The legendary German marque that is so well known for its cars actually has its roots in motorcycles. BMW’s first motorcycle, the R32, started in 1923, and its four-stroke two-cylinder flat-twin engine layout is still used in its current line-up.
BMW ROOTS
The legendary German marque that is so well known for its cars actually has its roots in motorcycles. BMW’s first motorcycle, the R32, started in 1923, and its four-stroke two-cylinder flat-twin engine layout is still used in its current line-up.
YEAR 1913
Close to Rapp´s factory, Gustav Otto, the son of the inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine, sets up a business building small air crafts. Otto enjoys great success with Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik.
Karl Friedrich Rapp
Flugwerk Deutschland GmbH probably transferred its headquarters from Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen to Brand near Aachen. The articles of association were ratified on February 15, 1912, and the entry in the Aachen Commercial Register was effected on March 5, 1912. The object of the business was the manufacture and sale of aircraft, the construction and sale of machinery and equipment in the areas of aircraft engineering and operation of airfields and aerodromes. On 20 May 1913, a branch was set up for aeroengine production at Schleissheimer Straße 288 (near the first airport on the Oberwiesenfeld) in Munich-Milbertshofen , and Karl Rapp and Joseph Wirth were given power of attorney in Munich. Rapp, working as an engineer and operations manager for the company, engaged in the construction of several biplanes and a monoplane. Rapp also designed aeroengines, one of which was the FD 1416 aeroengine. The company took participation in the General Air Show in Berlin in 1912. However, the company was dissolved by a resolution of the shareholders on April 16, 1913, and Joseph Wirth was appointed as sole liquidator. After the liquidation process had been brought to an end, the company was wound up on August 8, 1916.
After Rapp left the company (immediately it was renamed BMW) he
became chief engineer and head of the Aeroengine Department of the L.A.
Riedlinger Machine Factory where he was probably employed until October
1923.
Rapp lived in Switzerland from 1934, running a small observatory making solar observations.
Karl Friedrich Rapp died in 1962 in Locarno.
Karl Friedrich Rapp - Short presentation
Early life
Very little is known of his childhood and adolescent years. However, it is known that Rapp learned the engineering profession and was employed by Züst automotive company from approx. 1908 to 1911. It is believed he was active as a technical designer with Daimler Benz until 1912. Rapp left Daimler-Benz to head a branch of Flugwerk Deutschland GmbH.Aircraft engine manufacturing
Flugwerk Deutschland GmbH probably transferred its headquarters from Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen to Brand near Aachen. The articles of association were ratified on February 15, 1912, and the entry in the Aachen Commercial Register was effected on March 5, 1912. The object of the business was the manufacture and sale of aircraft, the construction and sale of machinery and equipment in the areas of aircraft engineering and operation of airfields and aerodromes. On 20 May 1913, a branch was set up for aeroengine production at Schleissheimer Straße 288 (near the first airport on the Oberwiesenfeld) in Munich-Milbertshofen , and Karl Rapp and Joseph Wirth were given power of attorney in Munich. Rapp, working as an engineer and operations manager for the company, engaged in the construction of several biplanes and a monoplane. Rapp also designed aeroengines, one of which was the FD 1416 aeroengine. The company took participation in the General Air Show in Berlin in 1912. However, the company was dissolved by a resolution of the shareholders on April 16, 1913, and Joseph Wirth was appointed as sole liquidator. After the liquidation process had been brought to an end, the company was wound up on August 8, 1916.
Later life
Rapp lived in Switzerland from 1934, running a small observatory making solar observations.
Karl Friedrich Rapp died in 1962 in Locarno.
YEAR 1916
Rapp's company has secured a contract with Prussia and Austro-Hungary to produce 25 large V12 aircraft engines. Rapp Motoren Werke had problems with the reliability of the engines so they began buying four-cylinder water-cooled aircraft engines from the Gustav Otto factory.
In the following months Otto's company is absorbed. Gustav Otto´s Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik merging with Rapp-Motorenwerke formed Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke or BFW, in English Bavarian Aircraft Works
Portrait of Gustav in 1910
Gustav Otto - Short presentation
2 January 1883– 28 February 1926 was a German aircraft and aircraft-engine designer and manufacturer.
Otto was born in Cologne son of Nikolaus August Otto, the founder of N. A. Otto & Cie. and inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine. It is therefore regarded that his interest in engines, specifically aircraft and the manufacture thereof, was something he inherited from his father at an early age.
Gustav with an Argus aeroengine
Gustav founded numerous companies for the purpose of building aircraft. For his first company, the following entry was recorded in the Munich Company Register under the number 14/364 on 15 March 1911: "Gustav Otto in Munich, Flugmaschinenfabrik (aircraft factory), Office Karlstrasse 72". Shortly afterwards, Otto moved the workshop from its original location at 37, Gabelsberger Strasse to its new premises at 135, Schleissheimer Strasse, and in 1913 started to construct a new factory at 76, Neulerchenfeldstrasse (later Lerchenauer Strasse)at the Oberwiesenfeld (the business was renamed "Otto-Werke" in 1915).
In 1913, after selling 47 aircraft to the Bavarian Army, Gustav opens his factory Otto-Flugzeugwerke
on Lerchenauer Strasse just east of the Oberwiesenfeld troop maneuver
area in the Milbertshofen district of Munich(this area later became
Munich's first airport). He wanted to be closer to the German
government's procurement process for military sale. However, Gustav was
not skilled at the politics and payoffs associated necessary when
dealing with the Bavarian war ministry and Prussian Army.
Unable to navigate these politics without leaving his pride and integrity intact deeply troubled Gustav.
Shortly after 1914, Otto established another company named AGO Flugzeugwerke at Berlin's Johannisthal Air Field. The initials AGO stood for either Actien-Gesellschaft Otto or Aerowerke Gustav Otto– there seems to be some ambiguity– but the company mostly license-built Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik designs,(as did Pfalz Flugzeugwerke) during the early years of World War I.
The designs by Gustav Otto were initially successful, but Otto was
continually experiencing problems related to cost-effective production,
as well as generating profits. At the start of the war,
Otto-Flugzeugwerke was supplying the German Air Force, but the
production problems ended up being so great that the government agencies
urged the company to solve the issues. The stress of wartime seemed to prove too great a burden for Gustov who
suffered health issues which led to financial problems with the
company. In 1915 he was admitted to a Munich mental hospital for
treatment of clinical depression (as it is called today). As he was
being treated, the company languished to the edge of bankruptcy.
Eventually, Otto was forced to resign from the business and was offered a
buyout that would compensate him for the business as well as his
medical bills. The assets were finally taken over by a consortium which
incorporated them into Bayerische Flugzeugwerke
on 19 February 1916. Gustav Otto no longer had a stake in this company.
