Militaria, part 6 - Rabka - one of the places were rocket era began
This is one more my not typical report. This time about the place called Rabka. Located on the coast of the Baltic sea it was one of the places were first missiles - V2 - were tested.
Last summer traveling along Polish Baltic coast I almost accidentally found place which once served as one of the first grounds were tests of the rockets made by the famous German designer Werner von Braun were done. Rabka isn't so famous as the Peenemuende were main activities of the development of V1 and V2 were carried out but also was important place. German authorities in 1943 began to be threatened by the American- British bomber attacks on Peenemuende and decided to move the ground for their new weapon further to the east. The choice felt on the village Rabka located about 100 km to the west from Danzig.
Today here you can find small exposition which I visited. So let's go and see. Exhibition is equipped in a very well prepared information desks (but only in Polish):
Former headquarters of von Braun:
Thickness of the window glasses:
Exposition inside:
Some remaining mines. The purpose of those mines remained unclear to me. But mines entrances has the shape of missile:
Replica of the observation tower:
View from the tower to the ground of the one of the first rocket centers in the world:
Remaining start-off with the replica of missile "Rheintochter":
Very few remaining original artifacts (Wehrmacht and SS evacuated all details and materials very thoroughly). Today those artifacts are the best guarded things in the area:
Another replica:
Soviet made anti-aircraft missile S-75 used by the Polish army till 1995. (Originally developed in 1955). As said Polish officer here that the lowest level of the missile is almost exact copy of Brown's V-2 engine:
Several Polish made meteoroligical rockets from 1960s and 1970s:
It seems that those forts do not survived (at least I don't found them):
Unexpectedly big part of the exposition are the examples of various machine guns used i that period (I don't understand why there were many American guns from WWII also):
Something very familiar in this motorcycle :))
Again guns ...
American example :)
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Last summer traveling along Polish Baltic coast I almost accidentally found place which once served as one of the first grounds were tests of the rockets made by the famous German designer Werner von Braun were done. Rabka isn't so famous as the Peenemuende were main activities of the development of V1 and V2 were carried out but also was important place. German authorities in 1943 began to be threatened by the American- British bomber attacks on Peenemuende and decided to move the ground for their new weapon further to the east. The choice felt on the village Rabka located about 100 km to the west from Danzig.
Today here you can find small exposition which I visited. So let's go and see. Exhibition is equipped in a very well prepared information desks (but only in Polish):
Former headquarters of von Braun:
Thickness of the window glasses:
Exposition inside:
Some remaining mines. The purpose of those mines remained unclear to me. But mines entrances has the shape of missile:
Replica of the observation tower:
View from the tower to the ground of the one of the first rocket centers in the world:
Remaining start-off with the replica of missile "Rheintochter":
Very few remaining original artifacts (Wehrmacht and SS evacuated all details and materials very thoroughly). Today those artifacts are the best guarded things in the area:
Another replica:
Soviet made anti-aircraft missile S-75 used by the Polish army till 1995. (Originally developed in 1955). As said Polish officer here that the lowest level of the missile is almost exact copy of Brown's V-2 engine:
Several Polish made meteoroligical rockets from 1960s and 1970s:
It seems that those forts do not survived (at least I don't found them):
Unexpectedly big part of the exposition are the examples of various machine guns used i that period (I don't understand why there were many American guns from WWII also):
Something very familiar in this motorcycle :))
Again guns ...
American example :)
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