A rare World War II-era V-2 rocket has been uncovered by a team of amateur archaeologists after they were asked to examine several craters at a former Nazi test site.

The discovery was made in Blizna, near Rzeszow in Poland, at the former German missile testing range, with details released on November 15.

Authorities had invited history and military enthusiasts to inspect several craters at the location, which Nazi Germany used to test its V-2 long-range missiles.

Officials said the guided missiles were produced towards the end of the war and were among the first rockets to reach the edge of space. Few examples survived because most were destroyed on impact.

Archaeologists from the DENAR Kalisz historical association and a local V-2 search group participated in the excavation, using an excavator to lift rocket parts from one of the craters.

The item turned out to be a test model used for training purposes.

DENAR Kalisz said its team recovered a large engine element with 18 injectors that pumped fuel composed of 75 per cent ethyl alcohol and liquid oxygen, as well as the training warhead, with its second segment jammed inside.

The group said that 'for a moment' they were 'in space again'.

The association noted that the missile had crashed shortly after launch during wartime tests. Its warhead did not detonate because it was a training model without explosives. Combat V-2 warheads carried around 780 kilogrammes of TNT, which typically destroyed the rockets on impact.

The archaeologists said the fuel inside the missile - more than four tonnes of ethyl alcohol and liquid oxygen - detonated instead, burying the front section.

A museum now stands at the Blizna site to recall the history of the WWII-era test range. The museum described the discovery as extraordinary.