German WW2 Nuclear Research

There has been much written over the years as to just how close the Nazis were to either producing a viable nuclear bomb, or a dirty bomb. I seem to remember reading somewhere recently that more soc called secrets about this may be revealed. That the American Forces either near to, or at the end of hostlities in Europe, rounded up personnel and materials from varies sites and shipped them off to the States. There was also a story of one of the large German subs making a trip out to Japan with alleged cargo of U232 or similar material for the Japs to make 'dirty bombs' against the invading American forces. However this sub was supposed to have been sunk somewhere?

Was this all just myths and legends of how far advanced the German technological developments during WW2, or was there any truth in any of these 'stories', and were there ever any Allied documentation released in recent years about this for public interest/historical research etc.   

Wasn't the movie The Heroes of Telemark based on a real incident whereby the allies sank a ship to prevent the transfer of heavy water from Norway to Germany?  Heavy water at the time being needed for German atomic weapon research?

Then there's all of the time and effort the RAF spent bombing the missile site at Pennemunde.

When you think of how the Americans and Russians rushed to get as many of the German scientists as each of them could, along with all of the technology that they could get their hands on, I would think that the Germans had something the allies wanted.

But, that's just my view.

Cheers,
Dan.

[quote="unclevanya"]

Was this all just myths and legends of how far advanced the German technological developments during WW2, or was there any truth in any of these 'stories' ?......

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All true by all accounts & there's been a load of TV progs on advanced German weaponry. In aviation the Germans were in the lead, though, to some extent, we lagged behind a bit because Allied air superiority and the end of the war in sight both slowed down an Allied need for advanced aircraft. For example, the Germans produced and used the first ejector seats, their axial flow jet engines had less frontal area and less drag than Whittle's centrifugal flow system. Swept wings on the Me 262 were another German first, though this arrangement was introduced to adjust the centre of gravity when a tricycle undercarriage replaced the earlier tail dragger with jet exhausts which tore the tarmac to bits.

The US and Russians swooped down to grab rocket experts. The Germans had experimented with rocketry in the early '30s, both for propulsion systems and for an experimental and far fetched postal application. Their V2 was rhe first
step towards an ICBM, the Me 163 and Natter rocket powered point defence interceptor fighters were flying before we had anything similar on the drawing board. Long range U Boats were used to communicate with their Japanese allies, and possibly transported the aircraft engine & cannon examples which the Japs put into production.

Watched a program on TV recently about how advanced in ideas the Germans were in the possibility of flying long range missions to bomb New York. Even a added feature of a piggy back rocket

This might give an answer to the question.



http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/nazi-nuclear-bomb-venture-may-taken-place-austrian-tunnels.html

Great article Hardrations. I suppose Canada was in the frame as well as the US for being attacked.