MR Gustavo Uruena a

7th Flieger Division 1938-1945 MR Gustavo Uruena a

Though Germany only started to become interested in the raising of airborne forces in the mid-1930s, under the auspices of the Nazis the foundations were established upon which an entire airborne division could be created. But first an air force and air industry had to be created from scratch following defeat in World War The development of the German Fallschirmjäger (parachutists) formations can be traced back to the years preceding World War I. During the years between 1900 and 1914, two major revolutionary military developments emerged. The first was the submersible; the second, and more junior, was powered flight. All Europe was fascinated by the latter, being beguiled by the fantasies and hysteria that surrounded it. In Germany in particular there was much interest shown in powered flight, although in Great Britain the relevant authorities were sceptical. In 1909, for example, the British Committee of Imperial Defence reported that "it had yet to be shown whether aeroplanes are sufficiently reliable to be used under unfavourable weather conditions. The committee has been unable to obtain any trustworthy evidence to show whether any great improvement was to be expected in the immediate future." The high cost of an aeroplane, £1000, was noted and the committee concluded that £45,000 should be invested in airship research instead. The War Office soon announced that aeroplane experiments had ceased "as the cost has proved too great: £2500." Meanwhile, by 1909 the French had expended the equivalent of £47,000 on aeroplanes for the army. The Germans, wishing to dominate the fledgling science, spent the equivalent of £400,000 on aeroplane research alone. In Germany an aviation test project was set up, overseen by Captain de le Roi of the German War Ministry, and a technical section was established under a staff officer, Major Hesse. To link the efforts of the army with those of private industry, an inspectorate was established under the command of Lieutenant-General Freiherr von Lyncker. The result of this unification between government and industry was the establishment of an aircraft design agency.