Her life was a tale of two countries and two continents.
Maria von Braun had stood beside her husband, Dr. Wernher von Braun, as he developed the German V2 rocket program, which terrorized England in World War II. After the Allies defeated Germany, those two and 1,600 other German rocket scientists made a remarkably smooth transition, ending in Huntsville, where they started and ran the U.S. space program.
That space program continues to operate strongly in Huntsville, but the German-American era is now over. Maria von Braun died January 20 at the age of 96.
“Maria von Braun was a beloved friend, philanthropist, and advocate for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center,” Rocket Center CEO and executive director Dr. Kimberly Robinson said. “Maria’s enduring legacy in Huntsville has shaped the city’s rich history in space exploration and education.”
Along with her husband, Maria von Braun was a cornerstone of the Huntsville community for many years and was instrumental in supporting the rocket center’s mission.
Mrs. von Braun’s life was memorialized in a historical novel aptly named “The German Wife.” It was written by Australian novelist Kelly Rimmer. It is a dramatized telling of “the father of space travel,” Dr. Werhner von Braun and his wife Maria – how they transcended from successful Nazis to successful Americans.
Dr. von Braun, along with his fictional counterpart, Jurgens Rhodes, was the quintessential rocket scientist. He was fascinated by and experimented with building rockets since he was a teenager. His education and early job experience continued his development as the rocket man.
The logical German scientist to head the development of their rocket program was von Braun. Nazi leadership had realized he was a valuable asset to the war effort. On one hand, they treated him, Maria and their family well. On the other hand, they closely monitored and guarded them. The von Brauns and their fictionalized characters, the Rhodes, were virtual prisoners in their homes and workplaces.
The von Braun team produced remarkable and fast results. Their final product, the V-2 rocket, was fired hundreds of times against London and other targets. The V-2 killed an estimated 5,000 people. The Allies knew this. They knew who von Braun and the team were and their strategic value.
The United States and the Soviet Union both wanted von Braun and his team. Both were marching toward the rocket facilities in April 1945.
After Germany lost the war, von Braun surrendered to American forces in Germany in April 1945. He and Maria were quietly moved to rural Germany, then to Fort Bliss, Texas, and finally to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The rest is history.
The Huntsville presence of the German scientists and families was not without controversy. Most of the German scientists had been members of the Nazi party. They said they had to be party members or face imprisonment or execution. Some were members of the militant SS. Few were active in party activities, working overtime to design what became the V-2 rocket. Some of the workers on the rockets were slave labor and prisoners, including many Jews.
Now, the scientists who had enabled the deadly V-2 were working for the victorious other side right here in Huntsville.
In historical fiction, the outline of what happened is known to the author and often to the reader. The novelist creates the drama and dialogue within the framework of known historical facts.
That is the case in “The German Wife.” Maria von Braun and the German families were strangers in a strange land. Huntsville folks were naturally distrustful. They felt the German newcomers had escaped justice, which they had witnessed in televised trials at Nuremberg. Even some other German families in Huntsville were negative toward the von Brauns because of his SS membership.
The book is available on Amazon.com in hardback, paperback, Kindle and audiobook.
The rocket program was eventually a success, a great American success story headquartered in Huntsville, which came to be known as “the Rocket City.” This novel is about how Maria von Braun and the other German families related to others in Huntsville during this great endeavor.
After reading this novel set during the start of the space program, you will see why Huntsville should be the home of the new Space Command headquarters.
The family has asked that memorial donations be made in Maria von Braun’s name to the newly renovated Rocket Park at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Space Camp scholarships or the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
