SSPL/Getty Images A team led by Wernher von Braun successfully launched the first black-and-white V2 rocket in 1942. Though a young von Braun dreamed of space exploration, the Nazi regime offered him something irresistible: unlimited funding. Walter Thiel, chief designer of the V2 rocket engine, died in his bed when a bomb struck his stately house. On March 27, 1945, a V2 rocket crashed in Kent, England. Popperfoto via Getty Images V2 rockets were responsible for great loss of life and general havoc during the latter stages of World War II.