Contains: - In the Federal Foreign Office, colonial dept, later Imperial Colonial Office (26 p.); - As Imperial Judge in German New Guinea (13 p.); - First stay in Samoa (16 p.); - Second stay in Samoa (12 p.); - (unknown author:) "Dr. Schnees Samoa years" (14 p.)); - Back at the Federal Foreign Office, Kolonial-Abt (9 p.); - Colonial Advisory Council at the Embassy in London (21 p.); - Lecture by the South Pole researcher Sir Ernest Shackleton for Wilhelm II at Villa Dernburg (3 p.)); - As Governor in German East Africa (10 p.); - Characterization of the Great Admiral of Tirpitz (4 p.); - Speech of the Minister of National Defence, Smuts, in the House of Representatives in Cape Town on September 10, 1914 (6 p.); - Scout Report of the Goanese and Government employee Ribeiro on his journey from German East Africa to Germany during the war (45 p.).); - Speech by the Governor on the occasion of Wilhelm II's birthday to officers and crews of the garrison thong (2 p.); - Excerpts from the report of the government adviser, Government Building Councillor Brandes, on the activities of the civil administration during the war in German East Africa (p. 14).); - Return from East Africa (18 p.); - My relationship with Lettow-Vorbeck (46 p.); - Prince Henry of the Netherlands (1 p.); - General Groener's statements on leading personalities of the First World War. World War II (8 p.); - State Secretary Solf on Baron von Eckardtstein, former Counsellor of the Embassy in London (3 p.); - Talk with Foreign Minister Simons (5 p.); - Schnee on Wirth, Reich Minister for Reconstruction (5 p.); - Rosen, Reich Minister of Foreign Affairs (2 p.); - Admiral v. Truppel, Governor of Kiautschou (2 p.); - Violations of international law during the war in German East Africa (2 p.).

Description of the holdings: In 1920 the attaché service was essentially dissolved. Between 1920 and 1933, no naval attachés were notified to German embassies abroad. From 1933 to 1945, the Kriegsmarine again sent naval attachés to the most important embassies. The majority of the naval attachés' files from 1933 to 1945 are still with the British admiralty in London. In the form of microfilms, the Federal Archives contain documents of the naval attaché in Madrid as well as fragments of files from Tokyo, Moscow and Oslo. Characterisation of content: Of the imperial naval attachés, only files of the attaché in Sofia from World War I have survived to a considerable extent. The tradition for the individual naval attachés since 1933 is very different. While for some attachés, e.g. Washington, no archives have been preserved in the holdings, for others, e.g. London, Rome, Tokyo, Moscow, Istanbul and Ankara, as well as Madrid, Lisbon, Agram and the four Scandinavian capitals, entire series of files have been preserved. The files of the naval attaché Tokyo go through the internment of the ´Personals (first by the Japanese, then by the Allies) and the handling of the office after the Second World War beyond the end of the war until 1947. State of development: Index of duties Vorarchivische Ordnung: The archival records of the naval attachés of the Imperial Navy until their recall in 1920 are summarized under the sub-collection RM 12 I. The archival records of the naval attachés of the Imperial Navy until their recall in 1920 are summarized under the sub-collection RM 12 I. Documents of the naval attachés appointed between 1933 and 1945 are part of RM 12 II. Scope, explanation: Holdings without increase 11.0 m 462 AU Citation method: BArch, RM 12-II/...

