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Fedden Mission

TheFedden Missionwas aBritishscientific mission sent by theMinistry of Aircraft ProductiontoGermanyat the end of theSecond World Warin Europe, to gather technicalintelligenceabout German aircraft andaeroengines.It was named for the Mission's leader,Roy Fedden.[1]It visitedBad Oeynhausen,Bad Eilsen,Völkenrode,Braunschweig,Magdeburg,Oschersleben,Staßfurt,Dessau,Kothen,Nordhausen,Göttingen,Kassel,Eisenach,Frankfurt,Rüsselsheim,Darmstadt,Stuttgart,Esslingen,Reutlingen,Mengen,Lindau,Freising,Munich,Rosenheim,Kochel,Oberammergau,Kolbermoor,Salzburg,Spittal,Villach,andKlagenfurt.[2]This is much less than the fifty-two locations they had intended to visit when the Mission began.[3]

The Mission was inspired in part by the similarAmericanscientific mission,Operation Lusty,as well as by the German advances injet aircraftandengines,as well asballistic missiles,toward the war's end.[4]It was also, in part, inspired by the desire to disarm Germany and prevent another postwar rise, like the one following the end of theFirst World War.[5](Unspoken, but also doubtless a factor, was a desire to keep Britain from becoming a second-rate nation.) In any event, the capture of German technology by both the United States andSoviet Unioncontributed to an acceleration of the postwar arms race.[6]

Organized at the instruction ofStafford Cripps,then Minister of Aircraft Production,[7]the Mission consisted of Fedden; Dr W J Duncan, Professor of Aeronautics fromUniversity College of Hull,thensecondedto theRoyal Aircraft Establishment(RAE); J C King of RAE's Structural and Mechanical Engineering Department;Flight LieutenantA B P Beeton,RAF,of RAE's Engine Department; Bert Newport ofRotol,Ltd. They were assisted by W J Stern of theAllied Control CommissionandWing CommanderV Cross, RAF, the Mission's Liaison Officer toSupreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force(as well as its translator); their two RAFDakotaswere flown by F/L Reid, RAF, and F/L Cheany,RAFVR.[8]These aircraft each carried one of the Mission'sJeeps,which they soon learned to unload and have on the road in only ten minutes.[9]

Everywhere the Mission went, it encountered looting by Allied troops and German civilians, and sabotage by German factory workers and theHeer(on Hitler's orders)[10]The German scientists and technicians were, in general, very co-operative with the British interviewers, with Fedden mentioning "considerable apprehension" about their fate and some wishing to emigrate to the U.S. or Canada.[11](They had genuine concern about forced emigration to the Soviet Union, as many of theV-2program scientists suffered.)

The Mission particularly criticized theRLMfor itsstarting and stopping of engine production programs.[12]

In Germany

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First week - June 12-16

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The Mission leftRAF Northolton Tuesday, 12 June 1945 at 14.15, bound forBückeburg,Germany, 25 mi (40 km) southwest ofHannover.[13]They reached Bückeburg at 16.30 and were immediately sent on to another airfield; they eventually reachedBad Eilsen,headquarters ofSecond Tactical Air Force,at 21.30. From there, they were driven to21st Army Group.[14]headquarters at Bad Oeynhausen, where they spent their first night.[15]Wing Commander Cross, by proposing one aircraft fly ahead to arrange accommodations, permits for interviews, travel permits for interview subjects, and so on, made an important contribution to the timely operation, and ultimate success, of the Mission.[16]The Mission's access to German civilians was strictly limited by an Allied policy discouraging contact beyond what was strictly necessary.[17]

The Mission based their initial forays out of Braunschweig, in the British Occupation Zone, where they spent their first six days, moving later to Kassel, in the American Zone.[3]For their more southerly objecties, they worked out ofFreising,headquarters ofThird U.S. ArmyIntelligence, some 20 mi (32 km) fromHamburg,for another six days.[16]Their third base of operations was SHAEF Headquarters, Frankfurt.[16]

