Georg Hans Madelung
Encyclopedia
Georg Hans Madelung was a German
academic and aeronautical engineer
.
Madelung studied at a several German Technical Universities before his service as a pilot in the First World War. After the war he lectured and worked in Germany and the United States, working on a number of significant aeronautical achievements. Madelung joined the Nazi Party in 1937, and during the Second World War was involved with aeronautical warfare research, including work with Wernher von Braun
's rocket program.
After the cessation of hostilities, Madelung resumed academic work in both Germany and the USA. Madelung's research at the Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
included the effects of high acceleration on the human body.
He permanently returned to live in Germany from 1954 until his death in 1972. The second son of his marriage to Elisabeth Emma née
Messerschmidt is Wilferd Madelung
, a noted scholar in Islamic studies
.
, a surgeon
and medical researcher, and his mother was Hedwig Madelung, née
Köhler.
. He volunteered for military service
in 1907.
Madelung studied at the University of Strasbourg
(1907–1908), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
(1908–1909), the University of Hanover (1909–1910), and the Technical University of Berlin
from 1910 to 1919. He was belatedly awarded a Bachelor of Engineering
degree from the Technical University of Berlin in 1919, and was admitted as Doctor of Engineering
of the University of Hanover in 1921.
Fritz Harber's deployment of poison gas
. In 1915 Madelung was retained as an assistant at the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt"—acronym DVL—the "German Aviation Laboratory".
F.13
, a pioneering all-metal
stressed-skin
low-wingcantilever wing monoplane
. On 13 September 1919, the F.13 was flown to a then-record altitude
of 6 750 metres.
" glider
, which has been claimed to be the model for all modern sailplanes.
designer in the United States
.
of the airplane department and a member of the board
of the DVL. In 1937, he joined the Nazi Party, and in the same year was appointed the director of the re-formed Deutsche Akademie der Luftfahrtforschung (German Aviation Research Academy).
, in 1941 Madelung formed the Forschungsanstalt Graf Zeppelin ("Count Zeppelin Research Institute") with Madelung himself as director. The Institute worked on bomb
s, torpedo
guidance, depth charge
s, and construction of airplane catapult
s. Madelung was considered an expert in bomb construction. Later in the war, he was involved with Wernher von Braun
's Raketenprogramm.
.
From 1946 to 1954, Madelung was a visiting scholar
at the USA Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
, where he was involved with studies into the ability of the human body to bear large accelerations. He left the USA for Germany again in 1954.
. Their second son Wilferd Ferdinand
(born 1930) was a professor for Oriental Studies
at Oxford University and is the author of numerous scholarly works in Islamic studies
.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
academic and aeronautical engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
.
Madelung studied at a several German Technical Universities before his service as a pilot in the First World War. After the war he lectured and worked in Germany and the United States, working on a number of significant aeronautical achievements. Madelung joined the Nazi Party in 1937, and during the Second World War was involved with aeronautical warfare research, including work with Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
's rocket program.
After the cessation of hostilities, Madelung resumed academic work in both Germany and the USA. Madelung's research at the Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
included the effects of high acceleration on the human body.
He permanently returned to live in Germany from 1954 until his death in 1972. The second son of his marriage to Elisabeth Emma née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Messerschmidt is Wilferd Madelung
Wilferd Madelung
Wilferd Ferdinand Madelung is a scholar of Islam. He was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where he completed his early education at Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium....
, a noted scholar in Islamic studies
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
.
Early life
Madelung's father was Otto Wilhelm MadelungOtto Wilhelm Madelung
Otto Wilhelm Madelung was a German surgeon who was a native of Gotha.In 1869 he received his medical doctorate from the University of Tübingen, and later worked in a military hospital during the Franco-Prussian War...
, a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and medical researcher, and his mother was Hedwig Madelung, née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Köhler.
Education
From 1985 to 1907 Madelung was schooled at a Protestant gymnasium in StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. He volunteered for military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
in 1907.
Madelung studied at the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
(1907–1908), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is a German academic research and education institution with university status resulting from a merger of the university and the research center of the city of Karlsruhe. The university, also known as Fridericiana, was founded in 1825...
