Thesis: The space race changed the course of history; scientific exploration of the United Nations and captivated the world. "Vergeltungswaffe zwei" was the designation given to Adolf Hitler's main long-range warhead. Long before the Americans and Soviets embarked on their quest for space, the Germans had their own ambitions. In fact, "German Army Ordnance" worked tirelessly to build rocket-type missiles before World War II. Hitler and the Nazis believed that the ability to attack foreign strategic objectives in a concise period of time would cripple their counterparts and make the Germans unstoppable (“Space Race Exhibition” 1). The mastermind behind the V-2 missile technology was a young German. national named Wernher von Braun. Von Braun and his small group of fellow scientists were considered incompetent before a few eye-opening launches led the Nazi regime to seek his services (Kallen 12). Hitler's curiosity about the V-2 led a multitude of enslaved Jewish prisoners to generate these rockets. Throughout the war, Nazi forces used thousands of V-2 rockets against Allied forces in Europe. When von Braun realized that America was destined to achieve victory in World War II, he brought his intelligence to the United States, where he continued his research in New Mexico (Kallen 14). Many wartime V-2s were eventually stolen by the United States and assisted American physicists and scientists in their own missile development (“Space Race Exhibition” 1). By this time, Nazi Germany had manufactured its own technologically advanced missile. However, the United States was making significant progress toward completing its own by the mid-1940s. The "WAC Corporal" epitomizes early America...... middle of paper ......Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, 2001. Print.• Kuhn, Betsy. The space race. Minneapolis: 21st Century Books, 2007. Print.• Mogul, Zahra. “Interesting Facts – Space.” Science and Technology Facilities Board, December 10, 2008. Web. April 14, 2011. • “Space exploration and travel”. The new book of knowledge. 1 vol. Danbury, CT: Grolier Incorporated, 1994. Print.• Space Race: Cold War Front. The History Channel: 2011, film. .• Space Race exhibition. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, 2002. Web. April 6, 2011. • “Timeline: The Space Race.” American experience: race to the moon. PBS, October 6, 2005. Web. April 6 2011. .