On their second full day in Germany, Thursday 14 June, they visited the most secret German aeronautical research establishment, the Hermann Göring Institute (orLuftfahrtforschungsanstalt,LFA), atVölkenrode;they remained there through 15 June.[18]Völkenrode, today a western district of the nearby city ofBraunschweig,was at the top of Fedden's list — despite its eventual presence on thewestside of theInner German border,with Völkenrode being withinWest Germanborders — because it was initially within the designated Russian Zone of Occupation, due to be handed over from British control (in which it was when he departed) in a matter of days.[19]When the Mission arrived, theLFAhad already been stripped byCombined Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee(CIOS) teams, and was (despite being in the British Zone) effectively in U.S. hands.[20]

At Völkenrode, the Mission examined the wind tunnels. These had been used to develop theswept wing,theforward-swept wing,theMesserschmitt Me 262,the BMW-designed cowlings used for all versions of theBMW 801radial(used in the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and a number of other important German military aircraft designs, especially inunitizedengine formats), theArgus-designedpulsejetengine of theV-1cruise missile,and other items. The members also viewed examples of theRheinmetall-BörsigF25Feuerliliesurface-to-air missile,named for theFire Lilyflower (though the Mission Report shows photographs of theF55), and examples of documentation concerning the competing designs for theAmerikabomberdesign competition (which is suspected to not have included any mention, nor discovered any evidence ofHeinkel's entry in the program), as well as the Engine Department.[21]

While the team found evidence of trials ofphotoelasticlacquersfor stress tests, it proved impossible to interview any of the laboratory staff to learn more.[22](Fedden considered theLFAEngine Department lacking in modern equipment, but theLFAcomplex possessed a better altitude test bed installation than any in Britain; a better example still would be seen at BMW's Munich facility.)[23]The turbojet engine research artifacts found included examples ofturbineandstatorblade forms, blade cooling, blade construction (including hollow andceramictypes), piston cooling, and other matters.[23]While at Völkenrode, the Americans stole equipment from under the noses of the British (including aninterferometer),[24]only to have the thefts denied when confronted by Britain atPotsdam.[25]The Fedden Mission spent two days at Völkenrode, its sub-team returning ten days later.[22]

The Mission left Braunschweig airfield 19.15 on Friday, 15 June for Kassel, 80 mi (130 km) away (where theHenschelfirm's aviation division was based); next morning, one group went to Göttingen to interrogate Dr.Ludwig Prandtland his team;[26]Fedden called them "a first class team of experimental research workers".[27]While in Göttingen, Mission members examined more than ten wind tunnels on the campus, plus several used forfluid dynamicsstudies.[24]They spent 17 June in Göttingen, also.[28]

The same day, the second Mission group flew toOschersleben(the home ofAGO,a major Fw 190A subcontractor) then drove by Jeep to theJunkersjet engine plant at Magdeburg.[28]They had little time before it, and all the surrounding territory, was handed over to the Soviets. The Junkers works, used for manufacturing and overhaul ofJumo 004jet engines, had been heavily bombed; while there were a number of engine test-beds, there was no sign of jet engine research having been done there.[29]Otto Hartkopf,then acting works manager, conducted the Junkers factory tour, explaining all the jet engine drawings had already been removed.[29]Hartkopf reported over 5,000 jet engines had been produced there in all;[29]production, including several other plants, was expected to reach 5,000 per month.[30](At war's end, deliveries of 004s had reached 1,500 a month.)[30]The Mission observed the construction methods of the 004; Fedden criticized the attachment of the 004's compressor casing, which was in two halves, bolted to the half-sections of the stator assemblies.[30]

Second week (17-23 June 1945)

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The Mission also examined production of theBMW 003jet engine, at facilities in Eisenach and Staßfurt. On Monday, 18 June, it split in two teams again, one driving the Eisenach works.[30]Fedden met with Dr. Bruno Bruckmann, head of BMW's jet engine research program in Berlin and strong supporter of jet engine production and use, as well as to drive propellers (turbopropengines); in 1942, Bruckman was made head of BMW piston engine programs.[30]At Eisenach, the Mission spoke to the facility's managing director, Dr. Schaaf, and Drs. Fattler and Stoffergen, learning BMW employed 11,000 there in all, 4,500 in acamouflagedfactory in the side of the hill, the rest in the town.[31]Despite adding plants atSpandau,Nordhausen,andPrague,BMW never reached the production target of 5,000 to 6,000 109-003 engines a month, with only some 500 examples[citation needed]of the 003 built before V-E Day.[31]