He turned his attention instead to Otto-Werke Flugzeug- und
Maschinenfabrik GmbH, which was founded on 1 February 1916, just before
Otto-Flugzeugwerke was taken over by the consortium. This new company
was not in any way connected with the newly established company.
After the First World War, Otto started a new attempt within the automobile manufacturing area with the Starnberger Automobilwerke. The luxury "Otto-Mercedes" car built there is alleged to have been well received abroad. During this time, he was divorced from his wife Ada in 1924, an event under which Otto suffered badly. Ada remarried, but in August 1925 died in mysterious circumstances that gave rise to much speculation. Despite the fact he was no longer married to her, Otto took her death most harshly and apparently fell into a deep depression.
In 1926, between failed attempts at business (caused by various reasons), the death of his wife, and health issues, Otto committed suicide at the age of 43.
Franz-Josef Popp, an Austrian engineer, directed Rapp's business. He was securing the all-importnt military contracts. Popp tranformed then the existing company into Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. BMW formally recognizes its birthday as March 7, 1916. Shortly after the merge, Popp realized that the company expanded too quickly and they needed financial help. He turned to Camillo Castiglioni, a Vienna financier, who was head of the Wiener Bankverein. Popp and Castiglioni recapitalized the company.
Franz-Josef Popp
Political meddling
These reservations were not politically motivated. Even though Popp admitted that he joined the Nazi Party on 1 May 1933 under pressure from Gauleiter Wagner, head of the Bavarian administrative district, he kept his distance from the party. Looking back, he maintained that joining the party shortly after the National Socialists seized power was simply intended to prevent his removal as General Director of BMW. In February 1936, the local group leader of the National Socialist Party started proceedings to exclude Popp from the party. This was based on accusations that despite warnings, Popp continued to allow his family to be treated by a Jewish family doctor. Following an official “warning” from the Munich Party Court, Popp put the matter to rest, not least to prevent the issue from escalating and endangering his position as Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. Popp’s skepticism against shifting the focus of production at BMW to aircraft engine production was based on his thinking that this would provide a one sided orientation for the group by focusing its activities on armament in preparation for war. Although this area was financially lucrative, it would mean that the group was heavily dependent on decisions made by the National Socialist regime. In June 1940, he wrote to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Emil Georg von Stauss, explaining that the situation could “threaten the very existence of BMW AG if there were any setback to aircraft engine production”. The strategically important position of BMW for air armament would lead to a rise in the volume of specifications and more interference from political and military agencies, which would in turn increasingly restrict the scope for entrepreneurial manoeuvre. This would weaken the position of the group’s management. It would also erode the position of Franz Josef Popp, who up until then had directed the company largely autonomously and autocratically.
Tense climate
As the war progressed, the increasing shortage of labor and raw materials combined with the opaque procurement policy of the Reich Air Ministry to ensure that BMW fell well behind the production output requested. This increased the pressure pervading the already tense atmosphere between Popp and the responsible General Aviation Supervisor Erhard Milch in the Air Ministry. Popp’s attempts to gain backing from influential official quarters against Milch’s demands and to obtain realistic production requirements proved counter-productive. The General Aviation Supervisor felt slighted by Popp’s actions and accused him of refusing to perform his duty and of sabotage. Since Popp’s management style had already caused significant tensions in the BMW Board of Management prior to the disputes with the ministry, the Supervisory Board attempted to solve the conflicts by granting Popp leave of absence in January 1942. To prevent public speculation about the management change, Popp was appointed to the Supervisory Board but was no longer able to influence the day-to-day running of the company from this position.
Unsuccessful comeback
Directly after the end of the war, at the age of 59, Popp was again appointed by the Supervisory Board to the Board of Management in May 1945. One month later, the Allies arrested him on account of his title Military Economic Leader, which he had been granted in the course of the war. During the denazification process he was designated as a “nominal member of the Nazi party” and was finally, after an appeal, classified as “untainted”. Franz Josef Popp then once more attempted to join the Board of Management at the Bayerische Motoren Werke. However, his attempts were completely unsuccessful and his move to Stuttgart marked the end of these ambitions. Popp died there on 29 July 1954.
In the following months Otto's company is absorbed. Gustav Otto´s Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik merging with Rapp-Motorenwerke formed Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke or BFW, in English Bavarian Aircraft Works
Portrait of Gustav in 1910
Gustav Otto - Short presentation
2 January 1883– 28 February 1926 was a German aircraft and aircraft-engine designer and manufacturer.
Otto was born in Cologne son of Nikolaus August Otto, the founder of N. A. Otto & Cie. and inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine. It is therefore regarded that his interest in engines, specifically aircraft and the manufacture thereof, was something he inherited from his father at an early age.
Early life
Otto was regarded as successful and career-minded, and moved in elevated social circles. He attended a higher secondary school in Cologne, and had internships at machine tool manufacturers. Later, he attended the Technical Colleges in Hanover, Karlsruhe and Munich for further engineering study. He is believed to have remained in Munich after completing his studies to co-found the Bayrische Autogarage Company. Having a famous father, Gustav was driven to prove himself. However, like many sons of famous fathers, Gustav had a difficult time getting out from under his father's long shadow. Therefore he was prone to bouts of depression, which affected his work.Passion for Flight
Gustav competed successfully in cars and on motorcycles in various sports events. He was also very active in the earliest days of aviation. On 10 April 1910 he obtained his pilot's license on an Aviatik biplane (also he took over an agency for this aircraft). He founded the "Aeroplanbau Otto-Alberti" workshop (renamed "Gustav Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik" in 1911) at the Puchheim airfield. In 1910, Gustav built a biplane he designed; it created a sensation throughout Germany. Gustav, along with a few others, flew machines made of wood, wire, canvas and powered by Daimler aeroengines. Gustav sold over 30 aircraft through his company, which also included a flight school. Through their passion for these flying machines, they helped transform aviation from a do-it-yourself hobby to a genuine industry vital to the military, especially after the breakout of World War I. Interestingly, Ernst Udet, the second-highest scoring German flying ace of World War I (second only to the Red Baron), earned his pilots license from private training with Gustav at this time.
Gustav founded numerous companies for the purpose of building aircraft. For his first company, the following entry was recorded in the Munich Company Register under the number 14/364 on 15 March 1911: "Gustav Otto in Munich, Flugmaschinenfabrik (aircraft factory), Office Karlstrasse 72". Shortly afterwards, Otto moved the workshop from its original location at 37, Gabelsberger Strasse to its new premises at 135, Schleissheimer Strasse, and in 1913 started to construct a new factory at 76, Neulerchenfeldstrasse (later Lerchenauer Strasse)at the Oberwiesenfeld (the business was renamed "Otto-Werke" in 1915).
