When World War II raged on, Germany had already invented the V-2, a guided ballistic missile of considerable reach, subsequently snatched by the US and the Soviet Union following Nazi Germany's downfall. The German military dubbed it the Vengeance Weapon.
The very rocket that paved the future for American and Russian missile technologies, signaling that Germany was far ahead in the science and technology sector. Germany used this missile to target Allied forces.
Source: aajtak
This missile weighed 12,500 kilograms and was 45.11 feet long with a diameter of 5.5 inches, carrying an explosive payload of 1000 kilograms of Amatol, a mix of TNT and ammonium nitrate. It boasted a range of 320 kilometers and could soar to a height of 206 kilometers.
Source: aajtak
Fascinatingly, it could travel towards a target at a Speed of 5760 km/hr. Post-WWII, the US and the then Soviet Union appropriated this missile technology. Put simply, they seized it and went on to develop their own missiles and rockets based on it.
Source: aajtak
The USA modified the V-2 for their requisites and first launched it from the USS Midway on September 6, 1947. Though it veered off course at about 12,000 feet and exploded, the test was deemed a success by America, achieving basic objectives despite missing the precise target.