At Eisenach, the Mission discovered the BMW 003R had incorporated a reusableliquid fueledrocketengine in the rear of thenacelle,theBMW 109-718,to act as anassisted take-offunit, or to provide acceleration in climb or flight (akin to what the Americans postwar called "mixed power" ).[32]Fedden called the production quality at Eisenach "excellent".[32]The next day, the Mission examined a BMW facility near Staßfurt, set up in a former salt mine 400 m (1,300 ft) underground, which was to have used for machining jet engine parts, and possibly for assembly, also; Stoffergen said 1,700machine toolshad been installed, and some 2,000 workers had been employed.[33]The Mission also found some information on the high-thrust (designed for a 34.3 kN (7,700 lbf) top output level)BMW 018jet engine project, which was begun in 1940, but remained unfinished by war's end; Fedden himself examined compressor blade forgings and a turbine blade.[33]

By Monday, June 18, the Mission drove from Kothen to Dessau, home ofJunkers Flugzeug-und-Motorenwerke.[34]Speaking to the technical director in charge of the inverted V12, liquid-cooledJunkers Jumo 213's development, the Mission learned there were many experimental variants, but only three [definitive] models: the 213A (the major production version), the 213E (a high-altitude model), and the projected 213J (improved still more).[35]

The Mission visited Nordhausen (theMittelwerk) 19 June, some by DC-3 Dakota, some by Jeep.[36]There, they first came in contact withconcentration camps(among which Nordhausen was not officially counted).[36]Nevertheless, Mission members found themselves revolted.[36]With the handover to the Soviets only two days away, the Mission had little time to explore, and there was no well-informed guide.[37]They found hundreds of incompleteV-1s,and many spare parts for theV-2,even after the U.S. had spent the ten weeks since the factory was discovered stripping it before turning it over to the Soviets; as much as three hundred railcar-loads worth of material may have been removed, in addition to numerous complete V-2s.[38]

On Thursday, 21 June, the Fedden Mission travelled from Eisenach to Klobermoor, location of theHeinkel-Hirthengine works.[33]There, they examined copies of theHeinkel HeS 011jet engine, one of Germany's finest and most advanced turbine engines of the period, of which only 19 development and test examples[citation needed]were ever completed.[33]The Mission conducted extensive interviews with the managing director, Mr. Schaaf, and the senior planning engineer, Mr. Dorls, as well as Hartkopf, comparing piston and jet engine production; the Mission compiled a table of comparative cost of materials, finding jets were between one half and two-thirds as costly, as well as being simpler and requiring lower-skill labor and less sophisticated tooling; in fact, most of making of hollow turbine blades andsheet metalwork on jets could be done by tooling used in making automobilebody panels.[39]While Fedden was critical of some of the German design decisions,[40]the Mission estimated German jet engine production by mid-1946 would have been at a rate of at least 100,000 a year.[41]

The Mission was told the overhaul cycle for the Jumo 004 was between thirty and fifty hours (and about fifty for the BMW 003), and approximately 300 Jumo 004 engines had been rebuilt, some more than once.[34]

Between Wednesday, 20 June and the following Sunday (24 June), the Mission (billettedovernight 20–21 June at the Third U.S. Army's Intelligence Center,[42]examined BMW's plant at Munich and interviewed Dr. Bruckmann, Fedden's old friend, technical director of BMW's engine programs; Dr. Amman, in charge of BMW's piston engine development; Mr. Willich, his top aide; and Dr. Sachse, senior engineer until 1942,[35]and the man responsible for overseeing production of the 801 radial.[43]While at Munich, the Mission examined several 801 developments, including aturbochargedversion with hollow turbine blades; several of these were apparently abandoned at Kassel's airfield[44]They also examined theWrightDuplex-Cyclonedisplacement classBMW 802,an "interesting and unorthodox design" by Sachse;[45]Fedden considered it "one of the most interesting piston engines seen in Germany".[46]Of the 83.5-litre displacement class,BMW 803possessing a 28-cylinder layout reminiscent of thePratt & WhitneyWasp Major,but with the BMW four-row radial design using liquid cooling instead, as designed by Dr. Spiegel ofSiemens,[46]the final report remarked, "Its layout and design appeared clumsy and rather indifferent."[47]They also witnessed theBMW 003A-1 axial-flow turbojet run on the Herbitus test stand.[48]