Inventory description: Dept. 180/1 Heylsche Lederwerke Liebenau Scope: 260 archive boxes and 7 linear metres of books/standing (= 1104 units of registration = 40 linear metres) Duration: 1879 - 1975 Acquisition, history of the inventory Dept. 180/1 comprises the most complete company archive within the archive holdings of the Worms municipal archive. It represents the development of the Worms leather industry, especially in the period from about 1922 to the end of production after its discontinuation at the factory in Worms-Neuhausen in 1974. There are no losses during the war, cassations of the material, of which nothing is known in detail, were obviously limited. After the end of production in the Liebenau plant (Neuhausen, area Kurfürstenstraße, today the workshops and administration of Lebenshilfe Worms are located there), the inventory, initially operating as Abt. 169 (until its renaming in 1996), was taken over by the Worms municipal archives in 1974 in consultation with Mr Ludwig Frhr. v. Heyl, born in 1920. Until 2008, it was stored in a standing position (mainly file folders, cf. fig.) in the Adenauerring office building, Oberer Keller, with a circumference of 49 linear metres. When the files were selected for submission to the archives, a considerable part of the documents relating to the work (which in turn were mixed with Heyl's family archives) was separated from the parts handed over to the archives; this part was transferred to the municipal archives in 1997 as Dept. 185. The latter, a very rich and extensive collection, has been listed since 2007 and contains both company and private documents of the von Heyl family. It is essential to use the inventory to supplement the source material available here (cf. in future the preface to the finding aid book). The archive holdings of Dept. 180/1 did not have a clear internal structure at the time of its transfer and were first opened up or provisionally in 1993/94 by the student Mr Burkhard Herd in preparation for his diploma thesis on the leather industry, written at the University of Mannheim in 1994, from 1933 to 1945 (using Heyl-Liebenau as an example). Herd numbered the folders and staplers (approx. 650 units) and entered them (without running times and closer registration according to the usually available back titles) into an alphabetical list of topics, which was able to convey a very compressed first impression of the material with twelve pages. Herd's subsequent work (masch. 144 p.) includes a partial evaluation of questions of Nazi economic history using the example of the leather industry. In this form the stock was always to be used only very limitedly. In 1993, Volker Brecher last evaluated the documents for his study on working conditions in the leather industry during the Second World War as well as for the question of the use of forced labourers. In 2007, Christoph Hartmann presented an analysis of selected aspects of company development in the 1920s. Apart from that, the value of the rich source material for the economic history of Worms and the entire development of the leather industry has remained unused to this day, even nationwide, due to the fact that it has not been developed. From December 2007 to the end of February 2009, the entire holdings were completely listed by the signatory and entered into 'Augias'. In the process, a classification was developed which attempts to take into account the essential overdelivery characteristics and structures of the material. The material was successively brought to the Raschi House and is mainly stored here. The classification reaches its limits where (how often) the documents mix family-private affairs with company matters, where foreign business and domestic activities are intertwined (this applies to the entire field of correspondence) and the like. There have been relatively clear distinctions in the area of personnel and the activities of the company director in committees, chambers and associations since 1942 and 1949, respectively. Main focus and significance About half of the documents are divided between the time before and after 1945; there were probably no war losses. The value of the stock for economic historical research is to be estimated very highly. The main focus in terms of time was between 1922/23 (independence of the company) and 1962 (death of Ludwig C. v. Heyl sen.) or the end of production in 1974. At the end of the 60s the factory still employed about 400 people. Heyl'schen Lederwerke Liebenau in Neuhausen was taken over in 1901 by Cornelius Wilhelm v. Heyl through the acquisition of the shares and integrated into Heyl'sche Gesamtunternehmen. The goatskin factory, which has existed since the end of the 19th century (formerly Schlösser

