Thundery showers were forecast for later in the day but as it was such a nice morning we figured we could get our laundry done and dried before they started, so we had 3 (out of 6) machines working away by 06:30. Actually, we rather hoped that the washing would be dry in time for us to catch the 10:40 ferry across the river to Peenemünde, the site of the factory complex that produced the notorious V1 and V2 flying bomb (Doodlebug) and rocket, respectively. In this we succeeded and we were able to catch the ferry, together with 20-odd other ralliers.

Peenemünde ( https://museum-peenemuende.de) became the largest armaments centre in Europe, covering an area of 25 km² and ‘employing’ over 12,000 people. I say employing but of course, the Nazis thought nothing of using forced labour and very many of the 12,000 people utilized there fell into that category, not all of them prisoners of war, many were German citizens who were kept in similar conditions to the prisoners. Both the V1 and V2 weapons had one purpose only – to terrify the civilian populations of the countries at war with the Axis powers. At this time, they didn’t have the technologies to make these weapons accurate, so pin-pointing a target was out of the question but they could be directed successfully at large population centres. The ‘V’ by the way stands for ‘Vergeltungswaffen’ or vengeance  weapons and that was the thinking, as by now Germany was beginning to lose the war and Hitler demanded miracle weapons, ones that could turn the tide of the war in his favour, but of course in this they failed. In 1943 the largest British concentration of aircraft ever, came and bombed Peenemünde but without major success, sadly hitting the huts of the workers and killing many without destroying the complex itself. However, it did force the Nazis to relocate the production site for the V2 to an underground complex called Mittelwerk  (central works) in a hill called Kohnstein which had been previously been the site for gypsum mining, so the tunnels were already there for use. Conveniently, the notorious concentration camp of Dachau could supply the workers. The responsibility for the production of these weapons was now down to the SS, following the army’s failed assassination attempt upon Hitler and the SS refined their brutal and inhuman techniques to kill people through overwork. The result of this is that probably, the V2 rocket is the only weapon to have killed more people in its’ production than were actually killed in its deployment – it is known that over 20,000 people died in the hellish conditions in the Mittelwerk.

Back to the present day and far happier times, despite our worries over Brexit, potential prime ministers, world leaders etc etc. The building that absolutely dominates the landscape is the huge power station that survived the allied bombing and was in use until sometime in the 1960’s. Huge amounts of power were required to produce the fuel for the bombs, the fuel consisting of a mixture of ethanol, liquid oxygen and water. This explosive mixture produced enough power to drive the V2 into space and deliver over 1000kg of warhead onto targets up to 200 miles away. On the site, adjacent to the power station, are accurate replicas of the V1 and V2 flying bombs. The V2, painted in black and white (easier to observe in flight) and with a painted lady on the body (taken from a film called ‘the woman in the moon , a hit in 1929) dominates the scene but the Doodlebug, on its hydraulic catapult, is pretty impressive too. This catapult could accelerate the V1 to something like 350 kph before the rockets of the bomb took over to send it on its’ way (22,000 of them in all). Near to these weapons and quite incongruously, are some train carriages. The site was so extensive that it had its’ own rail network, taking its workers to and from their accommodation to their work locations, just like a ‘normal’ town.

We spent about three hours exploring the power station and absorbing the information on all the exhibits, both there and in the ancillary buildings. For me the thing that stands out was the extent of the vision, they were very serious in their endeavours to produce and refine these super-weapons and the expertise garnered was used extensively by the allies and the USSR post war to develop their respective ballistic missile weaponry and of course, extraterrestrial rocketry. For us the most famous name was Werner von Braun, who contributed massively to the US program and who’s questionable, to say the least, politics was disregarded by the authorities.

Back on board we had a short spell of relaxation before joining Mike & Jacky of Condor on board Paddington V and James & Carol served Pimms and little sandwiches consisting of cucumber and smoked salmon – how delightfully English! After an hour or so it was time to join the group barbecue. Here in the marina they provide two covered barbecue areas and some of the others had already lit the coals so that everything was ready. I also broke out my new Cobb barbecue and put it through its’ paces. One rather amusing fact was, that tonight we were going to have an alcohol free night, so we’d brought tonics and squash only. The trouble is, we couldn’t resist the Pimms from the Littlewoods (on request, it was very weak) but sadly now neither could we resist the offer of free wine, c/o the CA! When that ran out I was seen scrounging some more, from other people, to my eternal shame!! A great evening, enjoyed by all.