Germans were the first with useable atomics?!?

[Occhidiangela]

I have recollections of that as well.  There was some follow-up research that dealt with Heisenberg's journals and the Farm Hall transcripts that seem to indicate that Heisenberg and several other German physicists were doing what they could to hold things back, either by focusing research efforts elsewhere or introducing deliberate miscalculations.  But so much of that is hard to prove and much of what could prove it is still classified.

It is known that the Germans were well ahead of anyone in the field before the war started which makes it somewhat surprising at how little the progressed during.  [right][snapback]70872[/snapback][/right]

Huh? A nation whose infrastrucure and industrial plant was being hammered for two to three years? "Surprising how little they progressed?"

What is impressive is how much they were able to achieve under the conditions. They did not have the free access to all materials via international markets that the US enjoyed during the war, though their ingenuity in developing, for example, synthetic oils and fuels shows how far they pushed the edge of the envelope in "making due."

As to the story's substance: (From the article)

"Karlsch displays a catastrophic lack of understanding of physics," wrote physicist Michael Schaaf, author of a previous book about Nazi atomic experiments, in the Berliner Zeitung newspaper.

"Karlsch has done us a service in showing that German research into uranium went further than we'd thought up till now. But there was not a German atom bomb," he added.

Take it one step further. No bomber to drop it: Hitler and Goerring killed the 4 engine bomber project in 1936-1937ish.

The V program and weaponization of rocket payloads were still being perfected as the war came to a close.

Harrumph.

Occhi