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Stealing Hitler's Rocket: The Incredible Mission to Smuggle a V-2 Rocket Out of Nazi-Occupied Europe to Britain
Not yet published
Expected 15 Sep 26Adolf Hitler's plan to break British morale during the months after the D-Day landings in June 1944 involved the invention and implementation of the world's first rocket delivered warhead – the V1, or 'Doodle Bug' as it was christened by Londoners. Thousands were launched from their sites in the Low Countries against the British capital, killing 6,184 people and injuring 17,981.
As the launch sites for the V1 were captured by Allied forces advancing through Belgium and into the Netherlands, a new, more terrifying rocket now hit London in mid-September, seemingly out of thin air – the V2. A streamlined rocket which stood as tall as a four-storey building, the V2 was highly advanced technology. Powered by a rocket engine burning a mix of alcohol-water and liquid oxygen, it blasted its way to the edge of space, before falling back to Earth at supersonic speed. Unlike the successes allied pilots and anti-aircraft crews had enjoyed shooting down the slower and more cumbersome V1, the V2 struck London almost undetected. It truly was Hitler's terror weapon made devastatingly real, causing over 30,000 casualties and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, with the randomness of the strikes unnerving the British public even though their destructive capacity was less than the Blitz in 1940-41.
But Winston Churchill's intelligence chiefs of SOE had known of the weapon weeks before it first struck the mainland as the Nazi boffins (led by Werner Von Braun who would go onto fame with the US Apollo Missions in the 1960s) tested the V2 in Eastern Europe. Away from prying eyes. Or, so they thought. In Stealing Hitler's Rocket, historian Guy Walters will reveal the true extent to how much we knew of this modern-day weapon and the operation by the Polish resistance to enable Britain and her allies to prepare for the day of reckoning.
As the launch sites for the V1 were captured by Allied forces advancing through Belgium and into the Netherlands, a new, more terrifying rocket now hit London in mid-September, seemingly out of thin air – the V2. A streamlined rocket which stood as tall as a four-storey building, the V2 was highly advanced technology. Powered by a rocket engine burning a mix of alcohol-water and liquid oxygen, it blasted its way to the edge of space, before falling back to Earth at supersonic speed. Unlike the successes allied pilots and anti-aircraft crews had enjoyed shooting down the slower and more cumbersome V1, the V2 struck London almost undetected. It truly was Hitler's terror weapon made devastatingly real, causing over 30,000 casualties and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, with the randomness of the strikes unnerving the British public even though their destructive capacity was less than the Blitz in 1940-41.
But Winston Churchill's intelligence chiefs of SOE had known of the weapon weeks before it first struck the mainland as the Nazi boffins (led by Werner Von Braun who would go onto fame with the US Apollo Missions in the 1960s) tested the V2 in Eastern Europe. Away from prying eyes. Or, so they thought. In Stealing Hitler's Rocket, historian Guy Walters will reveal the true extent to how much we knew of this modern-day weapon and the operation by the Polish resistance to enable Britain and her allies to prepare for the day of reckoning.
- GenresHistory
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 15, 2026
About the author
Guy Walters
24 books72 followersGuy Walters (born 8 August 1971) is a British author, novelist, historian, academic and journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Guy Walters is the author of more than 10 books. Stealing Hitler’s Rocket will be released this coming September. It is the 20th title I’ve completed reading in 2026.
I received an ARC of this book for free through https://www.netgalley.com and I am voluntarily leaving this review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. Due to minor scenes of violence, I categorize this book as PG.
England had already felt the impact of Hitler’s “Vengeance weapons” when Londoners were stunned by the first V2 rocket strike in September 1944. In the months following the D-Day landings, thousands of V1 flying bombs had been launched from sites in the Low Countries against the British capital, killing 6,184 people and injuring 17,981.
The threat from the V1s diminished rapidly as Allied forces advanced through Europe and captured their launch sites. The V2, however, introduced a far more terrifying danger. It struck without warning. The United Kingdom endured more than 1,400 V2 detonations, while Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and even parts of Germany were hit by over 1,700 more.
The V2 itself was a streamlined rocket as tall as a four-story building with remarkably advanced technology for its time. Powered by a mixture of alcohol, water, and liquid oxygen, it blasted to the edge of space before descending at supersonic speed. Unlike the V1, it could not be intercepted or shot down. Its campaign of destruction caused more than 2,000 deaths and over 6,500 serious injuries.
