Dornier Merkur

Dornier Merkur (Do B-Bal) passenger aircraft D-562, Marder [Mustelidae], Werknummer 71, of Deutsche Luft Hansa. Aircraft was manufactured in 1925 and powered by a water-cooled BMW VI V-12 engine.

The aircraft's registration has been applied by means of the typical Dornier factory stencil, used from 1926 on. The application of aircraft registrations only became more standardized in accordance with the decrees of 1930 and thereafter.

D-562 was entered in the German aircraft registry in 1926. It was transferred to the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule [German air transport school] in June of 1934. It was destroyed in 1935. Location and exact date of photo unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

[Entry amended January 28, 2020]

Henschel Advertising

Advertising by Henschel Flugzeugwerke A.G., Schönefeld bei Berlin, featuring Hs 123 biplane close-support aircraft (top) and Hs 122 reconnaissance aircraft (bottom), predecessor to the Hs 126.

This advertising was published in Transaer 1937 - Handbuch des internationalen Luftverkehrs [Handbook Of International Air Transport], edited by Fischer von Poturzyn, Dr. Heinz Orlovius, and August Dresel, 538 pages, published as an edition of 2000 copies, by Richard Pflaum Verlag, Munich, Germany, 1937.

Junkers W 34

Unidentified Junkers W 34 hau, photographed at Seifersdorf, in 1941. Camouflage appears to be standard 70/71/65. Photo enlargement reveals details of typical four-blade propeller arrangement, consisting of two stacked two-blade propellers. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

[Entry amended January 29, 2020]

Heinkel He 72

Heinkel He 72 A Kadett, D-EBIZ, Werknummer 761, of the NSFK. Aircraft is fitted with an Argus As 8 R engine. Exact date and location unknown.

The pilot in the rear cockpit appears to be Martin Mossdorf, later Gruppenkommandeur of I./StG 3 (from June to November 1942). Mossdorf was a recipient of the Deutsches Kreuz [German Cross] in gold as well as the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes [Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross], among other awards. He survived the war in captivity. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

[Entry amended February 25, 2020]

AGO-Flugzeugwerke. Vom Gitterrumpf zur Me 262

René Scheer, dr. ziethen verlag, Oschersleben, Germany, 2014, ISBN 978-3-86289-078-1. Illustrated, hardcover, published in German.

Cover image © by dr. ziethen verlag, 2014.

Reviewing books examining the histories of German aircraft manufacturers is unwittingly turning into a loose series among the articles published within this blog. Following books on Sablatnig (Seifert 2002), Weser Flugzeugbau GmbH (Wenz, 2000), Zeppelin (Meighörner, 2006), DKW And Erla Aircraft (Seifert, 2011), and REIMAHG (Gleichmann, 2013, and various other authors), this review focuses on René Scheer's newly released and highly anticipated AGO-Flugzeugwerke. Vom Gitterrumpf zur Me 262 [AGO Aircraft Plant. From Tube Truss Fuselage To The Me 262]. To make it short, Scheer's book is fantastic. It is a prime example for a thoroughly researched and lavishly illustrated (including many rare black & white photographs and eight colour profiles) landmark publication.

AGO-Flugzeugwerke documents AGO's inception as a relatively small and obscure aircraft manufacturer in Oschersleben, its rise to a subcontractor producing aircraft for Heinkel, Arado, Henschel, Focke-Wulf, Gotha, and Messerschmitt, and its eventual association with REIHMAG. It is a highly intriguing account by any means, and it highlights not only the aviation-technical aspects typically associated with any German aircraft manufacturer of the period, but also the omnipresent repercussions arising from economic realities and political interference.

Among the most interesting parts of the book, however, is Scheer's detailed depiction of AGO's original aircraft designs (both produced and projected) as developed by Paul Klages and his team. The elegant lines of aircraft such as the Ao 192 or Ao 225 clearly illustrate Klages' unreservedly distinctive and aesthetic approach. As interesting and important as the subsequent license production of other companies' aircraft (e.g. Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190) was in AGO's history, it is a shame that AGO's own projects never received the attention and acknowledgment they would have rightfully deserved. Germany's inevitable path towards war essentially eliminated the possibility to realize any such ambitions AGO may have harboured.

