Wikipedia

Walther Johannes Riedel

Not to be confused with Walter Riedel, another German rocket engineer.

Walther Johannes Riedel (January 23, 1903 - November 16, 1974) was a rocket engineer who worked on the German V-2 and Wasserfall rockets before later working for North American Aviation.

Riedel in 1949

Career

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In 1929, Riedel graduated from the Technische Hochschule in Berlin (now Technische Universität Berlin); From 1936 to 1946, he directed development of liquid-fueled rockets at Peenemünde.[1][2] In 1942, Reidell was chief of design on the V-2.[3]

During the US occupation of Germany, Riedel was arrested and jailed.[4] German rocket scientists including Riedel were sent to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip.[5] In 1946, he was profiled for cooperating with authorities at Fort Bliss, Texas.[6] One article featured Riedel's complaints that American food was tasteless compared to that of his native Germany.[7][8] On December 30, Albert Einstein and the American Federation of Scientists authored a letter in protest.[8] Riedel was employed by North American Aviation which sought to recreate and improve upon the V-2.[9]

In 1949, the United Press quoted Riedel's prediction of space ships in 25 years.[10] He was against profiled in 1949 for his work at North American Aviation's plant in Downey, California.[11][12] Letters to the editor featured a complaint about the piece's positive treatment of Riedel.[13][8]

In 1953, he was denounced by fellow NAA employee Victor Black, leading to an interview with the CIA.[14]

He returned to West Germany and died in Hamburg in 1974.[15]

Reference

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  1. ^ "Rotarians Will Hear Walther Riedel, German Technician". The Southwest Wave. April 15, 1948. p. 23 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Brown, Brian (November 5, 2019). Someone Is Out to Get Us: A Not So Brief History of Cold War Paranoia and Madness. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5387-0023-5 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Neufeld, Michael (April 12, 2017). Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-525-43591-4 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Jacobsen, Annie (February 11, 2014). Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America. Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-22105-4 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "The Golden Age of Aerospace". April 4, 2023.
  6. ^ "Article clipped from El Paso Herald-Post". El Paso Herald-Post. December 5, 1946. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "American Cooking 'Tasteless,' Says German Rocket Scientist; Dislikes 'Rubberized Chicken'". El Paso Herald-Post. December 6, 1946. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c Brzezinski, Matthew (September 18, 2007). Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-8050-8147-3 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "ch1". www.hq.nasa.gov.
  10. ^ "Space Ship Seen as Possible But Not in the Near Future". The Sentinel. April 20, 1949. p. 18 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Designer of German V-2 Now Works to Aid US". The Los Angeles Times. March 13, 1949. p. 33 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "V-2 Designer Helping U.S." The Terre Haute Tribune. March 24, 1949. p. 28 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Achievement in Woe". The Los Angeles Times. March 17, 1949. p. 32 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Moseley, James W. (November 2, 2010). Shockingly Close to the Truth!: Confessions of a Grave-Robbing Ufologist. Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-61592-541-4 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ "Riedel, Walther". www.astronautix.com.
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