Chronology - Quarter 4 1944 home
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1944 October 7 -
  • Dumbarton Oaks Conference Nation: International. Dumbarton Oaks Conference - U.S., British Commonwealth, and U.S.S.R. propose establishment of United Nations
1944 October 24 - Launch Vehicle: A4b.
  • Construction of 5 prototype A4b winged V-2's completed Nation: Germany. The A-4b was a winged V-2. This resurrected work on the A-9, abandoned in 1943 to concentrate on V-2 production. The A9 was to be the second stage of an ICBM designed to reach North America. By this time in the war the intent was to extend the range of the V-2 once Allied forces pushed the German lines so far back that Britain could no longer be targeted. References: 17.
1944 October 30 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2, Wasserfall.
  • Wasserfall test Nation: Germany. Apogee: 18 km (11 mi). The Wasserfall surface to air missile was launched from a table, as was the V-2. The missile was optically steered to its target, and had a potential range of 26 km and ceiling of 18 km, with a flight speed of 600 m/s. Goering observed the first launch from Test Stand IX. He was immensely fat, wearing a fantastical outfit, downing pills every five minutes, and uninterested in the proceedings. Dornberger ruefully noted that the Reich is losing the war due to the leadership's shortsightedness. They had not accepted Von Braun's rocket plans in 1939 or the Panzerfaust in 1942. They only became interested in the latter when the first American bazooka fell into German hands in Tunisia. References: 693.
1944 October 31 - Launch Site: V-2 Battery 444. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. FAILURE: Failure.
  • October V-2 results. Nation: Germany. In October, in total the Sonderkommando’s Battery 485 and Battery 444 launched 83 rockets of which 5 failed. References: 726.
1944 November 1 -
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory established. Nation: USA. Nation's first center devoted to the research and development of rocket propulsion systems, founded at Cal Tech in 1936, reorganized and renamed the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). References: 17.
1944 November - Launch Vehicle: RDD.
  • Korolev designs RDD - Long range rocket - in response to the German V-2. Nation: USSR. Korolev was given charge of a team of 60 engineers and required to provide a draft project in three days. The resulting two-stage design used Lox/Alcohol propellants and an autopilot for guidance. These designs evolved into the more refined D-1 and D-2 before being overtaken by the post-war availability of V-2 technology.
1944 November - Launch Vehicle: A9/A10.
  • Work on the A9/A10 ICBM resumed under the code name Projekt Amerika, Nation: Germany. No significant hardware development was possible after the last test of the A4b upper stage in January 1945.
1944 November 15 - Launch Vehicle: Rheinbote.
  • Rheinbote tested. Nation: Germany. Apogee: 80 km (49 mi). Test batteries were set up at Heidekraut, but it was impossible to estimate the weapon's accuracy, since it proved impossible to find the small craters created by the warhead's impact in the vast dispersion area. References: 693.
1944 November 20 - Launch Vehicle: Redstone.
  • Project Hermes Nation: USA. Ordnance Department entered into a research and development contract with the General Electric Company for study and development of long-range missiles that could be used against ground targets and high-altitude aircraft. This was the beginning of the Hermes project.
End November 1944 - Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • V-2 summary for November Nation: Germany. During November, the third month of the V-2 combat campaign, there were 369 combat launches on the Western Front and 54 training launches from Heidekraut. 656 missiles were manufactured at Mittelwerk. See V-2 combat launches for a complete list of known combat launches.
1944 December 1 - Launch Vehicle: Private.
  • First Private launch. Nation: USA. At Camp Irwin, Calif., 24 Private "A" rockets were launched by JPL, only 11 months after the start of Project ORDCIT. References: 17.
1944 December 1 - Launch Vehicle: Hermes.
  • V-2 technology targeted for Hermes. Nation: Germany. Army Ordnance made plans under the Hermes program to study the German V-2 missile. References: 17.
1944 December 1 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • Work resumes on train-launched A4. Nation: Germany. At Kammler's orders work resumes on getting the train-launched version of the A4 into service. References: 693.
1944 December 9 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: A4b.
  • Boosted A4b test planned. Nation: Germany. 10 solid propellant rockets were delivered from the Wehrmacht to Pruefstand XII. Work was to be completed by the end of March to begin flight test of an extended-range using solid rocket boost. However Peenemuende was evacuated before the first flight test could be undertaken.
1944 December 9 -
  • Wallops Island Launch Site founded. Nation: USA. A meeting was held at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, to discuss the formation of an organization that would devote its efforts to the study of stability and maneuverability of high-speed weapons (guided missiles). From the outset, work was pointed toward supersonic flight testing. In early 1945, Congress was asked for a supplemental appropriation to fund the activation of such a unit, and in the spring of that year the Auxiliary Flight Research Station (AFRS - later known as the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division) was opened on Wallops Island, Virginia, with Robert R. Gilruth as its director. On July 4, 1945, the AFRS launched its first test vehicle, a small two-stage, solid-fuel rocket to check out the installation's instrumentation. References: 483.
1944 December 13 -
  • X-1 manned supersonic rocket aircraft begun. Nation: USA. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. In an AAF-NACA conference, Air Force representatives indicated strong preference for use of rocket engines instead of jets in X-1 research airplane project. References: 17.
1944 December 15 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • Submarine-launched A4 work resumes. Nation: Germany. The first construction drawings were released for the submarine-launched version. References: 693.
1944 December 31 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: A4b, Taifun, V-2, Wasserfall.
  • Peenemuende rocket team faces the New Year Nation: Germany. It was for them a depressing time. The V-2 came too late to affect the outcome of the war. The years 1939-1942, when Hitler had blocked development and production of the V-2, were lost years. By this time, the Peenemuende staff was allocated as follows: 135 were working on Taifun anti-aircraft barrage rocket; 1940 were working on the V-2; 1220 were working on the Wasserfall surface-to-air missile; 270 were working on the A4b winged V-2; and 660 were in administrative positions. Meanwhile Kammler was constantly underway, trying to deploy the wonder weapons he believed would save the Reich. He could only be met at one-hour meetings at autobahn intersections, on his way from one place to another. References: 693, 727.
End of 1944 - Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • V-2 year-end combat summary Nation: Germany. During December, the fourth month of the V-2 combat campaign, there were 447 combat launches on the Western Front and 44 training launches from Heidekraut. 618 missiles were manufactured at Mittelwerk. Since the start of the campaign on 6 September, a total of 1591 V-2's had been launched in combat at the following targets:

    • Antwerp 924
    • London 477
    • Norwich 43
    • Luettich 27
    • Lille 25
    • Paris 19
    • Tourcoing 19
    • Maastricht 19
    • Hasselt 13
    • Tournai 9
    • Arras 6
    • Cambrai 4
    • Mons 3
    • Diest 2
    • Ipswich 1

    By the end of the year Mittelwerk had produced 4,195 missiles, less than half of which had been fired.


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