Sorry that you think I am being opaque. So your telling me that the Saturn V third stage lacked the power or thrust to propel the crew capsule, lander and service module from earth orbit to a trajectory to achieve moon orbit. You should post your source for that.
(I couldn't quickly lay my hands on the video with this same story in Wernher's own words, but this an alternate source, also an official NASA video, recounts the same story with only slightly different wording.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiH-ZTUJ0II
13:46-15:16
"But in 1963, NASA had little idea of how to build a rocket capable of flying beyond earth orbit. (This the case even though Saturn V is well into its testing cycle. How could it be said that "NASA has little idea of how to build a rocket capable of flying beyond earth orbit?" As designer of Saturn V von Braun knew its capabilities like the back of his hand, but the narrative is that it was not capable of launching its payload beyond (Low) Earth Orbit. That's the ball game right there!) Von Braun's favored design [for going to the moon] is a colossal rocket known as the Nova, capable of launching a large lunar lander. ..
When NASA was doing the very early design for the whole Apollo mission, they developed a specification for a rocket that was never built, called the Nova rocket, which would have been absolutely immense in size.
.. The Nova design is eventually abandoned due to costs and complexity. But Apollo's going to the moon anyway, with a rocket whose known limitation is lifting only to (Low) Earth Orbit, guys! NASA commits to an alternative design (Saturn V, which by that time had been tested), a smaller vehicle comprised of three main stages. .. This rocket will become an iconic symbol of the Apollo program: The mighty Saturn V."