Unable to visitDaimler-Benz's Stuttgart works until the second trip in July,[47]the Mission nevertheless found contradictions between his briefing before departure and what his interviews with the company's general manager, Mr. Haspel, and chief designer, Dr. Schmidt, told him.[49]The Mission was informed development of the 24-cylinderDaimler-Benz DB 604single-crankcaseX enginehad been stopped in 1940 by theRLMand had finally been abandoned by Daimler-Benz in September 1942; Daimler-Benz had considered 36-cylinder engines, as well.[12]>[50]

At Völkenrode, the Mission found examples ofOtto Lutz'sswing-piston engine,developed co-operatively withBussingofBraunschweig,with work also done byMahleandBosch.[12]Fedden was dismissive.[12]By contrast, he praised German use of wind tunnels in engine development, and suggestedfuel injectionwas increasingly important for piston engines, especially as the number of cylinders rose.[51]

The Mission's examination offuel injectionresearch was hampered by being unable to speak to the injection specialists at Junkers in Magdeburg orDeckelin Munich, but at Munich, a member of Bosch's development department, Dr. Heinrich, advised the Mission members Germany had made few advances in the field beyond higher-capacity pumps,[52]but learned BMW had preferred the Bosch closed nozzle for the 801, while Junkers chose the open nozzle for theJunkers Jumo 213inverted V12 aviation engine.[52]They got better information on German aircraftspark plugs,from BMW, Daimler, and Bosch, but not fromBeruor Siemens, finding, in general, improvements focused on better performance at altitude or hotter, usually with better insulators or cooling.[52]

Investigation of propellers found new research had been halted whenRLMdecided to focus on jets, only to be resumed. The Mission's interviews were limited toVereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke(United German Metalworks, VDM), and, at Göttingen, they interviewed Dr. Stüper, who tested VDM's reversible propeller. This three-bladed unit had links to two electric motors, which could change thepitchat two degrees per second forconstant speedor 60-100° per second for braking (in reverse mode); it was scheduled for production early in 1945, to be used by theDornier Do 335,Dornier Do 317,andFocke-Wulf Fw 190.[52]Mission members visited VDM's forging works atHeddernheim,on the outskirts ofFrankfurt.[53]Dr Eckert, of VDM spin-off companyContinental Metall Gesellschaft(Continental Metal Company, CMG) confirmed Stüper's claims, adding CMG contemplated switching to hydraulic cylinders.[52]CMG also had a four-bladed project propeller that could eliminate engine overspeeding, by reducing pitch on two blades and increasing it on the other two.[54]In addition, CMG had done some work on hollow propeller blades, one made from a simple rectangular tube with welded-on edges.[53]

Four members of the Mission went to Rosenheim and the BMW rocket development department atBruckmühl,joined by Dr. Bruckmann, who informed themRLMhad ordered rocket development begun in 1944.[42]They were shown theBMW 109-718assist rocket first. They were also shown the109-558,used in theHenschel Hs 117Schmetterlingguided missile; the Report praised the 558 (though mildly.[55]In addition, the Mission was shown the109-548,thesustainer motorfor theRuhrstahl X-4(which Fedden described as an "inter-aircraft rocket" ).[56]

22 June, the Mission visited the Messerschmitt works at Oberammergau, in the Bavarian Alps, where aBell Aircraftteam had already been working some five weeks; there was also a representative fromde Havilland.Messerschmitt had taken over a formerHeerbarracks in 1943, and constructed 22 mi (35 km) of tunnels.[57]The works there were a taste of the future, and Fedden interviewed a number of Messerschmitt's senior engineers, including Hans Hornung, Joseph Helmschrott, and chief designerWaldemar Voigt.[58]The Mission were shown examples of the Me 262, with Voigt blaming inexperience among pilots, and compressor stalls, for several accidents.[59]They also saw a variety of projected designs, including theP.1101(the only one prototyped),[59]P.1110,[60]P.1112,.[61]andP.1108(which Fedden, apparently, mis-identifies as the PL.08.01).[61]