The Foundation of BFW
Unable to navigate these politics without leaving his pride and integrity intact deeply troubled Gustav.
After the First World War, Otto started a new attempt within the automobile manufacturing area with the Starnberger Automobilwerke. The luxury "Otto-Mercedes" car built there is alleged to have been well received abroad. During this time, he was divorced from his wife Ada in 1924, an event under which Otto suffered badly. Ada remarried, but in August 1925 died in mysterious circumstances that gave rise to much speculation. Despite the fact he was no longer married to her, Otto took her death most harshly and apparently fell into a deep depression.
In 1926, between failed attempts at business (caused by various reasons), the death of his wife, and health issues, Otto committed suicide at the age of 43.
Franz-Josef Popp, an Austrian engineer, directed Rapp's business. He was securing the all-importnt military contracts. Popp tranformed then the existing company into Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. BMW formally recognizes its birthday as March 7, 1916. Shortly after the merge, Popp realized that the company expanded too quickly and they needed financial help. He turned to Camillo Castiglioni, a Vienna financier, who was head of the Wiener Bankverein. Popp and Castiglioni recapitalized the company.
Franz-Josef Popp - Short presentation
Early years
Popp was born in Vienna in 1886 and in 1901 his family moved to Brno where he completed his university entrance qualification at the local grammar school. He went on to study mechanical and electrical engineering at the local Technical College and qualified with a degree in engineering in 1909. When he returned to Vienna, Franz Josef Popp joined the Viennese company AEG-Union as an electrical engineer. He soon became head of the department for “Electric Trains and Locomotives”, and one of his responsibilities was to develop electric locomotives for the Mittenwald railway. At the start of the First World War, Popp joined the Kaiserliche und Konigliche Luftfahrtruppen or "K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppen" (Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops) as a marine engineer at the Pula base on the Adriatic Sea (in present-day Croatia). This is where he had spent his military service as a one-year volunteer during his course of studies. However, three weeks later he was ordered back to Vienna to oversee construction for aircraft engine production, initially at AEG and then at the Austro-Daimler works in Wiener Neustadt. In this capacity, Popp traveled to Germany a number of times to visit the biggest aircraft engine manufacturers in the Reich- Daimler, NAG and Benz. The purpose was to explore opportunities for the production under license of German prototypes at the Austro-Daimler works. Unfortunately, these exploratory talks came to nothing. The Austro-Daimler works went on to develop their own new 12-cylinder aircraft engine for the Austrian navy, although there was not sufficient capacity available for production of this engine. It was necessary to find a production facility that was in a position to manufacture the engine in the quantities required by the military authorities. While he was serving in Pola, Popp had got to know the Rapp Motorenwerke (Rapp Engine Works) in Munich. This company had the necessary skilled workforce and production facilities for manufacturing aircraft engines, but it lacked a competitive product since its engines were not successful as aircraft engines. Given this scenario, Popp regarded the Rapp Engine works as an ideal production facility for manufacturing the 12-cylinder Austro-Daimler engine. He lobbied hard for this solution and was successful in convincing the responsible authorities to take up his suggestion. In 1916, he was dispatched to Munich as the representative of the Austrian Navy to supervise production under license at the Rapp Motorenwerke (Rapp Motor Works). However, Popp was worried about unsatisfactory decisions and targets set by the technical and commercial managers. He became concerned that volumes determined contractually would not be complied with. To ensure compliance with production targets, Popp effectively began to take on the role of factory manager. Popp ensured that Max Friz, a very talented young engineer at Daimler who had recently applied for a position, was hired by Rapp (Friz and Rapp were colleagues together at Austro-Daimler) . Popp understood that Rapp Motorenwerke very much needed a chief engineer with new ideas on making aircraft engines.
Popp was born in Vienna in 1886 and in 1901 his family moved to Brno where he completed his university entrance qualification at the local grammar school. He went on to study mechanical and electrical engineering at the local Technical College and qualified with a degree in engineering in 1909. When he returned to Vienna, Franz Josef Popp joined the Viennese company AEG-Union as an electrical engineer. He soon became head of the department for “Electric Trains and Locomotives”, and one of his responsibilities was to develop electric locomotives for the Mittenwald railway. At the start of the First World War, Popp joined the Kaiserliche und Konigliche Luftfahrtruppen or "K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppen" (Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops) as a marine engineer at the Pula base on the Adriatic Sea (in present-day Croatia). This is where he had spent his military service as a one-year volunteer during his course of studies. However, three weeks later he was ordered back to Vienna to oversee construction for aircraft engine production, initially at AEG and then at the Austro-Daimler works in Wiener Neustadt. In this capacity, Popp traveled to Germany a number of times to visit the biggest aircraft engine manufacturers in the Reich- Daimler, NAG and Benz. The purpose was to explore opportunities for the production under license of German prototypes at the Austro-Daimler works. Unfortunately, these exploratory talks came to nothing. The Austro-Daimler works went on to develop their own new 12-cylinder aircraft engine for the Austrian navy, although there was not sufficient capacity available for production of this engine. It was necessary to find a production facility that was in a position to manufacture the engine in the quantities required by the military authorities. While he was serving in Pola, Popp had got to know the Rapp Motorenwerke (Rapp Engine Works) in Munich. This company had the necessary skilled workforce and production facilities for manufacturing aircraft engines, but it lacked a competitive product since its engines were not successful as aircraft engines. Given this scenario, Popp regarded the Rapp Engine works as an ideal production facility for manufacturing the 12-cylinder Austro-Daimler engine. He lobbied hard for this solution and was successful in convincing the responsible authorities to take up his suggestion. In 1916, he was dispatched to Munich as the representative of the Austrian Navy to supervise production under license at the Rapp Motorenwerke (Rapp Motor Works). However, Popp was worried about unsatisfactory decisions and targets set by the technical and commercial managers. He became concerned that volumes determined contractually would not be complied with. To ensure compliance with production targets, Popp effectively began to take on the role of factory manager. Popp ensured that Max Friz, a very talented young engineer at Daimler who had recently applied for a position, was hired by Rapp (Friz and Rapp were colleagues together at Austro-Daimler) . Popp understood that Rapp Motorenwerke very much needed a chief engineer with new ideas on making aircraft engines.
