Walter Dornberger (September 6, 1895 – June 27, 1980) was a German rocket engineer and military officer, best known for leading the development of the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany. Born in Giessen, he served in World War I and later focused on rocketry. In the 1930s, he became a key figure in the German Army's rocket program, overseeing the Peenemünde facility where the V-2, the world's first long-range ballistic missile, was created. After the war, he was captured by the United States and contributed to American rocket projects, eventually settling in the U.S. His work profoundly influenced modern spaceflight and missile technology, but remains controversial due to his association with the Nazi regime.
