So, in Gravity's Rainbow, the action happens between the launch and fall of a V-2

[Dave Monroe]

On 7/3/08, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:

> young Richard asked a Pentagon colleague what we would do if nuclear war began. The young Army major laughingly suggested that we go to Ground Zero, which was what the Pentagon staff called the courtyard hamburger stand, and look up to watch the missiles coming in.  ---page 6....

That Neufeld von Braun bio recounts an episode in which, seeing as the
V-2 was, even in its fullest development, hardly a weapon affording
its user pinpoint accuracy (to quote WvB hisself: "Our main objective
for a long time was to make it more dangerous to be in the target area
than to be with the launch crew"), von Braun and Dornberger decided to
observe a test launch FROM target ground zero.  At which time
probability reared its ugly head, vB and D dodging their bullet by
diving quickly behind a mound of dirt or somesuch conveniently nearby
...