Political meddling
These reservations were not politically motivated. Even though Popp admitted that he joined the Nazi Party on 1 May 1933 under pressure from Gauleiter Wagner, head of the Bavarian administrative district, he kept his distance from the party. Looking back, he maintained that joining the party shortly after the National Socialists seized power was simply intended to prevent his removal as General Director of BMW. In February 1936, the local group leader of the National Socialist Party started proceedings to exclude Popp from the party. This was based on accusations that despite warnings, Popp continued to allow his family to be treated by a Jewish family doctor. Following an official “warning” from the Munich Party Court, Popp put the matter to rest, not least to prevent the issue from escalating and endangering his position as Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. Popp’s skepticism against shifting the focus of production at BMW to aircraft engine production was based on his thinking that this would provide a one sided orientation for the group by focusing its activities on armament in preparation for war. Although this area was financially lucrative, it would mean that the group was heavily dependent on decisions made by the National Socialist regime. In June 1940, he wrote to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Emil Georg von Stauss, explaining that the situation could “threaten the very existence of BMW AG if there were any setback to aircraft engine production”. The strategically important position of BMW for air armament would lead to a rise in the volume of specifications and more interference from political and military agencies, which would in turn increasingly restrict the scope for entrepreneurial manoeuvre. This would weaken the position of the group’s management. It would also erode the position of Franz Josef Popp, who up until then had directed the company largely autonomously and autocratically.
Tense climate
As the war progressed, the increasing shortage of labor and raw materials combined with the opaque procurement policy of the Reich Air Ministry to ensure that BMW fell well behind the production output requested. This increased the pressure pervading the already tense atmosphere between Popp and the responsible General Aviation Supervisor Erhard Milch in the Air Ministry. Popp’s attempts to gain backing from influential official quarters against Milch’s demands and to obtain realistic production requirements proved counter-productive. The General Aviation Supervisor felt slighted by Popp’s actions and accused him of refusing to perform his duty and of sabotage. Since Popp’s management style had already caused significant tensions in the BMW Board of Management prior to the disputes with the ministry, the Supervisory Board attempted to solve the conflicts by granting Popp leave of absence in January 1942. To prevent public speculation about the management change, Popp was appointed to the Supervisory Board but was no longer able to influence the day-to-day running of the company from this position.
Unsuccessful comeback
Directly after the end of the war, at the age of 59, Popp was again appointed by the Supervisory Board to the Board of Management in May 1945. One month later, the Allies arrested him on account of his title Military Economic Leader, which he had been granted in the course of the war. During the denazification process he was designated as a “nominal member of the Nazi party” and was finally, after an appeal, classified as “untainted”. Franz Josef Popp then once more attempted to join the Board of Management at the Bayerische Motoren Werke. However, his attempts were completely unsuccessful and his move to Stuttgart marked the end of these ambitions. Popp died there on 29 July 1954.
YEAR 1917
Popp and Castiglioni forced Rapp out of the company who needs to depart in this year.
In 1917, BMW's first aircraft engine, the Type IIIa, goes into production. It is a water-cooled six-cylinder inline engine, it features a unique "high-altitude carburetor" developed by chief engineer Max Friz that allows it to develop full power at altitude. Max Friz was a grand engineering mind who would dominate BMW's product development culture on into the 1960's.
Popp convinced the German government to buy the BMW IIIa engine.
Camillo Castiglioni
Camillo Castiglioni - Short presentation
22 October 1879 – 18 December 1957 was an Italian-Austrian financier and banker, and was the wealthiest man in Central Europe during World War I. Nicknamed “Austrian Stinnes”, he was active in aviation's pioneering days and invested in the arts.
Early life
Castiglioni was born in Trieste, then Austria–Hungary (now part of Italy). It is not know when Camillo developed his interest in aviation, but it is known that he was passionate about flying. Camillo's education was primarily law, gaining employment as an attorney and legal officer of a bank in Padua, quickly learning international finance and how to manage capital. He was the son of a rubber maker, so naturally Camillo found work with the Austro-American Gummiwarenfabrik AG (rubber products) in Vienna as an Agent for the Kaufmann automobile tire division in Constantinople. Camillo found great success in this position, demonstrating his abilities to negotiate and structure financial deals. In fact, Camillo was so successful, he was promoted to Director of the export department of the parent company in Vienna. Around 1901, along with Viktor Silberer and Franz Hinterstoissera Camillo helped to create the Viennese aero club (later Austrian aero club). He eventually was made deputy director, then in 1904 he was appointed to General Director of the company. Through his experience in the rubber and tire production field, Camillo saw the birth of aviation as an industry, going from a ballooning hobby, to makeshift glider craft requiring tires, to fully operational aircraft operated by engines. He met many influential men in his business, and came to realize that aviation sparked not only his passion for flight, but also recognized the tremendous financial opportunity of aviation's potential as an industry.
In order to draw from the arising enthusiasm for airplanes and ballooning, as well as to take advantage of the lucrative business the hobby generated, Camillo established one of his first companies, Motoren-Luftfahrzeuggesellschaft GmbH, in 1907. Being a pure commercial firm - it acquired the Etrich balloon patents and sold balloon fliers in Austria Hungary. There were many contests that these inspired balloon drivers entered, and Camillo was no different- he bought his own balloon and successfully took his balloon driver examination on 24 August 1909.
Aviation financing
During the First World War, became one of the richest and most influential financiers in Central Europe.
The first major investor in the series production of aircraft. 1914 Purchased the German aircraft company Hansa- und Brandenburgische Flugzeugwerke, which employed Ernst Heinkel as its chief designer. Acquired a majority holding in Austro-Daimler with its chief designers Puch and Porsche. Press "Czar" and sponsor of the arts (financed Max Reinhardt and helped him to organize the Salzburg Festival). After a series of setbacks, his financial empire broke up in 1926. He retired to Switzerland, then to Milan where he set up a private bank and once again amassed a considerable fortune. After the Second World War, negotiated a large US loan for his friend Josip Broz Tito in Yugoslavia. When Tito refused to pay his commission, Castiglioni succeeded in getting Yugoslavian assets in Italy worth millions sequestered. 1916 Awarded the Franz Joseph Order with ribbon on the Military Service Cross for his services to aviation 1918 with the St-Georges Order for his achievements in the war material production.
Castiglioni became rich in ventures during the period of inflation, acquiring a majority interest in Alpine Montan AG. The Austrian aviation company Österreichische Luftfahrtsgesellschaft was founded by him.
BMW influence
Castiglioni significantly influenced the development of BMW AG in its early years. The granting of a license agreement by Austro-Daimler to the Rapp-Werke in 1917 was partly attributable to Castiglioni. 1918 At Castiglioni's insistence the Wiener Bankverein (Vienna) acquired the majority of BMW's share capital. 1922 Castiglioni purchased all the equipment relating to engine construction, the associated know-how and the rights to the name "Bayerische Motoren Werke AG" from the BMW AG, which was renamed Süddeutsche Bremse AG. Castiglioni in turn renamed the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke to BMW AG and allowed the renamed company to continue production at the BFW plant. From the establishment of BMW AG until November 9, 1922 and then from 1924 to 1929, he was a member of the Supervisory Board and President of BMW AG. 1928 Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
His was one of the voices that urged BMW in 1928 to purchase the Eisenach Automobilwerke. Due to financial difficulties in 1929 he was obliged to surrender his holding of BMW shares to a consortium of banks (Deutsche Bank, Disconto, Bankhaus Hagen etc.).
