Give Credit To The Nazi’s—For The Advancements In Science?

At the closing of the Second World War, there was a mad scramble
between the United States and the former Soviet Union for the best
scientist’s Germany had to offer which contributed to the greatness
of the United States.

It Was Called Project Paperclip

Project paperclip saw the advancement in rocket science, space travel
and possibly medical advancement through human experimentation.
The Stealth Bomber for example is based on a 1944 German design.

Question: Should credit be given to former Nazi Scientists
for the advancements in science?




Respectfully,

The Wanderer

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4443934.stm

They should only get the credit where the credit is due. We didn't get the whole stealth bomber design from Germans - that's completely false. I just watched a documentary on where exactly the ideas came from - they[americans] basically designed the stealth bomber as a large wing.

Edit: Unless you consider these two things very similiar or the same thing:

I think with the stealth fighters/bombers, it was modern computers that finally made it doable, it may have been doable before then if it wasn't for that certain dilemma of getting them to fly safely.

American Dreamer wrote:

They should only get the credit where the credit is due. We didn't get the whole stealth bomber design from Germans - that's completely false. I just watched a documentary on where exactly the ideas came from - they[americans] basically designed the stealth bomber as a large wing. Edit: Unless you consider these two things very similiar or the same thing:

Well I believe the first American flying wing took to the skies about three years before the first German one. After the war the American tinkered with the concept, but kept comming up against one major problem. It could not do the job any better than existing aircraft.

Once the concept of stealth technology came along, there was finally something a wing could do. In reality the stealth bomber is only really good at being Stealthy. It is otherwise out performed by just about every other bomber in the sky.

If anyone is interested, the orginal film of War Of The Worlds 1953, used some very rare footage of a test flight of a B49

In school I did a project on the moon landing and it contained information about Wernher von Braun who was incharge of the German V2 rocket program and later the Saturn rocket program that carried man to the moon. Distorting history and the truth in general is something the nazis often did and I don't think it wouldn't be wise to copy this practise.

Wtf is the premise of this thread? Acknowledging a number of scientific advances as a result of several Nazi's and Hitlers Nazi regime is hardly Nazi sympathy or anything else close enough to make this thread potentially controversial enough to create.

PricklySponge wrote:

Wtf is the premise of this thread? Acknowledging a number of scientific advances as a result of several Nazi's and Hitlers Nazi regime is hardly Nazi sympathy or anything else close enough to make this thread potentially controversial enough to create.

This thread has very little to do with politics or government, science and tech please.

Except for starting a war the killed 55 million people I rather not give the Nazis credit for anything.

Please hold off on the emotions and consider the
thread on a scientific or technological advance-
ment of American society.

If you are still in doubt, there is a source link
and you can read the article where the thread
received inspiration.

Attack the message not the messenger.

Respectfully,

The Wanderer

As far as I know, historians credit the Nazis for the science they did. Although, I think the scientific contributions of German defectors is a bit more significant.

Really, I don't see what the point of the question is. There's really nothing at stake here.

Yes Nazis made some huge advancements in science... This is not debatable.

I believe that they should get some credit because they did advance the future of rockets and aircraft but only were credit is due. Especially the German scientists who escaped Nazi Germany and went to America and so on.

My grandfathers best friend was an aircraft designer. After the war ended he spend many years in the USSR as they had taken him for their research (he had worked for Messerschmitt). The weired thing is, that while he missed his familiy he told me this was better than not being able to continue his work.

On topic yeah they were quite advanced in some areas. I don't know what the OP means by giving them credit for it however. Is it just to aknowledge an obvious fact?

The means does not justify the end.

ericm wrote:

PricklySponge wrote: Wtf is the premise of this thread? Acknowledging a number of scientific advances as a result of several Nazi's and Hitlers Nazi regime is hardly Nazi sympathy or anything else close enough to make this thread potentially controversial enough to create. This thread has very little to do with politics or government, science and tech please.

It's in the forums historical section. It is obviously based on the implications of attributing some advances in humanity to a genocidal regime.

Oh no doubt the Nazi war machine did propel our technological expertise in many fields. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't have been cheering as the bombs fell on their heads.

Inventing a device that saves 1000 lives will not protect you from the law if you murder even 1 person. So any Nazi advancements in science - even if they saved billions of people, which they did not - could not mitigate their crimes.

It's possible that some of the scientists didn't know about the atrocities carried out in their country's name though.

Von Braun is credited with the Apollo space program success. Penamunda birthed many gifted scientists. Half went to Russia, half came here. The ones in Russia were either idolized or murdered. The ones here were either idolized or discredited as Nazi criminals. Take your pick.

The common key was their blood. Jewish. If Americans ever lowered their love of media long enough to read history, they would find the Jew carries blessing with him wherever he goes. But don't take my advise, it is far easier to live in ignorance.

Tepic wrote:

Inventing a device that saves 1000 lives will not protect you from the law if you murder even 1 person. So any Nazi advancements in science - even if they saved billions of people, which they did not - could not mitigate their crimes.

Very true. Your statement reminds me of the popular mindset among the Biblically-ignorant about God's judgement. People, for whatever reason, think that God will let them into heaven because they have done more good than bad. Really? Is that what the earthly judges rule? "Your honor, I should be found not guilty of this crime, even though I am guilty. Yes I killed that man, but look at all of the people I did NOT kill!"
Doesn't work, people. And God is a much more just judge than man... no compromise with him.

while the death of countless innocent and non innocent people alike is saddening, you have to acknowledge that hitler and the nazi were a catalyst for many inventions and groundbreaking discoveries. if we would have not had world war 2 the atomic bomb and atomic energy would not have happend so soon, computer technology, rocket technology, weapon technology, etc.

not to mention God does everything a reason. world war II happend for a REASON