Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War

by: Michael J. Neufeld

Published by: Vintage Books/Random House

Reviewed by Patty Inglish, MS

Michael J. Neufeld, curator of the Smithsonian’s Space History Division, has created a masterpiece in his biography of Wernher von Braun (1912-1977). Neufeld combines the von Braun family tree with world history, Adolph Hitler, the establishment of NASA, and the winning of the Space Race. He also casts Wernher as a Faustian character, asking repeatedly whether the scientist made a pact with the devil by working for Hitler’s Nazis in order to have a laboratory for developing his early dreams of space flight. It is a difficult question to answer; at the end of the book, it may still be uncertain.

Descending from a royal line, von Braun eventually became a rocket engineer working in the Third Reich and the SS during WWII, even using concentration camp inmates for labor. He created the V-1 and the V-2 rockets, the latter of which severely pummeled London. However, he dreamed of using his rockets for space travel in which he could participate. Having been inspired by futurist H.G. Wells and scientist Hermann Oberth early on, von Braun took flying lessons, dreamed, and continued to develop rockets until his death in 1977. However, he never “went up,” in NASA-speak.

After WWII, Von Braun was brought to America to save his genius from being co-opted by the USSR. He developed rockets, facilitated the launch of the first American satellite in 1958, helped to create NASA, appeared in Disney TV shows, and interviewed with national magazines. However, he was plagued later by budget cuts and a dwindling public interest that prevented him from developing his ideas fully. While flags flew at half mast in many regions of the U.S. on his death in 1977, many people today do not know who he was.

Neufeld’s book is historically comprehensive, with detailed endnotes and bibliography, index, and list of abbreviations. Superior to this is his detailing of von Braun’s life; his hardships, his joys, and his motivations present from childhood.

High school students through adults will enjoy this thorough discourse of a fascinating period in world history, American and German engineering, and astronautics.

Armchair Interviews says: Fascinating look at history of one man and his role in the space race.