A consortium led by the Deutsche Bank and the Diskonto-Gesellschaft purchased the BMW shares previously held by Camillo Castiglioni, who was facing problems of liquidity.
Failed speculation and bankcruptcy
In February 1924, Castiglioni partnered with Fritz Mannheimer, and later other influential bankers to speculate on the devaluation of the French franc. They shorted hundreds of millions of franc, eventually causing the franc to drop almost 40% in less than a month. By the beginning of March 1924, one United States dollar was worth 28 francs. Then, however, investment bank Lazard, on the behalf of Banque de France and powered by J.P. Morgan & Co.,[1] bought immense amounts of francs, causing the franc to rise again, to 15 franc per dollar. Castiglioni, Mannheimer and their partners lost millions.
In September 1924, the Austrian Depositenbank, of which Castiglioni had been president, collapsed. A warrant for his arrest on a charge of fraud was issued, but Castiglioni had been taken care to be in Italy when the crash came. The Austrian State said that if he deposited $4,200,000 ($56956893 in present day value), he could return unmolested.
Philanthropy
Castiglioni built up a large art collection and a theatre in Vienna. He was the richest man in Central Europe and much beloved by the Viennese whom he assisted financially on Sundays and odd occasions. He was also a patron of the arts and for some time supported the famed producer Max Reinhardt, for whom he built a theater. So fond was he of appearing in the public limelight that he lived with all the pomp and ceremony of royalty, even traveling in the Kaiser Karl's private parlor car, which he bought.
Because of his famous banking activities, his life was documented in a 1988 movie on television titled Camillo Castiglioni oder die Moral der Haifische (in English: Camillo Castiglioni, or the morality of sharks), directed by Peter Patzak.
Max Friz - Short Presentation
Max Friz
1 October 1883 – 9 June 1966 was a German mechanical engineer specializing in engine design. He was the key contributor of engine design and innovation that led to the founding of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) in 1917.
Early life
Assumed to be originally from Urach, very little is known about Friz' youth. It is known however, that at a young age, he apprenticed to the Kuhn steam engine company in Cannstatt starting in 1898. In 1902 he enrolled at the Royal Building Trade School in Stuttgart-Esslingen furthering his engineering skills. In 1906 he was employed by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, in the Design Office, making major contributions to the design of the racing engine for the 1914 Mercedes Grand Prix car that won the French Grand Prix.
Friz designed the first practical German aircraft engines in 1912-1913 while at Austro-Daimler. The engines had separate cylinders on the crankcase and an overhead camshaft driven by a vertical shaft and bevel gears. At the end of 1916 the young engineer Max Friz applied for a position with Rapp Motorenwerke. At that time Friz was still working for the Daimler engine company in Untertürkheim, near Stuttgart. However, he was frustrated because the chief engineer, Paul Daimler, ignored the suggestions of his young assistant on engine development. Faced with this situation, Friz remembered his former colleague, Karl Rapp. At first Rapp was going to turn down Friz’s request; however, Josef Popp successfully intervened on Friz’s behalf, because he recognized that Rapp Motorenwerke lacked an able designer.
At the Daimler engine company, Max Friz had tried in vain to develop an over-sized, high-compression engine, but Paul Daimler had firmly committed himself to supercharger technology. Not until he had moved to Munich was Friz able to put his own ideas for a high-altitude engine into practice. In the space of a few weeks he designed a new aero-engine, which, with an innovative carburettor and a variety of other technical details, was superior to any other German aero-engine. Later, this engine would gain world renown under the designation “BMW IIIa”.
BMW IIIa - engine
Aircraft Engines
Upon arriving at Rapp Motorenwerke, Friz was tasked to develop an aircraft engine that could attain very high altitudes as well as be durable and aerodynamically favorable. A higher operational flight ceiling was a critical strategic advantage for the pilot (since the atmospheric pressure decreases the higher a pilot flies a plane, a conventional engine at this time literally stalled out above 3,000 meters).
In the spring of 1917, at the time Friz was working at the drawing board on his groundbreaking engine, the outlook for Rapp Motorenwerke was bad. The Army High Command wanted to commit itself to a few types of aircraft and aeroengine and then get these built under license by several companies. In the spring of 1917 a commission from the Reichswehr therefore inspected the Rapp engine plant. They had to decide which engines would in future have to be produced under license in Munich. In the end, the Rapp management was faced with the choice of manufacturing either Daimler or Benz engines. However, Franz Josef Popp seized the opportunity of presenting the new engine to the commission of experts, an engine which up to now had only existed in Max Friz’s drawings.
The interest shown by the officers was considerable, and soon there was no more talk of the Rapp engine factory being relegated to the rank of a mere assembler. In fact, the Reichswehr was so impressed by the new engine that it placed an order for 600 units, even before a single prototype had been produced. The aeroengine developed by Friz had turned Rapp Motorenwerke into an essential contributor to the war effort virtually overnight.
On 20 May 1917, Rapp Motorenwerke registered the documentation for the construction design for the new engine, dubbed project "BBE". Friz' design, based on Karl Rapp's design) was laid out as an in-line six-cylinder, which guaranteed optimum balance, therefore few, small vibrations. The engine was successful, but the real breakthrough came in 1917, when Friz integrated a basically simple throttle butterfly into the "high-altitude carburettor", enabling the engine to develop its full power high above the ground. This is precisely the reason why the engine, now dubbed "Type IIIa", had unique superiority in air combat. The water-cooled in-line 6-cylinder engine's reputation grew very quickly. Franz-Zeno Diemer, the pioneering aviator, sets a new world altitude record with a 32,000 ft (9760 m) flight in 1919 using the BMW IVa engine.
BMW IVa engine
It was the success of this engine that allowed the company to grow exceptionally fast, necessitating the restructuring of the company. In 1917, Rapp Motorenwerke is renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH the predecessor to the modern day BMW AG. Friz, as Design Director for BMW, designed further aircraft engines which strengthened BMW's reputation still further in later years.
Motorcycles
With World War I now over, the company was forbidden from aircraft design. This necessitated the need for new avenues of growth for the company. Friz, with his designs and engineering expertise, launches BMW into the motorcycle market with the development of the R32 motorcycle, which established the foundation for all future boxer powered BMW motorcycles (in addition to numerous motorsport titles and world records).
