Project Raderach – Friedrichshafen as the cradle of aviation and aerospace 

Friedrichshafen and its surroundings are not only an important center of aviation and aerospace today, but can also look back on a long history rich in tradition in this field. Particularly well known are Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the Zeppelin University named after him and Dornier-Werke, which is now largely integrated into the Airbus Group.

However, the region also holds a less glorious chapter in aerospace history: the Peenemünde Army Research Institute, under the direction of Wernher von Braun, operated a test site here for the development of aggregate rockets - the precursors of the later Saturn V and Ariane rockets. In particular, the infamous V2 (Vergeltungswaffe 2), which was used against the enemies of National Socialist Germany during the Second World War, was tested here. The site was located in today's Friedrichshafen district Raderach (former Oberraderach. Shortly before the end of the war, the site was almost completely destroyed, later used by French troops as a training ground and today serves as a garbage dump. 

The deliberate destruction of files by the Nazi regime and the destruction of the site make it extremely difficult today to reconstruct the exact events at the test center. Who was involved? What experiments were carried out? And what influence did the site have on V2 production? We at SeeSat e.V. have set ourselves the task of researching these questions. In doing so, we are venturing out of our previous comfort zone - from purely technical projects to an in-depth historical reappraisal. 

But the history of Oberraderach raises even more questions. The renowned physicist Erich Regener, who was awarded the Grand Prix for Military Aviation and Aviation Industry at the Paris World Exhibition in 1937, ran the so-called Lake Constance Laboratory in Friedrichshafen until 1938. However, his career was brought to an abrupt end by the political persecution of the National Socialists - he lost his professorship at the Technical University of Stuttgart. Nevertheless, he did not give up his research: He founded a private research institute in Friedrichshafen, which was incorporated into the Kaiser Wilhelm Society (now the Max Planck Society) in the same year. There he carried out pioneering work for German aerospace research. His main concern was the exploration of the stratosphere, for which he developed the so-called “Regener buoy”, which was to be launched on board an A4 rocket to an altitude of 60 km and take measurements. 

Our long-term goal with Project Raderach is to establish a museum that documents the history of the Peenemünde Army Experimental Station, the physicist Erich Regener and his pioneering research at Lake Constance. We are currently sifting through hundreds of thousands of pages of files and working with historians and archivists worldwide to understand the complex relationships and bring the story to light. In the next phase, we will reconstruct many of the devices and inventions of the time in order to make the scientific achievements and historical developments tangible for posterity. 

The idea for the project arose following the BVSR conference, when a group of participants led by Thomas Kliebenschädel visited the former test and acceptance site for Aggregat 4 rockets. The historical significance of the facility and the impressive technical legacy led to the decision to actively support the research and documentation of this early phase of high-altitude research.

Do you have any questions or comments? We’d be happy to hear from you – just send a message to history@seesat.eu