1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss Museum
[CLOSED FOR REDESIGN UNTIL SUMMER OF 2025]
It was called “Operation Paperclip.” As many as 500 German scientists – some of them Nazis, a few of them war criminals – were secretly brought to the United States at the end of World War II to build up America’s aerodynamics and rocketry technology. The aim of the secret program was to capture Nazi military knowledge and technology before the Russians could get their hands on it. The scientists were spread out across several military bases in the south and southwest – including here, at Fort Bliss – and the program was a precursor to NASA.
Fort Bliss is an active military base and access is limited. Please call the First Armored Division and Fort Bliss Museum for detailed visitation instructions. Visitors typically gain access same day.