 | |
| Company type | GmbH |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aircraft manufacturing |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Defunct | 1922 |
| Headquarters | Leipzig, Germany |
Key people | John Frank Rahtjen, Richard Pemetzrieder (1921) |
Number of employees | 780 (1918) |
The Germania Flugzeugwerke GmbH was an aircraft manufacturing company based at Leipzig-Mockau Airport during World War I.
The company was founded in 1912 by John Rahtjen and his son John Frank as Rahtjen & Co in Teltow. In 1914, it was renamed to Flugzeugwerke Rahtjen & Co in Berlin-Schöneberg. Josef Egwin Leiber was appointed as the chief designer, who also initially served as the managing director. He developed several original designs, most of which remained prototypes. At the Johannisthal Air Field in the first half of 1914, the construction of the Germania Taube began, [1] a design similar to the Etrich Taube. [1] The company relocated to Leipzig in December 1914, initially renting three halls from Luftschiffhafen- und Flugplatz A.G. (LEFAG) at the Mockau airfield, with an additional seven halls added by August 1915. From October 1915 to 1918, the size of the halls and production area doubled through gradual expansion. Mass production of the Rumpler C.I under license began in October 1916, with two more halls, an acetylene plant, and a military airbase constructed. In December of that year, military oversight was imposed on the operation. As food shortages became critical during the war, a war kitchen was established in June 1917, and vegetables were grown on the factory grounds for the workforce. Additional facilities such as a fuselage carpentry, a locksmith, an administrative building, and more aircraft hangars were built in 1917. Loading tracks were laid between the facing workshop halls, with a loading hall added in February 1918. Due to mass production, the workforce of Germania GmbH grew from 78 workers and employees in January 1916 to 780 in January 1918 within two years.
Between 1916 and 1918, approximately 800 C.I aircraft were produced under license for the German Air Force. Around 300 Rumpler aircraft of the types C.III and C.IV were refurbished from autumn 1917 until the end of the war. Germania Flugzeugwerke operated its own flight school from 1915, training up to 60 pilots on their own manufactured airplanes at times. [2] [3] In August 1918, two double halls, each 54 meters long, were constructed for this purpose; however, the planned accommodations for the flight students were not realized due to the armistice.
With the enforcement of the Treaty of Versailles after the war, aircraft production had to cease. By the end of 1918, Germania Flugzeugwerke was renamed to Mitteldeutsche Möbelfabrik GmbH and Werkstätten für Mechanik GmbH and divided. Production shifted to furniture and agricultural machinery. The company attempted to establish civilian air transportation by participating in air shows with demilitarized aircraft, but was thwarted by the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. By 1919, the following types were not yet certified for civil aviation by the Reich Aviation Office: DFW C V, Ru. C I a, Germania C IV. Seventeen aircraft from Germania Flugzeugwerke were registered with the Reich Aviation Office. [4] In early 1921, Chief Designer Egwin Leiber was dismissed immediately due to disagreements with the acting managing director Richard Pemetzrieder. The GmbH was dissolved on December 16, 1921, and the company liquidated until 1922. [5] Finally, on August 24, 1925, the deletion was completed.
Albatros Flugzeugwerke GmbH was a German aircraft manufacturer best known for supplying the German Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.
Bücker-Flugzeugbau GmbH was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in 1932. It was most notable for Its highly regarded sports planes which went on to be used as trainers by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The Etrich Taube, also known by the names of the various later manufacturers who built versions of the type, such as the Rumpler Taube, was a pre-World War I monoplane aircraft. It was the first military aeroplane to be mass-produced in Germany.
The Idflieg designation system was used to classify German heavier-than-air military aircraft from the early days of the Fliegertruppe/Luftstreitkräfte to the end of World War I. The system evolved during this period as new classes of aircraft came into use.
The Albatros C.III was a twin-seat general-purpose biplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Albatros Flugzeugwerke. It was produced in greater numbers than any other C-type aircraft by Albatros as well as being the company's most-produced twin-seat aircraft.
The Albatros C.I,, was a twin-seat general-purpose biplanes designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Albatros Flugzeugwerke. It was the first of the successful C-series aircraft operated by the Luftstreitkräfte.
The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte – known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches – was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, although that is not a literal translation of either name. German naval aviators of the Marine-Fliegerabteilung were an integral part of the Imperial German Navy. Both military branches operated aeroplanes, observation balloons and airships.
The Rumpler C.VIII was a German single-engine biplane advanced trainer manufactured by Rumpler Flugzeugwerke, in Berlin Johannisthal in 1917.
AGO Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturing company from 1911 until 1945. The initials AGO had a variety of meanings during the company's lifetime, but in its final version stood for Apparatebau GmbH Oschersleben. At its peak, the company employed around 4,500 people.
The Maybach Mb IVa was a water-cooled aircraft and airship straight-six engine developed in Germany during World War I by Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH, a subsidiary of Zeppelin. It was one of the world's first series-produced engines designed specifically for high-altitude use. It was quite different engine design than the previous Maybach Mb.IV, not just a simple modification.
The Rumpler C.IV was a German single-engine, two-seat reconnaissance biplane. It was a development of C.III with different tail surfaces and using a Mercedes D.IVa engine in place of the C.III's Benz Bz.IV. The Rumpler 6B 2 was a single-seat floatplane fighter variant with a 120 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.III engine built for the Kaiserliche Marine.
Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke or Halberstadt was a German aircraft manufacturer. It was formed on 9 April 1912 under the name Deutsche Bristol Werke Flugzeug-Gesellschaft mbH in Halberstadt, Province of Saxony.
Rumpler-Luftfahrzeugbau GmbH, Rumpler-Werke, usually known simply as Rumpler was a German aircraft and automobile manufacturer.
The Union G.I was a bomber aircraft designed and built in Germany from 1914.
The LFG Roland Pfeilflieger, (Arrow-flyer), was a German swept wing, single engine, two seat biplane built in Germany in 1914. It made one distinguished long duration flight and served in colonial German South-West Africa.
The Germania C.I was a two-seat general-purpose biplane built by Germania Flugzeugwerke during World War I.
The Germania C.IV was a two-seat general-purpose biplane built by Germania Flugzeugwerke during World War I.