Kurt Hohenemser
Kurt Heinrich Hohenemser (1906-2001) was a German-born American aerospace engineer and pioneer in the field of helicopter design.[1]
Life in Germany
Kurt Heinrich Hohenemser was born on January 3, 1906, in Berlin, Germany, to the German Jewish musicologist Richard Hohenemser and his English wife Alice Salt.[2][3] He received his secondary education from the Goethe-Schule in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, Hermann-Lietz-Schule in Haubinda, and Ziehenschule in Eschersheim. He received his Abitur in 1924.[3] Hohenemser attended university at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt from 1924 to 1929, receiving his Diplom-Ingenieur in 1927 and his Doktor-Ingenieur in 1929.[3][4] From 1930 until 1933, Hohenemser taught and conducted research at the University of Göttingen under Ludwig Prandtl.[4][5] While at Göttingen, Hohenemser and his colleague William Prager organized a political discussion group, to which they invited another colleague who supported the ideologies of the Nazi Party. During these discussions, Hohenemser made comments critical of Nazi ideology. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, the colleague reported these statements, and Hohenemser was dismissed from his position at the university.[3][6]
After his dismissal, Hohenemser briefly worked for aircraft manufacturer Gerhard Fieseler before going to work as a consultant for Anton Flettner, whose company specialized in the development and manufacture of helicopters. Hohenemser stayed with Flettner's company through the end of World War II.[4] While at the company, he was instrumental in the development of the Fl 282 Kolibri.[2] Though considered Jewish by the Nazis because of his Jewish father, Hohenemser's role in Flettner's company provided protection for him and his family during the war.[6]
Life in the United States
Kurt Hohenemser emigrated from Germany to the United States with his family in 1947. He accepted a position as chief aerodynamics engineer of the helicopter division of McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri.[2][5] In this role, Hohenemser oversaw work on such designs as the Little Henry, Big Henry, and XV-1, a precursor of the Osprey.[2] After working for McDonnell for 18 years, he took a position as professor of aerospace engineering at Washington University in St. Louis in 1966. He retired in 1975 but remained as emeritus professor for two more decades. Hohenemser received many accolades during his career, among them the Grover E. Bell Award (1957) and the Alexander Klemin Award (1964) from the American Helicopter Society. Kurt Heinrich Hohenemser died on April 7, 2001, in St. Louis, Missouri.[2][5]
References
- ↑ "Kurt Hohenemser". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Martin, Douglas (2001-04-21). "Kurt Hohenemser, Early Helicopter Designer, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Szabó, Anikó. Vertreibung, Rückkehr, Wiedergutmachung: Göttinger Hochschullehrer im Schatten des Nationalsozialismus. Göttingen, Germany: Wallstein, 2000.
- 1 2 3 Rammer, Klaus (2001). "Physicists at the University of Göttingen, 1945-1955" (PDF). Physics in Perspective (3): 189–209. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 Fitzpatrick, Tony (2001-04-20). "Kurt H. Hohenemser, Aviation pioneer dies at 95". The Record. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- 1 2 Schwarz, Egon. "Kurt Hohenemser: Erinnerung an einen Babysitter, Hubschrauberkonstrukteur, "armchair radical"" (PDF). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
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