Figure 1.--We seequite a number of snapshots kike this in thw 1930s. This one was proably taken about 1936. We are not sure what this was all about. It appears to be groups taken up in a short aircrft ride. Perhaps the purpose was to generate interest in air travel. There was even a poster promoting this. We notice Hiter Youth boys in these grouops as we see here. But we have not notice all HJ groups. This suggests that there was a fee involved. The compamy is Hansa Flugdienst. We think that may be a Lufthansa subsiderary. The plane is the Dornier Merkur.

Geramny also developed heavier than air/fixed-wing commerial airlines after World War I. Here there were at first problems as a result of Versailles Treatry restrictions. Germany had begun commercial avialtion with Zepplins. After the War, small compnies began operating heavier than air aircraft. These operations were at first restricted by Versailles resticions Heavier than air planes also gradually werre adopted passanger and air service. As in other European countries and America civil aviation was the inevitable result of the World War I advances in aviation technology. German aircraft manufacturers were interest to convert their advances into profitable civilian businesses use. This was not to be. The Treaty of Versailles (June 1919), severely restricted the German military and, in part because of the German Zepplin and bomber attacks on civilians, , weapons development, including aviation. This impacted the aviation industry. Most important German airplane manufacturers simply collapsed, only a few survived. The most important survivor was Junkers. Heinkel and Dornier akso sirvived. This affected the available aircraft to prospctive air line companies. The Weimar government was supportive of at commercial aviation. Generous finamcing (as high as 70 percent of costs) helped aviation compamoes get started. This included llgemeine Elektrizitats Gesellschaft (AEG) which provided basic airlines services. These were several very small firms, often offering flights for a single passenger. Quite a few of these bnew companies were bankupted by the run-saway inflation (1923). The Goivernment stepped in to combined two of the survivors (Deutsche Aero Lloyd--DAL and Junkers) into a new company -- Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. (DLH) (1926). The government provided an annual subsidy and a capital injection of 18 million marks as well as basically a monopoly on German civil aviation. Thus DHL became the country's flag carrier and principal airline. The name was derived from the German word Luft meaning 'air' and Hansa for the Hanseatic League. It was Germany's flag carrier until 1945. DLH was a substantil operation by the standards of the day. When it began regularly scheduled service (April 1926), DLH had some 160 aircraft consisting of 18 different aircraft types. The most important aircraft was the single-engine Dornier Merkur (figure 1). DLH's services began to expand, especislly after part ownership in a joint German-Soviet airline known (Deruluft) whivh operated international services between the two countries. DLH rebranded itself Lufthansa (1933). And surprisingly, compoared to other air lines at the time. Lufthansa was actually profitable. Several factors aided Lufthansa. The Allies lifted the remaining restrictions on commercial aviation (1928). The Government bad several reasons for spporting Lufthansa. There was national prestige involved as well as industry and jobs. There was also foreign trade issues. Highly indiyttrialized Germany was deprndent on opening and maintaininmg foreign markets. Lufthansa by the end if the cade was flyinhg more miles and carried more passengers than all the other European airlines companies combined. Yhis is surorising given thev huge oversas emopires of other countries, especailly Britain, butspeaks to the limitedaviation infrastructure outside Europe and America. Lufthana had a staff of 300 highly competent pilots as well as some thr most advanced commercil airlinrs--planes built by Junkers and Dornier. The Junkers Ju-52 became the mainstay of Lufthansa routes in Europe and elsewhere. (Junkers technology was apprently appropriated by Henry Ford for the Ford Tri-Motor.) Foreign air lines bought the Ju-52 whuch ws the primary airliner until the appearance of the Douglas DC-3 (1936). Junkers haddesigned the G-38, but only two were actually built. After the NAZIs seized power, their priority was not civil aviation. With the NAZi-take over, Governmnt policy shifted from commnercil aviationm to militry aviation (1933). Out of concern over a possible Allied intervention, early steps to exoand aviation was done through Lufthannsa. Ans Lufthannsa foreign operatioins were expanded both in Asia (China) amd Latin America. Lufthansa bcame the modt sctive airkine in China. Natioinslist Chiuna was at the time iydying Britain and France from thr Treary Ports. It also China buold a small airforce and train army units. This did not change until the Axis relstionship with Japan began. The NAZIs aldso gave sttention to Latin America, devloping a range of relationships with the fledging air lines in the region. [Siddiqi] This caught the eye of the Roosevelt Administration which began to back Panam in regionfal competition. The large American market and the NAZI policy of autarkhy gave America a huge advantgage. The modern Lufthnsa company has no connction with the pre-War company otherr thn its name and logo. Deutsche Luft Hansa relied on the use of forced labor. Soon after German armies began occupying other countriesg, DHL began using forced labor. They worked in newly created repair operations for the German Luftwaffe. The forced labor was also used to produce radar equipment need in he war effort. Lufthansa marketed the radar equipment under the brand name Würzburg. There were plans developed to used forced labor after Germny eon the War. [Budrass]

Sources

Budrass, Lutz. The Eagle and the Crane: the History of Lufthansa from 1926-1955.

Siddiqi, Asif. "The early years of German commercial aviation."

Created: 1:11 AM 3/7/2010
Last updated: 1:11 AM 3/7/2010