Project Big Ben facts for kids
Big Ben was a secret British project during World War II. Its main goal was to study and rebuild captured German rockets, especially the powerful V-2 rocket. These rockets were a new and dangerous weapon used by Germany.
The British wanted to understand how the V-2 rockets worked. This would help them find ways to defend against them. It would also help them develop their own rocket technology.
Getting the V-2 Rockets
Britain managed to get parts of these rockets in two main ways:
From Sweden
On July 31, 1944, the United Kingdom made a deal with Sweden. Britain traded some of its Supermarine Spitfires (famous fighter planes) for the broken pieces of a V-2 rocket. This rocket had crashed in Sweden. Experts at Farnborough Airfield then started trying to put the pieces back together.
From Poland
In late July 1944, the Polish resistance movement, also known as Armia Krajowa, had a big success. They carried out a secret mission called Operation Most III. During this mission, they managed to capture a V-2 rocket that was still mostly in one piece.
This rocket had been launched for a test flight near the Pustkow Testing Centre. It failed to explode and landed without breaking apart. The Polish resistance secretly recovered it from the Bug River and then carefully moved it to London. This intact rocket was very valuable for the "Big Ben" project.
Why Study the V-2?
Studying the V-2 rockets was very important for the Allies (the countries fighting against Germany). By understanding the V-2's design and how it flew, scientists and engineers could learn more about rocket technology. This knowledge helped them to develop better defenses and also to advance their own rocket programs after the war.