Allied bombing

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The Fedden Mission, throughout its time in Germany, encountered the destructive effects of bombing. Indeed, on its first day in Germany, it couldscarcely navigate through Braunschweig.[9]Many of the factories they had hoped to visit, including Daimler-Benz's in Untertürkheim (Stuttgart), Junkers' at Dessau, BMW's in Staßfurt, Bosch's in Stuttgart, and Junkers Jumo's at Magdeburg, were in ruins[62]— the twin Junkers facilities and the Staßfurt facility for BMW were to end up in theSoviet Zone of Occupationin a very short time. Yet many interview subjects reported Allied bombing of German communications, including railyards, trains, and roads, was ultimately more damaging to production than bombing of factories, since the works could be dispersed or restored to service with relative ease. The Germans reported communications attacks reduced production of piston aeroengines by spring 1945 to a third of what it had been.[63]For his part,Albert Speerwondered why the Allies never attacked the few engine manufacturing works, which, he suggested, would have crippled German production.[64]

The Second Mission

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Most of the Mission returned to Britain on 1 July 1945, just Stern and Beeton remaining. 4 July, they arranged for the Mission to see BMW's high-altitude engine test bench in Munich, which Fedden and three others did 17 July, as part of an eight-day trip.[65]A sub-group of the Mission, with some further British aeronautical design engineers, returned to Germany from 16–25 July 1945, working out of Freising, to examine the BMW high-altitude test chamber at Munich, as well as German facilities at Stuttgart, Göttingen, Volkenrode, and Kochel, in order to gather more information on German turbine manufacture and to witness the testing of the Goblin on the Munich testbed.[16]The BMW facility, codenamed Herbitus, was designed and operated by Christoph Soestmeyer, and was finished in May 1944. It was used for trials on BMW and Jumo turbine engines, as well as the 801; Soestmeyer reportedRLMhad intended to build similar facilities at the central Luftwaffe test station, orErprobungsstelleatRechlin,and inBerlin,Dessau, and Stuttgart.[65]The test facility was a building 250 ft (76 m) square and 70 ft (21 m) high, containing a steel cylindrical altitude chamber some 12 ft (3.7 m) in diameter and 30 ft (9.1 m) long, with a detachable rear section, allowing engines to be wheeled in and out for testing.[65]It was capable of altitudes of as much as 36,000 ft (11,000 m) and test speeds 560 mph (900 km/h; 490 kn).[65]The Mission hoped to test theDerwent Vandde Havilland Goblinat altitude.[66]Fedden called it "far in advance of any engine testing plant in England or America",[67]and was sufficiently impressed as to suggest the plant be moved to Britain, but the Americans refused.[66]

While in Germany, the team also returned to the enormous research station at Volkenrode, to Stuttgart, Göttingen, and Kochel, and on a day off (22 July 1945) visited Salzburg and Berchtesgaden in the Dakota.[65]

The Mission returned to Britain with a Volkswagen on board, as well as a number of jet engines and rocket motors, turbine blades, and "a large quantity of drawings",[68]yet much less than the Americans, which came to nearer 2,000 tons.[69]

Unable to get the Herbitus test stand moved to Britain, and thoughOperation Surgeonhad identified some desired 1,500 specialists to be brought to Britain (forcibly, if need be),[70]Fedden had no better luck persuading His Majesty's Government to bring back German engineers and scientists,[71]which both the Soviets (underOperation Osoaviakhim) and Americans (Operation Overcast, later calledOperation Paperclip) were doing.[72]In the event, only about 100 leaving Germany in 1946 and 1947 actually stayed in Britain.[70]The Soviets moved "between 10,000 and 15,000".[70]So many were taken by both the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the space program's running joke was, "Let's see if their Germans are better than our Germans."[73]

Final report

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The Fedden Mission issued a final report in summer 1945.[74]

See also

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  • Ferdinand Brandner,a key designer of some of theJunkersMotorenwerkepowerplants, including the advanced, multibankJunkers Jumo 222engine series
  • Operation Lusty,the similar American effort to acquire examples of, and to better understand, "LUftwaffeSecret TechnologY ".
  • Watson's Whizzers,the special American aviation unit tasked by "Lusty" to help acquire examples of German military aircraft.

