Redstone Arsenal

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Redstone Arsenal
Entrance to the Redstone Arsenal
Entrance to the Redstone Arsenal
Location in Alabama
Redstone Arsenal, Alabama
Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal
Basic data
Foundation : 1941
State : United States
State : Alabama
County : Madison County
Coordinates : 34 ° 39 ′  N , 86 ° 40 ′  W Coordinates: 34 ° 39 ′  N , 86 ° 40 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 2,365 (as of: 2000)
Population density : 115.9 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 20.4 km 2  (approx. 8 mi 2 )
FIPS : 01-63912
GNIS ID : 2512509
Website : www.redstone.army.mil
The first building in 1941
Grenade production 1942
Inspection of the Redstone Arsenal in February 1956. Front row v. l. From right: Navy Secretary of State Charles S. Thomas , Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson , Army Secretary of State Wilber M. Brucker ; Upper row v. l. To the right: ABMA Commander Major General JB Medaris , Assistant Secretary of Naval Aviation James H. Smith, and Lieutenant General James M. Gavin and WE Martin - both responsible for research and development in the Army
Missiles in the Redstone Arsenal

The Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville , Madison County , Alabama is a US Army site . It is known today primarily by Headquartered here Marshall Space Flight Center of NASA . The name Redstone is derived from the predominantly red earth in the area.

history

In World War II

In mid-1941, when the USA became involved in World War II , Congress decided to build additional weapons production facilities. Redstone Arsenal was one of two chemical weapons factories in Huntsville. The second was called Huntsville Arsenal .

While several chemical plants were built in the Huntsville Arsenal to manufacture the warfare agents, the Redstone Arsenal included a filling system for grenades . There was a small barracks settlement for the army employees , where there was also an infirmary and a post office. A larger building was built for the administration and accommodation of the officers. A 75-mile rail system was built to connect the factories across the Huntsville area.

At the end of 1941, the procurement of raw materials and the recruitment of workers began. The production facility officially opened on February 5, 1942. Now the construction of a large arsenal began. The production of different colored fog substances and fire accelerators began in the chemical plants of Huntsville in March 1942. Shortly afterwards, the production lines for the production of chlorine and mustard gas were also started. The ammunition filling at the Redstone Arsenal could now begin.

From September 1942, smoke gas hand grenades with smoke substances in different colors were also manufactured. Shortly afterwards, production could also be expanded to include larger smoke canisters. Tear gas grenades and phosphorus bullets were added in 1943. At the beginning of 1943 the first test firing system for grenades went into operation, and in the middle of the year a larger area with targets for test bombs was opened.

Between March 1942 and September 1945, despite several fatal accidents, more than 45.2 million ammunition units were produced on the Redstone Arsenal site. In mid-1944 6,707 civilian employees were working on the site. After the end of the Second World War, weapons production ceased and the site temporarily served as an interim storage facility for chemical weapons that were never used until their destruction could begin.

The rocket era

The first contact with the rocket industry came about with the so-called Fred Project , a program to develop liquid fuels for propelling rockets . In Florida, two JB-2 missiles (which were similar to the German V1 ) were successfully tested.

After even automobiles were manufactured in the old production facilities in the meantime, the US Army decided in October 1948 to set up a research and development center for missiles here. In 1949, several companies that developed rocket fuel settled there. The first order was the construction of a rocket motor for an armor-piercing missile.

On October 28, 1949 it was decided that the group around Wernher von Braun , who carried out their missile tests at Fort Bliss , Texas , should be moved to Huntsville. She arrived in April 1950. For the first ten years, the army was engaged in the development of short and long-range military missiles. But when the space race began, space travel was supported more and more. With the help of the rocket unit of the Redstone Arsenal, the USA succeeded on January 31, 1958 in launching Explorer 1, its first satellite with a Jupiter C rocket.

On July 1, 1960, the Redstone Arsenal space program was officially transferred to NASA with the establishment of the Marshall Space Flight Center . The US Army now only developed missiles for military purposes.

The old missile test rig at the Redstone Arsenal has been preserved as a monument and was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a construction on May 13, 1976 . On October 3, 1985, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark .

Military missiles developed at the Redstone Arsenal

  • Honest John ( large caliber artillery rocket )
  • Corporal (surface-to-surface missile also with a nuclear warhead )
  • Lacrosse (surface-to-surface missile also with a nuclear warhead)
  • Loki (surface-to-air missile)
  • Major (formerly Hermes ) (surface-to-surface missile)
  • Nike (Nike Ajax, Nike Hercules) (surface-to-air missile)
  • Redstone (surface-to-surface missile also with a nuclear warhead, later also used by NASA for space travel)
  • Hawk (surface-to-air missile)
  • Dart (anti-tank missile)
  • Vanguard
  • Sergeant (surface-to-surface missile)
  • LittleJohn ( surface-to-surface artillery missile also with nuclear warhead)
  • Jupiter (surface-to-surface missile also with a nuclear warhead, based on the Redstone)
  • Redeye (surface-to-air missile)
  • Pershing (surface-to-surface missile also with a nuclear warhead)
  • Dragon (anti-tank missile)
  • Lance (surface-to-surface missile also with a nuclear warhead)
  • TOW (anti-tank missile)
  • Patriot (surface-to-air missile)
  • Stinger & Avenger (surface-to-air missile)
  • Javelin (anti-tank missile)

Web links

Commons : Redstone Arsenal  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Redstone Test Stand in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed July 26, 2017
  2. ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Alabama. National Park Service , accessed July 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ HONEST JOHN ( Memento from November 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ CORPORAL ( Memento of March 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ LACROSSE ( Memento of October 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ THE NIKE SITE ( Memento from November 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ REDSTONE ( Memento from December 6, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ HAWK ( Memento from November 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ DART ( Memento from November 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  10. ↑ REDEYE ( Memento from November 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ LITTLEJOHN ( Memento of July 4, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ History of the JUPITER Missile System ( Memento from June 3, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ↑ The PERSHING Project Office ( Memento from June 23, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ↑ The PERSHING Project Office ( Memento from June 23, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  15. ↑ DRAGON ( Memento from November 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  16. ↑ LANCE ( Memento of February 21, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  17. ^ TOW ( Memento from November 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  18. ↑ PATRIOT ( Memento from September 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  19. ↑ STINGER / AVENGER ( Memento from November 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ↑ JAVELIN ( Memento from February 15, 2001 in the Internet Archive )