Toftoy, Holger N

American Army officer, expert in ordnance, responsible for transferring von Braun's rocket technology to the US in 1945. Commanded Huntsville 1954-1956. Held other rocket development posts until retirement in 1960.

Holger N. Toftoy was a career U.S. Army officer, an expert in ordnance, who was responsible for bringing the German Rocket Team under the leadership of Wernher von Braun to the United States in 1945. He became commander of the Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, in 1954 and worked closely with von Braun's teams in the development of the Redstone and Jupiter missiles. In the aftermath of Sputnik 1 in 1957, he persuaded the Department of Defense to allow the launch of the United States' first Earth-orbiting satellite aboard the Jupiter missile and the result was the orbiting of Explorer 1 on January 31, 1958. He also held a number of other positions in the Army, head of the Rocket Research Branch of the Chief of Ordnance in Washington, DC, and commander of the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. He retired from the Army in 1960 with the rank of major general.