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World War II aviation industry German aircraft construction
German Aviation Industry: Aircraft Construction
Figure 1.--One reason that the NAZIs were semingly able to build up the Luftwaffe so quickly was that they inherited a substantial aviation industry. One of the companies was Dornier. Dornier built the giant Do X, the world’s largest ‘flying boat’ (1929). Notice the six double massive engines and double propellers. They did not build very many, but this and the other 'civil' aircraft projects of German aircrft companies before the NAZIs seized power provided the Germans the technology needed to build military aicraft. Here spectators gather around the flying boat on Lake Müggelsee in Berlin (1932).
Germany had both lighhter and heavier than air aircraft manufactuters. The most important of course are the companies building heavier than air aircraft. The lighter than air manufactuter was Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH. 'Luftschiffbau' means building of airships. The company was founded by Count Ferduinand Zepplin (1908). It was of some importance during World War I when the Zepplin began bombing Allied cities, especially London and other British cities. This gave the Zepplins a sinister reputation. A problem for the Germans was America's unwillingness to sell inert helium forcing the Germans to rely on highhly flamable hydrogen. Eventually the British began sucessfully shooting them down and they proved of no real military value to Germany. The Germans began disassembling them to make the mateials available to heavier than air aircraft manufcturers. After World War I the company attempted to revive operationd focusing on commercial aviation. They had some success, but the rise of the NAZIs (1933) and Hindenberg disaster ruined their efforts (1936). German companies during World War I were able to compete quite sucessfully in aviation technology with the Allies, at times leapin ahead of the Allies--such as the Forker Curse. Eventually they failed to compete, howevr, in manufacturing scale and access to needed raw materials. Several heavier than air manufacturers after World War I, mostly during the NAZI era, developed sizeable operations: Arado, Dornier, Focke-Wulf, Forker, Junkers, Heinkel, and Messerschmitt. Germany's emphasis on commercial air transport helped these companies develop during the Weimar era. This well established aviation industry is one reason the NAZIs were able to build military air forces so quickly after the NAZIs seized power. (The same reason America was able to do the same after Pearl Harbor.) German production was limited, but German companies were up on all the new technologies and were able to ramp up production. Notably, almost all of the cutting-edge German aircraft were developed before the War. Only two important aircraft were developed during the War: the FW-190 and the Me-262. While German technology was competitive with the Allies, even leading the Allies in some areas, manufacturing techniques lagged behind the Allies and even the Soviets. The Germans made some prigress, but never never mastered mass production. This failure was largely because mass-production went against the deeply ingrainded German tradition of craftmanship. Midway in the War, the Germans to counter the Allied stratehic bombing campaign the Germans sispersed production and ent undrground and away from mass-production and assembly lines.
Aviation Companies
Germany had both lighter and heavier than air aircraft manufactuters. The most important of course are the companies building heavier than air aircraft. The lighter than air manufactuter was Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH. 'Luftschiffbau' means building of airships. The company was founded by Count Ferduinand Zepplin (1908). It was of some importance during World War I when the Zepplin began bombing Allied cities, especially London and other British cities. This gave the Zepplins a sinister reputation. A problem for the Germans was America's unwillingness to sell inert helium forcing the Germans to rely on highhly flamable hydrogen. Eventually the British began sucessfully shooting them down and they proved of no real military value to Germany. The Germans began disassembling them to make the mateials available to heavier than air aircraft manufcturers. After World War I the company attempted to revive operationd focusing on commercial aviation. They had some success, but the rise of the NAZIs (1933) and Hindenberg disaster ruined their efforts (1936). German companies during World War I were able to compete quite sucessfully in aviation technology with the Allies, at times leaping ahead of the Allies--such as the Forker Curse. Eventually they failed to compete, howevr, in manufacturing scale and access to needed raw materials. Several heavier than air manufacturers after World War I, mostly during the NAZI era, developed sizeable operations: Arado, Dornier, Focke-Wulf, Forker, Junkers, Heinkel, and Messerschmitt. The two most important companies were Heinkel and Messerschmitt. This meant a stiff personal competition between Ernst Heinkel and Willie Messerschmitt. Messerschmitt was much more compliant with NAZI demands. As a result, the NAZI seized control of both Forker and Heinkel. Because of Massive NAZI spending, the Germans began the War with the world's most modern airforce. And produced the first jet aircraft. While German companies produced advanced aircraft early in the War, they fell behind as the War contunued. And notably they lagged woefully behind in manufacturing processes. We have views of German construction, including a Messerschmitt plant and a
Heinkel plant. Compare this to an American plant.