Scheers' book subsequently sheds much light on AGO's wartime activities, including flight test activities, aircraft repair operations at the front, decentralisation efforts affecting manufacturing processes back in Germany, work conditions of AGO's workforce, employment of forced labour (a topic all too frequently conveniently excluded in such monographs), effects of the air war and Allied bombing, REIHMAG's appropriation of AGO's assets, and the establishment of the underground production of Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters at the near-mythical Walpersberg facilities. AGO-Flugzeugwerke finally concludes by describing the period of occupation after the war's end as well as the futile local efforts to preserve the industrial base against the realities of a collapsed Germany, resulting in the cessation of all activities in 1950.

René Scheer, a teacher by profession, has been gathering AGO-related information and material since the 1990s, resulting in a unique collection of knowledge, documents, photographs, and data. His dedication to meticulous research, paired with the obvious enthusiasm of his publisher, Harald Ziethen, have made AGO-Flugzeugwerke an utterly indispensable case study. In spite of the complexity of the story, the 312 pages of text are easy to read (the text is perhaps a tad small, due to a book format of 23 x 23 cm). Image reproduction is very good. The book is completed by footnotes, a list of sources, an overview of abbreviations, and a brief English summary.

AGO-Flugzeugwerke. Vom Gitterrumpf zur Me 262 simply cannot be recommended highly enough.

Udet U 12

Ernst Udet's specially modified personal Udet U 12 aerobatics biplane, D-822, Werknummer 269. Aircraft was painted all red, with white trim. The two detail enlargements of the photo show the covered front seat as well as the Siemens Motor, Mobiloel, and Bayer. Flugzeugwerke AG Augsburg logos.

As can be seen in the lowermost detail enlargement, the person standing on the left in the main photo all but obscures the white flamingo painted on the fuselage between Udet's name and the aircraft's registration.

D-822 was entered in the German Luftfahrzeugrolle [aviation registry] in February 1928. It was converted from U 12 a (Spezial) to U 12 b (Spezial) standard in June of 1933, and its engine was upgraded twice, from a Siemens Sh 11 to an Sh 14 and then an Sh 14 a. The exact date of the photo and the location are currently unknown to me. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

Entry amended June 9, 2015, and January 31, 2020.

Focke-Wulf Fw 56

Focke-Wulf Fw 56 A Stösser [Sparrowhawk] advanced parasol-wing trainer D-IKEI. Detail enlargement of center fuselage section reveals Focke-Wulf company logo. Aircraft is finished in silver overall. Photo was taken during the mid-1930s, although exact date and location are currently unknown to me. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

[Entry amended January 29, 2020]

Josef Sablatnig. Der Sablatnig Flugzeugbau und sein Chefkonstrukteur Hans Seehase

Karl-Dieter Seifert, NORA Verlagsgemeinschaft Dyck & Westerheide, Berlin, Germany, 2002, GBSL Schriftenreihe 6, ISBN 3-935445-63-6. Illustrated, softcover, published in German.

Cover image © by NORA Verlagsgemeinschaft Dyck & Westerheide, 2002.

Karl-Dieter Seifert's Josef Sablatnig. Der Sablatnig Flugzeugbau und sein Chefkonstrukteur Hans Seehase [Josef Sablatnig. The Sablatnig Aircraft Plant And Its Chief Designer Hans Seehase] provides a long overdue appraisal of a little-known but nonetheless significant pioneer of German military and civil aviation. As in his later publication DKW und die Erla Me-Flugzeuge 1926 bis 1945 (2011, reviewed elsewhere in this blog), Seifert's book is a rather detailed exploration of the story of the Austrian-born protagonist whose vision led to the creation of an aircraft manufacturing operation as well as the subsequent fate of said operation and protagonist. Josef Sablatnig's name may ultimately have failed to achieve the prominence of better known contemporaries such as Hugo Junkers, Henrich Focke, or Georg Wulf (to name but a few), but both his aircraft and his path are certainly remarkable enough to warrant such a dedicated study.

