• PugJesus@piefed.socialOP
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    2 days ago

    Explanation: As the Nazis focused a great deal of resources on military applications of scientific fields, particularly rocketry (which was not highly prioritized by the Allied governments in WW2), and the Cold War was revving up, a mixture of “They were just apolitical scientists!” and “We’re going to ignore all this slave labor they signed off on” got a large number of Nazi scientists free tickets to comfortable Western countries, particularly the US through Operation Paperclip. And what Cold War drama would be complete without the mirror effort of the opposing side, in the Soviet Operation Osoaviakhim?

    In the admittedly weak defence of the Nazi scientists, many of them weren’t ideologically dedicated Nazis, but ordinary academics who allowed their work to be pressed into service of an abominable cause out of fear or apathy. Some claimed (perhaps truthfully) to have ‘slow-walked’ research; others that they just kept their heads down like good little obedient pawns to avoid getting shot.

    Werner Von Braun in particular should’ve gotten a noose and not a position at NASA, though.