The boxer engine in an R32 - 1924
Friz and his team of engineers design the first "boxer" (or opposed twin) engine was the fore-and-aft M2B15, based on a British Douglas design. It was manufactured by BMW in 1921/1922 but mostly used in other brands of motorcycles, notably Victoria of Nuremberg. The M2B15 proved to be moderately successful and BMW used it in its own Helios motorcycle. BMW also developed and manufactured a small 2-stroke motorcycle called the Flink for a short time. When BMW Gmbh went public in 1922, Friz was named the first Chief Engineer and Design Director of BMW AG, a post he would hold until 1937.
With the development of its first light alloy cylinder head, a much more significant "across the frame" version of the boxer engine was designed. In 1923 the R32 debuted at the Paris Auto Show, and caused quite a sensation among engineers and consumers alike. Using the new aluminum alloy cylinders, Friz designed a 486 cc engine with 8.5 hp (6.3 kW) and a top speed of 95–100 km/h (60 mph). The R32 was the second major product Friz designed for his company, effectively keeping the company solvent during a difficult time.
The engine and gear box formed a bolt-up single unit. At a time when many motorcycle manufacturers used a total-loss oiling systems, the new BMW engine featured a recirculating wet-sump oiling system. However, it was not a "high-pressure oil" system based on shell bearings and tight clearances that we are familiar with, but a drip feed to roller bearings. This system was used by BMW until 1969. The wet-sump system was not overly common on motorcycles until the 1970s and the arrival of Japanese motorcycles. Until then, many manufacturers had used dry sump, with an external oil-tank made of sheet-metal.
Automobiles
Friz was appointed to General Manager of BMW-Flugmotorenbau GmbH, Munich in 1934, and was there until 1937. With BMW continued growth into automobiles, Friz succeeded Leo C. Grass as General Manager of Flugmotorenfabrik Eisenach GmbH, overseeing development of automobile engine design and development. 1945 Friz retired from BMW. Friz was honored with an Honorary Doctorate from the Munich College of Advanced Technology in 1954.
Died in Tegernsee.
Franz-Zeno Diemer - Short presentation
1. July 1921 Joined Dornier in Friedrichshafen as test pilot and for trial flying of new aircraft.
1922 After Dornier's move to Marina di Pisa Italy, worked as test pilot, head of the aerodynamics department and manager of the advertising department.
From 1935 on, worked exclusively as manager of the advertising department. Was editor in chief of the company newspaper "Dornier-Post" which appeared from the autumn of 1935 until July 1938.
August 1939 to Ende 1944: German Air Force.
Returned to Dornier and assumed charge of the suggestions scheme. End of March 1946 retired; ceased to work for Dornier.
13.09.1919 Set up a world altitude record for a passenger aircraft (8 people on board, 6750 metres) in a Junkers F.13 powered by a BMW IIIa aircraft engine (the pilot, however, may have been Moes).
Franz-Zeno Diemer, the pioneering aviator, sets a new world altitude record with a 32,023 ft (9760 m) flight in 1919 using the BMW IV engine.
BMW test pilot Franz Zeno Diemer took off from the Oberwiesenfeld on 17.06.1919 in a DFW- F 37/III ("C-IV") and captured the first (initially unofficial) world record for BMW by reaching an altitude of 9,760 metres in an aircraft with a BMW IV engine, the successor to the IIIa, reached in 89 minutes. The Treaty of Versailles, signed three weeks later, prohibited Germany from making aircraft and aircraft engines, and all BMW's aero-engine development assets were confiscated by order of the Allied Control Commission.
In 1917, BMW's first aircraft engine, the Type IIIa, goes into production. It is a water-cooled six-cylinder inline engine, it features a unique "high-altitude carburetor" developed by chief engineer Max Friz that allows it to develop full power at altitude. Max Friz was a grand engineering mind who would dominate BMW's product development culture on into the 1960's.
Popp convinced the German government to buy the BMW IIIa engine.
Camillo Castiglioni - Short presentation
22 October 1879 – 18 December 1957 was an Italian-Austrian financier and banker, and was the wealthiest man in Central Europe during World War I. Nicknamed “Austrian Stinnes”, he was active in aviation's pioneering days and invested in the arts.
Early life
Castiglioni was born in Trieste, then Austria–Hungary (now part of Italy). It is not know when Camillo developed his interest in aviation, but it is known that he was passionate about flying. Camillo's education was primarily law, gaining employment as an attorney and legal officer of a bank in Padua, quickly learning international finance and how to manage capital. He was the son of a rubber maker, so naturally Camillo found work with the Austro-American Gummiwarenfabrik AG (rubber products) in Vienna as an Agent for the Kaufmann automobile tire division in Constantinople. Camillo found great success in this position, demonstrating his abilities to negotiate and structure financial deals. In fact, Camillo was so successful, he was promoted to Director of the export department of the parent company in Vienna. Around 1901, along with Viktor Silberer and Franz Hinterstoissera Camillo helped to create the Viennese aero club (later Austrian aero club). He eventually was made deputy director, then in 1904 he was appointed to General Director of the company. Through his experience in the rubber and tire production field, Camillo saw the birth of aviation as an industry, going from a ballooning hobby, to makeshift glider craft requiring tires, to fully operational aircraft operated by engines. He met many influential men in his business, and came to realize that aviation sparked not only his passion for flight, but also recognized the tremendous financial opportunity of aviation's potential as an industry.
In order to draw from the arising enthusiasm for airplanes and ballooning, as well as to take advantage of the lucrative business the hobby generated, Camillo established one of his first companies, Motoren-Luftfahrzeuggesellschaft GmbH, in 1907. Being a pure commercial firm - it acquired the Etrich balloon patents and sold balloon fliers in Austria Hungary. There were many contests that these inspired balloon drivers entered, and Camillo was no different- he bought his own balloon and successfully took his balloon driver examination on 24 August 1909.
Aviation financing
During the First World War, became one of the richest and most influential financiers in Central Europe.
The first major investor in the series production of aircraft. 1914 Purchased the German aircraft company Hansa- und Brandenburgische Flugzeugwerke, which employed Ernst Heinkel as its chief designer. Acquired a majority holding in Austro-Daimler with its chief designers Puch and Porsche. Press "Czar" and sponsor of the arts (financed Max Reinhardt and helped him to organize the Salzburg Festival). After a series of setbacks, his financial empire broke up in 1926. He retired to Switzerland, then to Milan where he set up a private bank and once again amassed a considerable fortune. After the Second World War, negotiated a large US loan for his friend Josip Broz Tito in Yugoslavia. When Tito refused to pay his commission, Castiglioni succeeded in getting Yugoslavian assets in Italy worth millions sequestered. 1916 Awarded the Franz Joseph Order with ribbon on the Military Service Cross for his services to aviation 1918 with the St-Georges Order for his achievements in the war material production.
