V-2 RocketV 2 rocket display model. The V 2 was launched by Germany against its enemies in WWII and was a ballistic missile of relatively short range, but it foreshadowed the development of a larger liquid propellant rocket engine that was the predecessor of more powerful rocket engines developed for modern space flight. Much of the basic theory used by German scientists in the development of the engine for the V 2 came from experimentation by Dr. Robert