The Vergeltungswaffe-2 (V-2) was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile, invented by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Wehrmacht began using the V-2s in September 1944, and over 3,000 V-2s were launched against Allied targets in London, Antwerp, and Liege. 9,000 civilians and military personnel were killed in V-2 strikes, and 12,000 forced laborers and concentration camp prisoners died while being forced to produce the weapons. The United States later employed Wernher von Braun and several other V-2 scientists at its Redstone Arsenal as a part of Operation Paperclip.