Castiglioni became rich in ventures during the period of inflation, acquiring a majority interest in Alpine Montan AG. The Austrian aviation company Österreichische Luftfahrtsgesellschaft was founded by him.
BMW influence
Castiglioni significantly influenced the development of BMW AG in its early years. The granting of a license agreement by Austro-Daimler to the Rapp-Werke in 1917 was partly attributable to Castiglioni. 1918 At Castiglioni's insistence the Wiener Bankverein (Vienna) acquired the majority of BMW's share capital. 1922 Castiglioni purchased all the equipment relating to engine construction, the associated know-how and the rights to the name "Bayerische Motoren Werke AG" from the BMW AG, which was renamed Süddeutsche Bremse AG. Castiglioni in turn renamed the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke to BMW AG and allowed the renamed company to continue production at the BFW plant. From the establishment of BMW AG until November 9, 1922 and then from 1924 to 1929, he was a member of the Supervisory Board and President of BMW AG. 1928 Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
His was one of the voices that urged BMW in 1928 to purchase the Eisenach Automobilwerke. Due to financial difficulties in 1929 he was obliged to surrender his holding of BMW shares to a consortium of banks (Deutsche Bank, Disconto, Bankhaus Hagen etc.).
A consortium led by the Deutsche Bank and the Diskonto-Gesellschaft purchased the BMW shares previously held by Camillo Castiglioni, who was facing problems of liquidity.
Failed speculation and bankcruptcy
In February 1924, Castiglioni partnered with Fritz Mannheimer, and later other influential bankers to speculate on the devaluation of the French franc. They shorted hundreds of millions of franc, eventually causing the franc to drop almost 40% in less than a month. By the beginning of March 1924, one United States dollar was worth 28 francs. Then, however, investment bank Lazard, on the behalf of Banque de France and powered by J.P. Morgan & Co.,[1] bought immense amounts of francs, causing the franc to rise again, to 15 franc per dollar. Castiglioni, Mannheimer and their partners lost millions.
In September 1924, the Austrian Depositenbank, of which Castiglioni had been president, collapsed. A warrant for his arrest on a charge of fraud was issued, but Castiglioni had been taken care to be in Italy when the crash came. The Austrian State said that if he deposited $4,200,000 ($56956893 in present day value), he could return unmolested.
Philanthropy
Castiglioni built up a large art collection and a theatre in Vienna. He was the richest man in Central Europe and much beloved by the Viennese whom he assisted financially on Sundays and odd occasions. He was also a patron of the arts and for some time supported the famed producer Max Reinhardt, for whom he built a theater. So fond was he of appearing in the public limelight that he lived with all the pomp and ceremony of royalty, even traveling in the Kaiser Karl's private parlor car, which he bought.
Because of his famous banking activities, his life was documented in a 1988 movie on television titled Camillo Castiglioni oder die Moral der Haifische (in English: Camillo Castiglioni, or the morality of sharks), directed by Peter Patzak.
Max Friz - Short Presentation
Max Friz ,
the engineer who designed the BMW IIIa aero engine and the R32 motorcycle
1 October 1883 – 9 June 1966 was a German mechanical engineer specializing in engine design. He was the key contributor of engine design and innovation that led to the founding of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) in 1917.
Early life
Assumed to be originally from Urach, very little is known about Friz' youth. It is known however, that at a young age, he apprenticed to the Kuhn steam engine company in Cannstatt starting in 1898. In 1902 he enrolled at the Royal Building Trade School in Stuttgart-Esslingen furthering his engineering skills. In 1906 he was employed by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, in the Design Office, making major contributions to the design of the racing engine for the 1914 Mercedes Grand Prix car that won the French Grand Prix.
Friz designed the first practical German aircraft engines in 1912-1913 while at Austro-Daimler. The engines had separate cylinders on the crankcase and an overhead camshaft driven by a vertical shaft and bevel gears. At the end of 1916 the young engineer Max Friz applied for a position with Rapp Motorenwerke. At that time Friz was still working for the Daimler engine company in Untertürkheim, near Stuttgart. However, he was frustrated because the chief engineer, Paul Daimler, ignored the suggestions of his young assistant on engine development. Faced with this situation, Friz remembered his former colleague, Karl Rapp. At first Rapp was going to turn down Friz’s request; however, Josef Popp successfully intervened on Friz’s behalf, because he recognized that Rapp Motorenwerke lacked an able designer.
At the Daimler engine company, Max Friz had tried in vain to develop an over-sized, high-compression engine, but Paul Daimler had firmly committed himself to supercharger technology. Not until he had moved to Munich was Friz able to put his own ideas for a high-altitude engine into practice. In the space of a few weeks he designed a new aero-engine, which, with an innovative carburettor and a variety of other technical details, was superior to any other German aero-engine. Later, this engine would gain world renown under the designation “BMW IIIa”.
Aircraft Engines
Upon arriving at Rapp Motorenwerke, Friz was tasked to develop an aircraft engine that could attain very high altitudes as well as be durable and aerodynamically favorable. A higher operational flight ceiling was a critical strategic advantage for the pilot (since the atmospheric pressure decreases the higher a pilot flies a plane, a conventional engine at this time literally stalled out above 3,000 meters).
In the spring of 1917, at the time Friz was working at the drawing board on his groundbreaking engine, the outlook for Rapp Motorenwerke was bad. The Army High Command wanted to commit itself to a few types of aircraft and aeroengine and then get these built under license by several companies. In the spring of 1917 a commission from the Reichswehr therefore inspected the Rapp engine plant. They had to decide which engines would in future have to be produced under license in Munich. In the end, the Rapp management was faced with the choice of manufacturing either Daimler or Benz engines. However, Franz Josef Popp seized the opportunity of presenting the new engine to the commission of experts, an engine which up to now had only existed in Max Friz’s drawings.
The interest shown by the officers was considerable, and soon there was no more talk of the Rapp engine factory being relegated to the rank of a mere assembler. In fact, the Reichswehr was so impressed by the new engine that it placed an order for 600 units, even before a single prototype had been produced. The aeroengine developed by Friz had turned Rapp Motorenwerke into an essential contributor to the war effort virtually overnight.
On 20 May 1917, Rapp Motorenwerke registered the documentation for the construction design for the new engine, dubbed project "BBE". Friz' design, based on Karl Rapp's design) was laid out as an in-line six-cylinder, which guaranteed optimum balance, therefore few, small vibrations. The engine was successful, but the real breakthrough came in 1917, when Friz integrated a basically simple throttle butterfly into the "high-altitude carburettor", enabling the engine to develop its full power high above the ground. This is precisely the reason why the engine, now dubbed "Type IIIa", had unique superiority in air combat. The water-cooled in-line 6-cylinder engine's reputation grew very quickly. Franz-Zeno Diemer, the pioneering aviator, sets a new world altitude record with a 32,000 ft (9760 m) flight in 1919 using the BMW IVa engine.