Notes

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  1. ^Christopher, John.The Race for Hitler's X-Planes(The Mill, Gloucestershire: History Press, 2013), pp.11-12.
  2. ^Christopher, map p.26.
  3. ^abChristopher, p.27
  4. ^Christopher, pp.7 & 9.
  5. ^Christopher, pp.36-8.
  6. ^Christopher, pp.39 and 189.
  7. ^Christopher, p.11.
  8. ^Christopher, p.12.
  9. ^abChristopher, p.25
  10. ^Christopher, p.36-7.
  11. ^Christopher, p.54: Fedden quotedibid.
  12. ^abcdChristopher, p.85
  13. ^Christopher, pp. 11 & 24.
  14. ^Christopher, pp.24 and 209, identifies them mistakenly as Second Army Group, a formation which appears not to exist.
  15. ^Christopher, p.24.
  16. ^abcdChristopher, p.28
  17. ^Christopher, p.30.
  18. ^Christopher, pp.24-5, 27, 42, and 209.
  19. ^Christopher, pp.35-36.
  20. ^Christopher, p.40.
  21. ^Christopher, pp.42-53.
  22. ^abChristopher, p.52.
  23. ^abChristophefr, p.53
  24. ^abChristopher, p.54.
  25. ^Christopher, pp.50-1.
  26. ^Christopher, pp.54-5 and 210.
  27. ^quoted Christopher, p.55.
  28. ^abChristopher, p.210
  29. ^abcChristopher, p.69
  30. ^abcdeChristopher, p.70
  31. ^abChristopher, p.71
  32. ^abChristopher, p.73
  33. ^abcdChristopher, p. 74
  34. ^abChristopher, p. 75
  35. ^abChristopher, p.79
  36. ^abcChristopher, p.103
  37. ^Christopher, pp. 120–121.
  38. ^Christopher, p. 121.
  39. ^Christopher, pp.74-5.
  40. ^Fedden Report, quoted in Christopher, p. 75.
  41. ^Fedden Report, quoted in Christopher, p.76.
  42. ^abChristopher, p. 123.
  43. ^Christopher, p.80.
  44. ^Christopher, p.81.
  45. ^quoted Christopher, p.81.
  46. ^abChristopher, p. 82
  47. ^abChristopher, p. 83
  48. ^Christopher, p. 186.
  49. ^Christopher, p.84.
  50. ^Fedden at Flightglobal(accessed 16 July 1015)
  51. ^Fedden Report, quoted in Christopher, pp. 86–87.
  52. ^abcdeChristopher, p. 87
  53. ^abChristopher, p.88
  54. ^Christopher, pp.87-8.
  55. ^Christopher, pp.126-127.
  56. ^Christopher, p.132.
  57. ^Christopher, pp. 155–156.
  58. ^Christopher, pp.156-157.
  59. ^abChristopher, p. 157
  60. ^Christopher, p. 162.
  61. ^abChristopher, p.163
  62. ^Christopher, p.91
  63. ^Fedden Report, quoted in Christopher, pp.77 and 100.
  64. ^quoted in Christopher, p.99.
  65. ^abcdeChristopher, p.185
  66. ^abChristopher, p.186
  67. ^Fedden Report, quoted in Christopher, p.186.
  68. ^Christopher, p.187.
  69. ^Christopher, p.193.
  70. ^abcChristopher, p.197
  71. ^Fedden Report, quoted Christopher, p.196.
  72. ^Christopher, p.194.
  73. ^Mitchener,Space.[page needed]
  74. ^Christopher, p.199.

Sources

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  • Christopher, John.The Race for Hitler's X-Planes.The Mill, Gloucestershire: History Press, 2013.
  • Fedden, Roy. "German Piston-Engine Progress",Flight6 December 1945, pp. 602–6. (at Flightglobal online)
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