• zifnab25 [he/him, any]
    ·
    1 year ago

    I mean, if we're going to be serious, the USSR had its own version of Operation Paperclip. Operation Osoaviakhim

    In 1945 and 1946 the use of German expertise was invaluable in reducing the time needed to master the intricacies of the V-2 rocket, establishing production of the R-1 rocket and enable a base for further developments.

    ...

    On arrival the 302 Germans were split into several groups. A large group of 99 specialists from the Zentralwerke was installed in Podlipki in the north east section of Moscow as part of Korolev's NII-88, 76 design engineers were transferred to Gorodomlya Island, and 23 specialists to Khimki as part of Glushko's OKB-456 for the development of rocket engines.

    But once the Germans had been pumped for info, they fell by the wayside. The difference between Russians and Americans was that the Russians didn't put German scientists in administrative positions. They just squeezed them for their findings and retired them. The scientists didn't end up running the fucking departments.

      • zifnab25 [he/him, any]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        In fairness, the Russians had one big advantage the Americans didn't..

        Russian scientists.

        But my point is more that they had no compunction over taking German scientists when presented with the opportunity.

          • vaalla@discuss.tchncs.de
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            They had a lot of excellent scientists.

            Fun fact, the math behind radar stealth was developed by a Russian scientists and was ignored in URSS because it had a shit title. US delayed translating it because they didn't undersrand the title. After a few years somebody at lockeed marting found it and realized what it meant. I think F-117 was developed based on that.