Famous Scientist Magnus von Braun

Magnus von Braun

Magnus "Mac" Freiherr von Braun (10 May 1919 – 21 June 2003) was a German chemical engineer, Luftwaffe aviator, and rocket scientist at Peenemünde, the Mittelwerk, and after emigrating to the United States via Operation Paperclip, at Fort Bliss. He was the brother of Wernher von Braun.

Von Braun was born in Greifswald, Pomerania, to Magnus Freiherr von Braun and Emmy von Quistrop. After completing boarding school at Hermann Lietz-Schule in Spiekeroog, he began his studies in 1937 at Technische Universität München. There he remained after receiving his Masters degree in organic chemistry, and became an assistant to Nobel laureate Hans Fischer.

Von Braun arrived at Peenemünde in July 1943 at the request of Wernher von Braun. In March 1944 he was arrested with fellow rocket specialists Wernher von Braun, Klaus Riedel, Helmut Gröttrup, and Hannes Lüersen, but was later released.

Von Braun arrived in New York on 16 November 1945 aboard the SS Argentina and was soon at work at Fort Bliss, Texas and later at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. He became a US citizen and produced a version of A Christmas Carol, but with the future in the year 2000 and 88-year-old Wernher von Braun seeing man's first flight into space.

 Von Braun was interrogated as a witness for the Andrae war crimes trial in which Mittelwerk general manager Georg Rickhey was acquitted. Fort Bliss Army CIC agents believed Magnus von Braun was a "dangerous German Nazi", with one agent remarking, "his type is a worse threat to security than a half a dozen discredited SS Generals."

After evacuating from Nordhausen, Magnus von Braun was at the Behelfsheim in Weilheim when Wernher von Braun arrived there from Oberammergau on April 14, 1945. The next day, Magnus had arrived at the Haus Ingeborg in Oberjoch by the end of the day. When Huzel became von Braun's assistant, Dr. Kurt Debus became Engineer in Charge of Test Stand VII -- Huzel had served since May 1944 after replacing his old friend Hartmut Kuechen.

 
The Mittelwerk was designated for production after the August 17, 1944 Operation Hydra bombing of Peenemunde, and production started well afterward, so Magnus von Braun's claim that he was selected to transfer in October 1943 is inaccurate.

After hearing the radio report of Hitler's death, Wernher von Braun announced to his group early in the morning of May 3, 1945 that "Magnus, who speaks English, has just left by bicycle to establish contact with the American forces at Reutte

In 1955, he began a career with Chrysler -- first in the missile division and then in the automotive division. After living in Michigan, he relocated to the UK, working in London and Coventry as Chrysler UK export director. Magnus also resided in Huntsville, Alabama, for a while.

 
He retired from Chrysler in 1975 and returned to the States, where he settled in Arizona and resided until his death.