village, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (Mecklenburg–West Pomerania) Land (state), northeastern Germany, at the northwestern end of Usedom Island in the estuarine mouth of the Peene River on the Baltic Sea coast. It was mentioned as a fishing village in 1282. During World War II it was the site of the chief German research and testing facility for rockets and missiles (the so-called V-weapons), which were eventually used against England during the Blitz. Although the site was known to the Allies, it was not bombed until August 1943 by the Royal Air Force. It was captured by Soviet troops in April 1945 and used as a military base by Warsaw Pact forces until 1989 and by German forces thereafter. Pop. (2005) 342.