Peenemünde, northern Germany, on the Baltic Sea. A first prototype of the A-4 rocket (Aggregat-4—later called the V-2 Vergeltungswaffe-2) exploded upon launch. The second prototype also failed. All this while Adolf Hitler in Berlin was raising expectations of these weapons to turn the tide of the war. Finally, on October 3, 1942, the first successful launch took place. Two months later, in December 1942, mass production began.
