WWII Vengeance 2 V-2 Rocket Relic Plaque - Full Color 8"x10"

V-2 rocket fragments - launched on 2 March 1945

This relic on display comes from the remains of a V-2 rocket, recovered near Chigwell, UK, just three miles from the London/Essex border. Between 1944 and 1945, a total of 13 V-2 rockets impacted Chigwell, with two striking on the same day—March 2, 1945. These attacks were part of Nazi Germany's relentless campaign against Britain during the final stages of World War II.

After researching the location where these fragments were excavated coupled with eye witness accounts which sets the date of the attack, we were able to unarchive the German records of that day and pieced together the pertinent details about the exact launch. Here's the story -

2 March 1945, 20 German soldiers and engineers of the Artillery Regiment 1./902 assembled at the Hoek van Holland V-2 Missle launch site in Holland to prepare 22 V-2 launches against London that day. Freshly supplied from the local railway, the 22,000 lb. rocket was filled with liquid propellant (ethanol & oxygen) and was prepared for launch. At precisely 5:35 am, the launch control officer yelled the final command, "Hauptstufe!" and the rocket roared into the air.

A mere 296 seconds later (at 3,500 mph or Mach 2.35), the rocket descended and exploded in an open field 3 miles northeast of London near Chigwell. Upon impact, a small house just 700 meters away was damaged. Just 7 minutes later, a second V-2 exploded, this time in the air, only 300 meters from the previous impact.

This original V-2 fragment was recovered from this area near Chigwell. It is unknown which of those two rockets this artifact originated from.

The V-2 rocket, officially known as the "Vergeltungswaffe 2" (Vengeance Weapon 2), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. It represented a significant leap in military technology, using liquid-fueled engines to propel it to heights of over 50 miles and speeds of more than 3,500 miles per hour. This made the V-2 nearly impossible to intercept, giving it the ability to rain destruction without warning. Upon re-entry into the atmosphere, the rocket would dive at supersonic speeds toward its target, detonating with a force of nearly 1 ton of explosives.

V-2 Rocket - National AIr and Space Museum