Greifswalder Oie
Greifswalder Oie (literally "Greifswald's isle") is a small island in the Baltic Sea, located east of Rügen on the German coast. The island covers an area of about 54 hectares.[1]
[edit] History
Around 1929 Johannas Winkler experimented with small LOX methane rockets off the Island of Greifawalder. (ref. "Reaching for the Stars", Erik Bergaust, Doubleday). The island was a restricted military space from 1936 to 1991, first under control of Nazi Germany and then the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).[1] Between 1937 and 1945 numerous rockets were launched from Greifswalder Oie. In an operation designated Lighthouse, Wernher von Braun oversaw attempts to launch A3 rockets in December 1937, each of which failed.[2] Between 1938 and 1942 the island was the scene for the nearly successful launches of the A5 rockets. Also twenty-eight A4/V2 rockets were launched vertically from Greifswalder Oie between 1943 and 1945. These launches were made in order to observe the reentrance of the rockets into the atmosphere. A successful launch of an A4 on October 3, 1942 penetrated earth's atmosphere and became the first man made object to go into space. The island was known as Peenemunde during WWII and after.
[edit] Current condition
As of the 2000s, the islet is an uninhabited sea bird reserve,[1] save for a single man who works the light house, manages the small emergency yacht harbor (depth ca. 1.6m / 6 ft), and creates outdoor art objects that he scatters along a path that circles the island. There is an infrequent ferry service from Peenemünde and Karlshagen.[1]
[edit] References
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Coordinates: 54°15′N 13°55′E / 54.25°N 13.917°E
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