Lehesten
Lehesten | |
|---|---|
|
Coat of arms | |
Location of Lehesten
within Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district | |
Location of Lehesten | |
Lehesten Lehesten | |
| Coordinates: 50°28′32″N 11°26′53″E / 50.47556°N 11.44806°E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Thuringia |
| District | Saalfeld-Rudolstadt |
| Municipal assoc. | Schiefergebirge |
| Subdivisions | 3 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2021–27) | Nicole Vockeroth[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 35.94 km2 (13.88 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 640 m (2,100 ft) |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 1,495 |
| • Density | 41.60/km2 (107.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 07349 |
| Dialling codes | 036653 |
| Vehicle registration | SLF |
| Website | www.lehesten.de |
Lehesten (German pronunciation: [ˈleːəstn̩] ⓘ) is a town in the Thuringian Forest, 20 km southeast of Saalfeld.
World War II V-2 facility
Following the August 1943 decision to move production of the V-2 rocket underground,[3] the German military signed a lease for the Oertelsbruch slate quarry in Lehesten on 15 September 1943.[4] Dr. Martin Schilling, the head of testing at Peenemünde, had selected the site, and 400 engineers were moved there from Peenemünde.[5] Concentration camp labor, held in an on-site camp ("Laura"), constructed the underground factory and helped to operate it.[6] Liquid oxygen production and combustion chamber calibration began in January 1944. Nine oxygen machines were installed and operating by March 1944. In January 1945 an additional three machines were relocated there. The site was evacuated on 13 April 1945 prior to the arrival of Allied troops.[7]
References
- ^ Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht, Freistaat Thüringen, accessed 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden vom Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik" (in German). Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik.
- ^ Neufeld, Michael J (1995). The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile Era. New York: The Free Press. p. 200-201. ISBN 978-0-02-922895-1.
- ^ Gropp, Dorrit (1999). Das Konzentrationslager Aussenkommando Laura und Vorwerk Mitte Lehesten -Testbetrieb für V2-Triebwerke. Westkreuz. p. 25-33.
- ^ Ordway, Frederick I III; Sharpe, Mitchell R. (1979). The Rocket Team. Apogee Books Space Series 36. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. p. 99. ISBN 1-894959-00-0.
- ^ Kessler, Ryszard (1998). Die Hölle im Schieferberg. Erinnerungen an "Laura.". Schwarm Verlag.
- ^ Schmundt-Thomas, Georg (January 2026). "Bottleneck: the supply of liquid oxygen for the German V-2 rocket". Journal of Military History. 90 (1): 86–113.