Walther Johannes Riedel

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.

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

Career

In 1929, Riedel graduated from the Technical University of 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
  1. "Rotarians Will Hear Walther Riedel, German Technician". 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 – via Google Books.
  3. Neufeld, Michael (April 12, 2017). "Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War". Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group – via Google Books.
  4. Jacobsen, Annie (February 11, 2014). "Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America". Little, Brown – via Google Books.
  5. "The Golden Age of Aerospace". April 4, 2023.
  6. "Article clipped from El Paso Herald-Post". December 5, 1946. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  7. "American Cooking 'Tasteless,' Says German Rocket Scientist; Dislikes 'Rubberized Chicken'". December 6, 1946. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  8. Brzezinski, Matthew (September 18, 2007). "Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age". Macmillan – via Google Books.
  9. "ch1". www.hq.nasa.gov.
  10. "Space Ship Seen as Possible But Not in the Near Future". April 20, 1949. p. 18 – via newspapers.com.
  11. "Designer of German V-2 Now Works to Aid US". March 13, 1949. p. 33 – via newspapers.com.
  12. "V-2 Designer Helping U.S." March 24, 1949. p. 28 – via newspapers.com.
  13. "Achievement in Woe". 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 – via Google Books.
  15. "Riedel, Walther". www.astronautix.com.
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