It was the success of this engine that allowed the company to grow exceptionally fast, necessitating the restructuring of the company. In 1917, Rapp Motorenwerke is renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH the predecessor to the modern day BMW AG. Friz, as Design Director for BMW, designed further aircraft engines which strengthened BMW's reputation still further in later years.
Motorcycles
With World War I now over, the company was forbidden from aircraft design. This necessitated the need for new avenues of growth for the company. Friz, with his designs and engineering expertise, launches BMW into the motorcycle market with the development of the R32 motorcycle, which established the foundation for all future boxer powered BMW motorcycles (in addition to numerous motorsport titles and world records).
The boxer engine in an R32 - 1924
Friz and his team of engineers design the first "boxer" (or opposed twin) engine was the fore-and-aft M2B15, based on a British Douglas design. It was manufactured by BMW in 1921/1922 but mostly used in other brands of motorcycles, notably Victoria of Nuremberg. The M2B15 proved to be moderately successful and BMW used it in its own Helios motorcycle. BMW also developed and manufactured a small 2-stroke motorcycle called the Flink for a short time. When BMW Gmbh went public in 1922, Friz was named the first Chief Engineer and Design Director of BMW AG, a post he would hold until 1937.
With the development of its first light alloy cylinder head, a much more significant "across the frame" version of the boxer engine was designed. In 1923 the R32 debuted at the Paris Auto Show, and caused quite a sensation among engineers and consumers alike. Using the new aluminum alloy cylinders, Friz designed a 486 cc engine with 8.5 hp (6.3 kW) and a top speed of 95–100 km/h (60 mph). The R32 was the second major product Friz designed for his company, effectively keeping the company solvent during a difficult time.
The engine and gear box formed a bolt-up single unit. At a time when many motorcycle manufacturers used a total-loss oiling systems, the new BMW engine featured a recirculating wet-sump oiling system. However, it was not a "high-pressure oil" system based on shell bearings and tight clearances that we are familiar with, but a drip feed to roller bearings. This system was used by BMW until 1969. The wet-sump system was not overly common on motorcycles until the 1970s and the arrival of Japanese motorcycles. Until then, many manufacturers had used dry sump, with an external oil-tank made of sheet-metal.
Automobiles
Friz was appointed to General Manager of BMW-Flugmotorenbau GmbH, Munich in 1934, and was there until 1937. With BMW continued growth into automobiles, Friz succeeded Leo C. Grass as General Manager of Flugmotorenfabrik Eisenach GmbH, overseeing development of automobile engine design and development. 1945 Friz retired from BMW. Friz was honored with an Honorary Doctorate from the Munich College of Advanced Technology in 1954.
Died in Tegernsee.
Franz-Zeno Diemer - Short presentation
Early life
Born in Oberammergau, Bavaria Son of the painter Prof. Michael Zeno Diemer and Frau Diemer Trained as an engineer. 1912 Joined the Bavarian Lifeguard Regiment, then a flying squadron. Was a member of "Bogohl 8 (the bomber squadron operated by the Senior Military Command, with rank of Flying Officer.1. July 1921 Joined Dornier in Friedrichshafen as test pilot and for trial flying of new aircraft.
1922 After Dornier's move to Marina di Pisa Italy, worked as test pilot, head of the aerodynamics department and manager of the advertising department.
From 1935 on, worked exclusively as manager of the advertising department. Was editor in chief of the company newspaper "Dornier-Post" which appeared from the autumn of 1935 until July 1938.
August 1939 to Ende 1944: German Air Force.
Returned to Dornier and assumed charge of the suggestions scheme. End of March 1946 retired; ceased to work for Dornier.
Functions at BMW
Test pilot for BMW.
13.09.1919 Set up a world altitude record for a passenger aircraft (8 people on board, 6750 metres) in a Junkers F.13 powered by a BMW IIIa aircraft engine (the pilot, however, may have been Moes).
Franz-Zeno Diemer, the pioneering aviator, sets a new world altitude record with a 32,023 ft (9760 m) flight in 1919 using the BMW IV engine.
BMW test pilot Franz Zeno Diemer took off from the Oberwiesenfeld on 17.06.1919 in a DFW- F 37/III ("C-IV") and captured the first (initially unofficial) world record for BMW by reaching an altitude of 9,760 metres in an aircraft with a BMW IV engine, the successor to the IIIa, reached in 89 minutes. The Treaty of Versailles, signed three weeks later, prohibited Germany from making aircraft and aircraft engines, and all BMW's aero-engine development assets were confiscated by order of the Allied Control Commission.
Later in Life
Died in Friedrichshafen, a town on the northern side of Lake Constance Bodensee in southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.YEAR 1918
In 1918 this engine powered a biplane to 5,000 meters altitude in just 29 minutes. It was an impressive performance in
the BMW history, one that led to strong demand for BMW engines.
"Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH" becomes BMW AG
(The German term Aktiengesellschaft means a corporation
that is limited by shares, i.e., owned by shareholders.
YEAR 1919
After the armistice was signed, the Allies prohibited German military
to produce aircraft engines. Therefore BMW turned to boat and truck
engines and farming equipment. Meanwhile, in secret, Popp continued
to work with his engineering director Friz on aircraft engines.
A successor for the Type IIIa engine is born. It is named naturally Type IV. With this engine, Franz Zeno Diemer
sets an altitude record of 9,760 metres (32,013 ft).
Type IIIa
Type IVa
YEAR 1920
The tough business climate at the end of WW1 made Castiglioni to sell
his holdings for 28 million Reichsmarks to the chief executive of Knorr
Bremsen AG. With only a few aircraft engines on order, BMW was
struggling and started to manufacture brake systems for railway cars,
office furniture,
and workbenches, as well as cut-down aviation engines for marine and
industrial use.
Camillo Castiglioni
The current BMW logo, introduced in the early 1920, was believed to be based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller.
In these conditions, the company had to think to other products and so BMW starts building motorcycle engines. In 1920, Martin Stolle and Max Friz design the M2 B 15 engine for the "Victoria" motorcycle from Nürnberg. This was the first BMW motorcycle engine and it was produced between 1920 and 1922.
The current BMW logo, introduced in the early 1920, was believed to be based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller.
In these conditions, the company had to think to other products and so BMW starts building motorcycle engines. In 1920, Martin Stolle and Max Friz design the M2 B 15 engine for the "Victoria" motorcycle from Nürnberg. This was the first BMW motorcycle engine and it was produced between 1920 and 1922.
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