(1908–1909), the University of Hanover (1909–1910), and the Technical University of Berlin
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
from 1910 to 1919. He was belatedly awarded a Bachelor of Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
degree from the Technical University of Berlin in 1919, and was admitted as Doctor of Engineering
Doctor of Engineering
The Doctor of Engineering is an academic degree awarded on the basis of advanced study and research in engineering or applied sciences...
of the University of Hanover in 1921.
WWI service
Madelung was trained as a pilot and may have flown some combat missions in the First World War. He was involved with fellow engineerEngineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Fritz Harber's deployment of poison gas
Poison gas in World War I
The use of chemical weapons in World War I ranged from disabling chemicals, such as tear gas and the severe mustard gas, to lethal agents like phosgene and chlorine. This chemical warfare was a major component of the first global war and first total war of the 20th century. The killing capacity of...
. In 1915 Madelung was retained as an assistant at the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt"—acronym DVL—the "German Aviation Laboratory".
Junkers F. 13 project
In 1919 Madelung was a participant in the development of the JunkersJunkers
Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG , more commonly Junkers, was a major German aircraft manufacturer. It produced some of the world's most innovative and best-known airplanes over the course of its fifty-plus year history in Dessau, Germany. It was founded there in 1895 by Hugo Junkers,...
F.13
Junkers F.13
The Junkers F.13 was the world's first all-metal transport aircraft, developed in Germany at the end of World War I. It was an advanced cantilever-wing monoplane, with enclosed accommodation for four passengers. Over 300 were sold...
, a pioneering all-metal
Duralumin
Duralumin is the trade name of one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The main alloying constituents are copper, manganese, and magnesium. A commonly used modern equivalent of this alloy type is AA2024, which contains 4.4% copper, 1.5% magnesium, 0.6% manganese and 93.5%...
stressed-skin
Stressed skin
In mechanical engineering, stressed skin is a type of rigid construction, intermediate between monocoque and a rigid frame with a non-loaded covering:...
low-wingcantilever wing monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
. On 13 September 1919, the F.13 was flown to a then-record altitude
Flight altitude record
These are the records set for going the highest in the atmosphere from the age of ballooning onward. Some records are certified by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.-Fixed-wing aircraft:-Piston-driven propeller aeroplane:...
of 6 750 metres.
"Vampyr" glider
Madelung was the designer of the 1921 "Hannover VampyrHannover Vampyr
The Hanover Vampyr was a glider. It was designed by Georg Hans Madelung and built by students of aerotechnical institute of the University of Hanover in 1921. It has been claimed to be the model for all modern sailplanes.-Technical details:-External links:*...
" glider
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
, which has been claimed to be the model for all modern sailplanes.
Work in the United States
From 1921 to 1924 Madelung worked as an airplanedesigner in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Return to Germany
Madelung returned to Germany and the DVL in 1925. In 1929 he was appointed to the office of director-generalDirector-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the airplane department and a member of the board
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of the DVL. In 1937, he joined the Nazi Party, and in the same year was appointed the director of the re-formed Deutsche Akademie der Luftfahrtforschung (German Aviation Research Academy).
World War II
After the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in 1941 Madelung formed the Forschungsanstalt Graf Zeppelin ("Count Zeppelin Research Institute") with Madelung himself as director. The Institute worked on bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s, torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
guidance, depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s, and construction of airplane catapult
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
s. Madelung was considered an expert in bomb construction. Later in the war, he was involved with Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
's Raketenprogramm.
Later life
After the defeat of Nazi Germany, Madelung resumed academic work at the University of StuttgartUniversity of Stuttgart
The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties....
.
From 1946 to 1954, Madelung was a visiting scholar
Visiting scholar
In the world of academia, a visiting scholar or visiting academic is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university, where he or she is projected to teach , lecture , or perform research on a topic the visitor is valued for...
at the USA Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
, where he was involved with studies into the ability of the human body to bear large accelerations. He left the USA for Germany again in 1954.
Personal life
Madelung married Elisabeth Emma Messerschmidt in 1927. The couple had three daughters and two sons. Their first son Gero Otto George (born 1928) was a professor for aviation technology at the University of Munich and member of the supervisory board of Bosch AGRobert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
. Their second son Wilferd Ferdinand
Wilferd Madelung
Wilferd Ferdinand Madelung is a scholar of Islam. He was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where he completed his early education at Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium....
(born 1930) was a professor for Oriental Studies
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
at Oxford University and is the author of numerous scholarly works in Islamic studies
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
.