Rumbke rocket test site
The Rumbke rocket test site (now Rąbka ) was a test site for the German Air Force not far from Leba in the middle of today's Slowinzi National Park during World War II .
history
The Leba military training area is located in the dune area . Among other things, desert warfare was practiced there. At the beginning of the war, a squadron with seaplanes was stationed on Lake Leba . In the immediate vicinity, the rocket testing center was set up in cooperation with Rheinmetall-Borsig to test above all surface-to-air missiles of the Rhine daughter type . The rockets were fired into the sea, where they could not cause any damage. The island of Bornholm also served as an observatory . In the fall of 1943, the first prototype was launched from an 8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun, which was extended with a 3.5 meter long slide. In December 1944, the rocket tests were moved to the Heidelager SS military training area. The test site was abandoned on January 29, 1945 and cleared by February 26, 1945. Between 1963 and 1973, 33 Polish Meteor sounding rockets were launched here .
Status
Today a museum has been set up. There are bunkered observation and measuring stands. Some of the launch sites are decorated with replicas.
Tested objects
There were no tests with the retaliatory weapons V1 and V2 on the site .
literature
- Thomas Stamm-Kuhlmann: Rocket armor and international security from 1942 to today (= historical messages on behalf of the Ranke Society, vol. 56). Wiesbaden 2004.
Coordinates: 54 ° 45 ′ 14 ″ N , 17 ° 30 ′ 18 ″ E