Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke

The German Aircraft GmbH, abbreviated DFW was during the First World War, one of the major German aircraft manufacturer. They were initially founded as a Saxon aircraft works in 1911 in Lindenthal at Leipzig and later renamed.

History

On April 16, 1911 in Lindenthal, opened the officially approved for motor Flights German airfield second oldest after the Johannisthal airfield near Berlin. It was located between Lindenthaler main road and at the farriers south of the old town center (garden angle). In Lindenthal is considerable air activities developed in a short time. On 21 and 22 October 1911, the Leipzig flight days were held a competition for permanent and soaring prices. For comparison, flying was also a biplane of the Saxon aircraft plants, controlled by Heinrich Oelerich and Hans sergeant. Oelerich was at the DFW test pilot and engineer, and later he was a member of the DFW. On November 2, 1911, he put on a biplane on a flight duration record of 3 hours 39 minutes.

The Saxon aircraft works were founded in March 1911 by the Leipzig publisher Bernhard Meyer and the engineer Erich Thiele. In November 1911 the company was renamed to German Aircraft GmbH. From Lindenthaler airfield club, DFW had rented for five years, three massive aircraft scales, where the planes were assembled. By 1915, then the Lindenthaler fir forest were built on the north-west corridor Radefelder assembly halls, an administration building and several houses with company housing. As a factory airfield, DFW used the fir forest located west of the parade ground of the garrison Leipzig or the werbewirksamwen flight events on the Lindenthaler airfield.

Already Opened in 1911, Erich Thiele a factory flying school, worked on the later famous pilots such as Franz Büchner, Eugen Wiencziers and Heinrich Oelerich as a flight instructor. Oelerich trained there for the first time in 1912 future military pilots. 1913 DFW- flying school was funded as one of the selected factory training centers funded by the National Flugspende and formed to the field pilot test from.

Under the leadership of Oskar narrow the company initially started with the licensed production of French model ( Farman ), but took on from 1913 's designs. The most important designer was the prominent aviation pioneer Heinrich Oelerich.

For naval aircraft Bernhard Meyer founded as a sole proprietor, 1914, the subsidiary DFW- Flugzeugwerft Lübeck -Travemünde. Which emerged from the Jeannin Flugzeugbau Johannistal National Aircraft Works ( NFW ) took over the DFW on June 15, 1915 as a subsidiary. New Headquarters of the NFW was Großzschocher where in Kaisergrund from 1917 was the later work of DFW II. A new factory airfield was put into operation on 11 May 1917. In Austria - Hungary, a subsidiary was founded, which the designer Heinrich led beer.

Under the direction of renowned designer Hermann Dorner, DFW began in September 1915 with the development of the first German giant aircraft, which started its first flight a year later than RI. From 1916 led Willi Sabersky - Müssigbrodt the development of the two-seater reconnaissance CV to success.

When Bernhard Meyer died on 19 April 1917, his son Kurt Herrmann was Director General of DFW. After the First World War, the DFW its operations on December 18, 1919 had to stop and go into liquidation pursuant to the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. On the initiative of Mr. Mann went from Aircraft Company on 16 June 1919, the General Transport Systems Society forth and the DFW GmbH was deleted on June 16, 1928 in the commercial register.

Developments

Vorkriegsmodelle

  • DFW biplane, experimental aircraft
  • DFW Mars biplane trainer aircraft
  • DFW racing biplane sports plane
  • DFW steel dove, reconnaissance

Unarmed reconnaissance aircraft / trainer aircraft

Scout

Fighters

Giant Bomber

Other

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