Werner von Braun, long an enthusiastic advocate of rocketry, led the V2’s development at Germany’s Peenemünde research facility. Thanks in part to intelligence provided by the Polish Home Army, the British bombed the site, forcing testing to relocate to Blizna in occupied Poland. During one test, a rocket crashed almost intact near Sarnaki.
Polish underground forces reached the crash site before the Germans. They carefully dismantled the rocket, concealed its components, and later transported them to Warsaw for analysis. When British authorities reviewed the Polish report, they recognized the value of the find and requested the rocket itself.
The Polish Home Army managed to keep the components hidden until they could be handed over. In a daring operation, an RAF Dakota aircraft landed in occupied Poland under cover of darkness, loaded the recovered parts, and flew them back to the United Kingdom.
By the time the V2 was deployed against Allied targets, far more was known about it than was publicly acknowledged. The efforts of the Polish Home Army–both in gathering intelligence and in securing an almost intact rocket–proved a significant boon to the Allied cause.
I enjoyed the 5 hours I spent reading this 304-page WWII-era history. Walters gives an excellent description of the work performed by the Polish Home Army to capture and transfer a nearly complete V2 rocket to the British. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...).
I received an ARC of this book for free through https://www.netgalley.com and I am voluntarily leaving this review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. Due to minor scenes of violence, I categorize this book as PG.
England had already felt the impact of Hitler’s “Vengeance weapons” when Londoners were stunned by the first V2 rocket strike in September 1944. In the months following the D-Day landings, thousands of V1 flying bombs had been launched from sites in the Low Countries against the British capital, killing 6,184 people and injuring 17,981.
The threat from the V1s diminished rapidly as Allied forces advanced through Europe and captured their launch sites. The V2, however, introduced a far more terrifying danger. It struck without warning. The United Kingdom endured more than 1,400 V2 detonations, while Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and even parts of Germany were hit by over 1,700 more.
The V2 itself was a streamlined rocket as tall as a four-story building with remarkably advanced technology for its time. Powered by a mixture of alcohol, water, and liquid oxygen, it blasted to the edge of space before descending at supersonic speed. Unlike the V1, it could not be intercepted or shot down. Its campaign of destruction caused more than 2,000 deaths and over 6,500 serious injuries.
Werner von Braun, long an enthusiastic advocate of rocketry, led the V2’s development at Germany’s Peenemünde research facility. Thanks in part to intelligence provided by the Polish Home Army, the British bombed the site, forcing testing to relocate to Blizna in occupied Poland. During one test, a rocket crashed almost intact near Sarnaki.
Polish underground forces reached the crash site before the Germans. They carefully dismantled the rocket, concealed its components, and later transported them to Warsaw for analysis. When British authorities reviewed the Polish report, they recognized the value of the find and requested the rocket itself.
The Polish Home Army managed to keep the components hidden until they could be handed over. In a daring operation, an RAF Dakota aircraft landed in occupied Poland under cover of darkness, loaded the recovered parts, and flew them back to the United Kingdom.
By the time the V2 was deployed against Allied targets, far more was known about it than was publicly acknowledged. The efforts of the Polish Home Army–both in gathering intelligence and in securing an almost intact rocket–proved a significant boon to the Allied cause.
I enjoyed the 5 hours I spent reading this 304-page WWII-era history. Walters gives an excellent description of the work performed by the Polish Home Army to capture and transfer a nearly complete V2 rocket to the British. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...).
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A well-done book on an unknown mission in WW2. The courage shown by the Polish resistance in getting the rocket at a great peril to their lives. The author does an outstanding job in laying out the German V-rockets and the work to get them into use. The first-hand accounts of the events really bring the story to life. A great read!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Guy Walters has added to his fine body of work with this- an impeccably researched and well written account of how We joined with the Polish resistance to try and combat the appalling threat provided by Hitler’s V2 rocket.
I learned so much and really enjoyed the journey too.
History as captivating as fiction!
I learned so much and really enjoyed the journey too.
History as captivating as fiction!
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February 17, 2026Incredible book very well written. Kept me engaged throughout. A story that should be taught in elementary school. Five stars for sure.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews