Craig Jackson

Professor Fletcher
History 112
May 12, 2011

Wernher von Braun – Practical vs. Moral

Wernher von Braun was a German born scientist and space engineer, who moved to the

United States after World War II. He worked on many successful space missions in the

United States, including the one that led to the development of the Jupiter – C missile,

which became the first rocket to successfully carry a United States satellite Explorer I

into orbit (Wernher von Braun 1977, p 407). Von Braun also directed work on the

Saturn series of rockets, which eventually enabled travel to the moon (Wernher von

Braun 1977, p 407). Von Braun lived in Germany, under the Nazi regime (Wernher von

Braun 1977, p 407). As an aristocratic, conservative, he was a member of a social

segment, which supported Hitler (Hunt et al 2009 p 849). One of the more interesting

aspects of Von Braun’s life is the lack of clarity regarding his Nazi sympathies. Although

some of his actions reflect ambivalence in relation to war crimes and very little

resistance to the Nazi establishment, he does offer some criticism of Hitler and concern

for prisoners. As a member of a conservative upper class culture with distinctive Aryan

features and critical wartime skills, Wernher von Braun had the luxury of concentrating

on his research priorities without significant regard to the atrocities occurring around him

in the Nazi regime. Like most Germans he did not speak out against Nazi crimes.

Although he was a formal member of the Nazi party and the SS, Wernher von

Braun indicated that his membership came as a result of political pressure (Neufeld
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2002, p 60). Michael Neufeld explains in his article “Wernher von Braun, the SS, and

Concentration Camp Labor: Questions of Moral, Political, and Criminal Responsibility”,

that von Braun’s claim that he was coerced into joining the party is consistent with

expectations of his social economic class and occupation, along with his prior behavior

(Neufeld 2002, p 60). Earlier in the article Neufeld said that Nazi student organizations

strongly encouraged and pressured non Nazi students to conform to membership and von

Braun had joined as a result (Neufeld 2002, p 60). Von Braun was directed by his

superior to join the SS, presumably to protect the space program, politically (Neufeld

2002, p 61). He was member, but did not actively act on the policies of the Nazis.

Von Braun described favorable and unfavorable impressions of Hitler as a leader

(Neufeld 2002, p 60). During his initial meeting, he saw Hitler as kind of scraggily and

unkempt, but later appreciated the power of his oratory skill and still later in Hitler’s

career von Braun saw him as an unscrupulous demagogue (Neufeld 2002, p 60). In his

conclusion to the article “Wernher von Braun, the SS, and Concentration Camp Labor:

Questions of Moral, Political, and Criminal Responsibility”, Neufeld points out that von

Braun was like most Germans of the time who were blind to the crimes of the Nazi

regime, as long as the regime helped them achieve their individual priorities (Neufeld

2002, p 73). As von Braun saw the war going badly and Germany not being able to

support his priority, the space program, he became more critical of Hitler.

In the article, “Wernher von Braun and Concentration Camp Labor: An

Exchange”, Ernest Stuhlinger and Michael Neufeld, described how von Braun attempted

to improve the living conditions of an imprisoned French physicist and von Braun later

explained that he had intended to help a whole a group of scientists (Stuhlinger and
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Neufeld 2003, p 122). This offer of help was not accepted by the scientist because it

would appear to be collusion with the enemy (Stuhlinger and Neufeld 2003, p 122).. This

incident confirms however that von Braun had knowledge of the deplorable conditions of

the Concentration Camp laborers, who worked on his projects, and for the most part

turned a blind eye to the situation (Neufeld 2002, p 69).

Wernher von Braun was a good representative of the German elite during the

Nazi regime and immediately before and during World War II. He was a member of the

Nazi party, but not zealous. He approved of Hitler when he was winning, yet saw his

faults when things started to go badly for Germany. Similar to most Germans, von Braun

ignored the brutality of the labor camps, until he became personally attracted to another

scientist. Michael Neufeld in his article, article “Wernher von Braun, the SS, and

Concentration Camp Labor: Questions of Moral, Political, and Criminal Responsibility”,

reports on the comments of Leo Sziland, a Hungarian Jewish physicist who describes the

German people as blind to the Nazi regime’s crimes as long as it advanced the goals that

they held dear (Neufeld 2002, p 73). Von Braun’s priority was the space program. His

scientific knowledge made him valuable to Nazi Germany. His culpability for war crimes

is probable.
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Bibliography

Neufeld, Michael J. "Wernher Von Braun, the SS, and Concentration Camp Labor:

Questions of Moral, Political, and Criminal Responsibility." German Studies

Review 25, no. 1 (February 2002): 57-78. Accessed May 10, 2011.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1433245.

Stuhlinger, Ernest, and Michael J. Neufeld. "Wernher Von Braun and Concentration

Camp Labor: An Exchange." German Studies Review 26, no. 1 (February 2003):

121-26. Accessed May 11, 2011. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1432905.

"Wernher Von Braun: 1912-1977." Science News 111, no. 26 (June 25, 1977): 407.

Accessed May 11, 2011. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3961985.