final personal remarks about von Braun” (p. 155), two pages at the end of the book. Wegener’s reflections on von Braun as a running part of the memoir would have significantly en­ riched the story and enhanced the value of the book. Another example of Wegener’s reticence undercutting the vol­ ume is the relatively limited discussion ofwhat the book is ostensibly about, i.e., the Peenemiinde wind tunnels. He may have chosen to omit the technical detail to make the book more accessible to the general reader. Nevertheless, I found myself let down each time he raised the topic then quickly moved on to something else. A related frustration, although certainly not the fault ofWegener, is that he often was not at the center of the development of Peenemunde ’s principal missile project, the A-4. As he points out, the aerodynamics for the missile, later redesignated the V-2, were essen­ tially complete by the time he was assigned to the Aerodynamics Institute, the division of Peenemunde responsible for wind-tunnel research. His work focused on the...