An Aggregat 4 (V2) rocket being prepared for launch.
Germany was the first country in space, not the United States, not Russia: Germany. Its Aggregat 4 (V2) rocket had a first successful test flight on October 3, 1942, reaching an altitude of 52.5 miles (84.5 kilometres). On that day Walter Dornberger, head of the German Army rocket research centre, declared in a speech at Peenemünde:
“This third day of October, 1942, is the first of a new era in transportation, that of space travel”
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The V-2 Rocket (A 4) How Effective was it?
Read about WWII here
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