Today in Military History: Feb. 6, 1948, V-2 Rocket testing

V-2 Rocket (Naval Research Laboratory photo)

On February 6, 1948, for the first time, the U.S. Army successfully uses electronic guidance on a V-2 rocket, in a 70-mile ascent at White Sands Proving Ground, N.M.

The V-2 Rocket was natively German but was brought back to the United States after World War II. Research and experimentation on the V-2’s took place at the Army’s installation at White Sands Proving Ground, N.M.

In 1946 the Naval Research Laboratory was invited to take part in the testing. The NRL was ready and willing to assit the Army in upper-atmospheric research. Once the U.S. had depleted it’s German V-2’s the NRL began making their own. 

 

 

 

[starbox]