Bromskirchen

The tiny town of Bromskirchen, located northeast of Westerwald, was captured by Combat Command B of the American Third Armored Division on March 29, 1945. A train was coming into Bromskirchen and at the head of the line was an oil-fired locomotive, and further back was a coal-fired locomotive. After moving a few miles the train came to a stop near Bromskirchen because the coal-powered locomotive ran out of water. The operators did not want to be stuck there in the open. Quickly they disconnected the train in the middle, and the first half of the train continued under the power of the oil locomotive toward Winterberg. For some reason, this portion of the train only made it to the tunnel at the Brilon Forest. When it was discovered by the Americans later that day, they found seven railway cars, each containing 12 V-2 warheads, one car containing boxes of carbon-graphite V-2 rudders, fuses, batteries, and cans of calcium permanganate.

The remaining section of the train, with the steam locomotive, waited about 20 minutes at Bromskirchen to fill up with water. Suddenly an American tank appeared on the road and opened fire on the train with its machine guns. The locomotive received a direct hit, damaging the main steam pipes and leaving a large hole in the side of the locomotive. The railway workers jumped from the train and escaped. The Americans found ten railway cars containing nine damaged and partially burned V-2s, plus the scattered parts of another V-2 and some warheads. Elements of the Third Armored Division also captured a factory nearby located at Hatzfeld, which contained several intact V-2 rockets.

In early April 1945 members of the western press got their first chance to see the infamous German V-weapon up close. The discovery was in the limelight for several days. Even Supreme Allied Commander General Eisenhower travelled to the zone to scrutinize the curious find, as English and American newsreels reported his inspection in detail.