Original source material about Josef Sablatnig and his aircraft is somewhat sparse. Sablatnig Flugzeugbau GmbH was formed in 1916, but Sablatnig left his struggling company already at the end of 1922, after a mere six years. Any aviation enterprise in Germany at that time was subject to the rigid provisions of the Versailles Treaty, rendering the future a rather bleak proposition. The onset of yet another world war a few years later further served to diminish memories and original documents that later could have served to fully reconstruct the existence of Sablatnig Flugzeugbau GmbH. It's to Seifert's credit that he has succeeded in assembling a sufficiently comprehensive history. This was possible, not least, because Seifert was able to establish contact to the families of Sablatnig and his former chief designer, Hans Seehase, thereby being granted access to remaining original material. This proved crucially beneficial for this book.

There are many aspects in Seifert's account of Sablatnig Flugzeugbau GmbH that are utterly fascinating, among them the description of the conditions that prevailed in post-World War I Germany. Also illuminated is Sablatnig Flugzeugbau GmbH's foundation of Luftverkehr Sablatnig, one of Germany's first airline services (later Lloyd Luftverkehr Sablatnig, jointly operated with Norddeutsche Lloyd). The book is filled with many such details, thereby providing engrossing context not only with regard to Sablatnig's own story but also pertaining to Germany's later resurgence as one of the leaders in aviation technology. Moreover, Siebert has collected a great number of period photographs which serve to greatly enhance the book's text. Photo reproduction (in black & white) is quite good, although it still could have been improved if the publisher would have provided for a better paper quality. Nonetheless, there are highly intriguing images of Sablatnig's aircraft, manufacturing operations, technical details, and occurrences and mishaps. The image content also includes original drawings and documents.

Seifert's narrative follows Sablatnig and Seehase even after Sablatnig's temporary retirement from the ailing aviation industry. Among other episodes, it chronicles Sablatnig's attempts to establish himself as a competitor in the rapidly evolving automotive industry, his affiliations with the DVL and Junkers, as well as his last years during World War II. One of the final photos in the book shows an aged but seemingly very content Josef Sablatnig with his daughter. Only five pages later, the reader learns of Sablatnig's imprisonment by the Soviets after the cessation of hostilities, on June 16, 1945. Sablatnig died at Buchenwald concentration camp in 1946.

Karl-Dieter Seifert's Josef Sablatnig. Der Sablatnig Flugzeugbau und sein Chefkonstrukteur Hans Seehase is a small but unreservedly important and fascinating contribution to the ever-continuing quest to complete a comprehensive chronology of Germany aviation history. Highly recommended.

Gotha Go 150 Advertising

Gotha Go 150 advertising by Gothaer Waggonfabrik Aktiengesellschaft, as featured in Der Deutsche Sportflieger [The German Sport Aviator] periodical, volume 2, issue 2, February 1942, edited by Ing. Karl Seyboth and published by Postverlag Leipzig, Thuringia.

Text translates as follows: The "small Go 150" ranks among the most modern German aircraft types - a low-wing, two-seat cabin aircraft; the first light airplane equipped with two engines, yet affordable to operate (fuel consumption per 100 km = 12.7 litres) - in short: the ideal aircraft for the private citizen! (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

Arado Ar 66 Fliegerdenkmal

Beautifully spectacular shot of a so-called Fliegerdenkmal [aviator's monument] mishap, involving an Arado Ar 66 trainer with WL+IDEH fuselage code. It seems the aircraft came to rest in the ditch next to the airfield perimeter road, right in front of a corn field. Note the unusually small fuselage Balkenkreuz.

WL+IDEH was part of Schule/FAR 23 in Kaufbeuren, southern Bavaria, in September 1939, and this incident likely occured during that period. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection, additional information very kindly supplied by Eric Guillaume via luftwaffe-research-group.org)

[Entry amended November 30, 2014, and March 4, 2020.]