Not true. Goddard kept his rocket research of the ‘30’s very close to his vest. The Germans had the same basic science knowledge, but pored the money and effort into it that the US didn’t. By 1945 the Germans had V2s, while the US at best had some experimental sounding rockets. We needed the Nazis.
Incorrect, the Germans were well versed on Goddard’s work.
“in 1963, von Braun, reflecting on the history of rocketry, said of Goddard: “His rockets ... may have been rather crude by present-day standards, but they blazed the trail and incorporated many features used in our most modern rockets and space vehicles”. He once recalled that “Goddard’s experiments in liquid fuel saved us years of work, and enabled us to perfect the V-2 years before it would have been possible.”
Three features developed by Goddard appeared in the V-2: (1) turbopumps were used to inject fuel into the combustion chamber; (2) gyroscopically controlled vanes in the nozzle stabilized the rocket until external vanes in the air could do so; and (3) excess alcohol was fed in around the combustion chamber walls, so that a blanket of evaporating gas protected the engine walls from the combustion heat.
Though not by plan, Goddard’s work on liquid-fueled rockets nevertheless played a part in bringing World War II to an earlier end. The Germans had been watching Goddard’s progress before the war and became convinced that large, liquid fuel rockets were feasible. General Dornberger, head of the V-2 project, used the idea that they were in a race with the U.S. and that Goddard had “disappeared” (to work with the Navy) to obtain high priority from Hitler.
Von Braun did very little actual engineering when he was here. We could and did do most of it without Nazis. I know it’s upsetting to many, but we had the best scientists in the world.
The Germans didn’t invent an A-bomb, a proximity fuse, a decent semi auto rifle, a jeep, etc.
And as for the V2, it was basically a toy. For the cost of the Manhattan project, they duplicated the grand total explosives delivered equivalent of TWO US 8th air force raids. And with less accuracy.
Even fuels, our hot rod fighters were running 150 octane by the end of the war, the Germans never exceeded 96.
The German fanclub hates it, but America was the science and engineering hotbed in those days.
Had a lot to do with freedom of thought and competition.
Von Brain sold the military—and Hitler— on the rocket. Ironically, if all the money the Germans put into the V-1 and V-2 had been devoted to heavy bombers, it would have been better for them. On the other other hand, if the V2s had been reading to launch in the spring of 1944 and aimed at Normandy. We would have had real problems.