Building the Luftwaffe
Germany's pre-NAZI emphasis on civil aviation, especially commercial air transport helped these companies develop during the Weimar era. Even bfore the NAZIs, some of this commrrcial development occurred with an eye on potential military applications. This well established aviation industry is one reason the NAZIs were able to build military air forces so quickly after the NAZIs seized power (1933). (The same reason America was able to do the same after Pearl Harbor.) German production before the NAZIs was limited, but German companies were up on all the new technologies. And with the huge apporpriatiions the NAZIs used to ramp up military production, companies were able to ramp up production. And Göring importance in the NAZI heierarchy made sure hat a huge portion of that spending went into aviation. It did not ensure that the funds were well spent, but it did ensure that there was massive spending on building a new airforce. And this occuuted at a time that the Democracies were severely limiting military spending. This brgan secretly, but information soon leaked out. The British at the time were committed to apeasement and tried to limit public aswareness of what the NAZIs were doing. This is when Churchill still in the wilderness began plying the actual numbers out of the Governmrnt. Finally after Hitler anounced the resumtion of conscription (the key violation of the Versailles Treaty), Göring announced the creation of the Luftwaffe (1935). And the new Luftwaffe was on disply in Spain when Hitler and Mussolini provided substantial support to Franco and the Nationalists (1936). The NAZIs wee a huge beneficerary of major advances in asviastion technology that occured in the mid-1930s. The impact was that all the aircraft in the British and French inventory were redered obsolete as the Gerrmans began building their new airforce. The British were operating under the assumption as Prime- Minister Baldwin phrased it, "the bombr will always get through". His replacement, Prime-Miniter Chsmberlasin shared his assessment. Unknown to the political leadership and not fully understood by the Royal Air Force, the bombers Britain was building, were not going to get through the new German fighter air defences. This redered Britain's trump card of being able to bomb Germany impotent. Göring assured Hitler and the German people that the Luftwaffe would prevent British bombers from reaching Reich cities. The Germans took a different take on military aviation. The German focus was not on strastegic bombing, but rather a focus on short range tactical aircraft that could support the Heer and its land operations. Notably, the officers of the new Luftwaffe were recruited friom the Heer.
World War II Performance
Luftwaffe aircraft, especially the Me-109, the Ju-87, and the He-111 played a key role in the stunning German Blitxkrieg victories in the first 2-years of the War. Not only were these modern aircraft that few other countries could compete with, but the Germans had perfected close-air support. This was a doctrine that even the Americas and British did not mastered until late in the War. There was, however, a serious problem thst was not immediately apparent. Notably, virtually all of the cutting-edge German aircraft were developed BEFORE the War. Only two important German aircraft were developed DURING the War: the FW-190 and the Me-262. And of those, only the FW-190 was mass produced and had any significant impact on the War. It was not a matter of tecnnology. German technology was competitive with the Allies, even leading the Allies in many areas. The Grmans had several innovative aircraft on the drawing boards, but never brought forward by Göring's poorly run Air Ministry. Th other major problem was that manufacturing techniques lagged woefully behind the Allies and even the Soviets. The Germans never mastered mass production. The problem was largely because mass-production went against the deeply ingrainded German tradition of craftmanship. And the mass production problem was not just one affecting aircraft production, but all areas of the German war economy. And then a further problem emerged. British bombing was not effctive in the first yeatrs of the War. This began to change whem Bombr Command began receiving new effective heavy bombers like the Lancaster and Halifax. In the same year the Americans after Pearl Hasrbor began building up a massive bomber force in England--the Eighth Airforce. The Germans to counter the expanding Allied strategic bombing campaign, both 1) dispersed production and 2) began going underground. Both of these steps countred efforts to adopt mass-production and assembly lines. The Germans did increase aircraft production, but only at great costs in efficency. Not producing efficently meant that other production was adversely affected. Also it is stagering that despite vast expertise and investment, the German aircraft being produced were primarily single-seated fighers--mostly older models that were increasingly bering surpassed by the adavnced Allied aircraft being deployed. And this despite thc fact that about half of the German war economy was being devoted to aviation. Also important is that the German aircraft being produced were being used for defensive purposes--to defend German cities from Allied bombers. The Luftwaffe was no longer supporting German ground forces in the field as Allied armies closed in on the Reich.
