I commend to Pynchonites The Style of Connectedness: Gravity's Rainbow and Thomas Pynchon, by Thomas Moore. Moore observes that the V-2 fits both the 19th- (fuel burning) and 20th-Century (informational) senses for an automaton. Moore, The Style of Connectedness, p173 The Style of Connectedness: Gravity's Rainbow and Thomas Pynchon Thomas Moore University of Missouri (May 1, 1987) ISBN-13: 978-0826206251 Link to Google Books