1 On the biography of Princess Alexandra zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg: Princess Alexandra Luise Olga Viktoria zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg was born on 1 September 1878 as the fourth child of Duchess Marie (daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia) and Duke Alfred (son of Queen Victoria of Great Britain) of Edinburgh in Coburg. She spent most of her childhood and youth in England and Malta, where her father was stationed from 1886 to 1889 as commander of the British Navy, and in the Duchy of Saxony-Coburg-Gotha, which Alfred ruled from 1893 onwards. Alexandra met her cousin of the 3rd degree and later husband, Hereditary Prince Ernst II of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1863-1950) at an early age on the occasion of his many journeys to England. At the age of 15, she caught his eye especially, and after a fierce advertising campaign with her mother Marie, Ernst received permission to become engaged in 1895. In 1896 the wedding finally took place in Coburg. Alexandra moved with her husband to Langenburg, where he began to prepare for his role as heir to the family estate. Soon the first son Gottfried was born, followed by Marie Melita, Alexandra and Irma and Alfred, who died shortly after his birth. But the plans of the young family changed when in 1899 and 1900 Alexandra's brother Alfred and her father died shortly after each other. Ernst took over the regency in the duchy Saxony-Coburg-Gotha for the still minor heir to the throne Duke Eduard von Albany, so that the new centre of life lay for some years in the Thuringian residences. even after the end of the regency 1905 the hereditary princess stayed with her children except in Langenburg from time to time in Coburg at the court of her mother, while Ernst was often absent because of his political ambitions. Alexandra also undertook numerous journeys, above all to southern France, where her mother owned a country estate near Nice, as well as to Romania, to her sister Queen Mary and to Switzerland. In 1913 at the latest, when Ernst II inherited his father as prince, Langenburg Castle finally became the main residence of the family. Nevertheless, during the First World War, the new prince was again absent for a longer period of time. Due to his leading functions in voluntary nursing, he spent most of his time on the Eastern Front. Alexandra took advantage of this time by also being involved in war care and from 1914 to (at least) 1917 she worked as an assistant nurse in the war hospital in Coburg herself.After the war and the political upheavals in Germany, Ernst withdrew largely into private life, so that his wife was now also able to fully fulfil her role as Princess on the Langburg estates, only interrupted by occasional journeys. Princess Alexandra died on 16 April 1942 in the Deaconess Hospital in Schwäbisch Hall and was buried in Langenburg. 2 On the estate and its treatment: The estate of Princess Alexandra consists mainly of correspondence and contains only very few 'fact files', which largely corresponds to her rather withdrawn role at the side of her husband, who is much more active publicly and organizationally. The documents were probably handed over to the Hohenlohe Central Archives in the 1960s and 70s and roughly sorted there. In the process, it was possible to fall back on Alexandra's own disciplinary measures, which enclosed old envelopes with inscriptions in the sense of a file title with part of the written material. The current distortion was also based on these original file titles, but the depth of development went far beyond this. Hardly any transformations had to be carried out, and only a slight mixing with files of other provenance was found, so that few documents were to be removed. However, numerous fascicles were added to the collection, which were found during the processing of other langenburg estates - in particular those of the husband Ernst II and the daughters Alexandra and Irma - and La 143 Nachlass Fürstin Alexandra, which was arranged and recorded in December 2004 by archivist Thomas Kreutzer as part of a project sponsored by the Kulturstiftung Baden-Württemberg. It comprises 2.4 linear metres. Files and volumes in 107 units with a running time of [ca. 1880]-1942.Neuenstein, in April 2005Thomas Kreutzer 3. further materials:: La 102 Fürstliche HofverwaltungLa 95 Domänenkanzlei LangenburgLa 142 Nachlass Fürst Ernst II. 4. Note: This online finding aid lacks some title records of archival records from the 20th century which are not yet fully accessible. In the Hohenlohe Central Archives there is a complete finding aid book, which also contains the not yet freely accessible archive units.Neuenstein, September 2005Dr. Schiffer

1 On the biography of Prince Ernst II of Hohenlohe-Langenburg: Hereditary Prince Ernst Wilhelm Friedrich Karl Maximilian of Hohenlohe-Langenburg - hereinafter called "Ernst II" in distinction to his grandfather Ernst - was born on 13 September 1863 in Langenburg as the son of Princess Leopoldine, born Princess of Baden, and Prince Hermann of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He spent his school time in Karlsruhe, his mother's home town, at the Grand Ducal Gymnasium, which he left after graduating from high school in 1881. He then studied law as part of a contemporary university tour which took him to Paris, Bonn, Tübingen and Leipzig between 1881 and 1884. In 1885 Ernst II took his first legal exam at the Higher Regional Court in Naumburg a. d. Saale and during his military officer training at the 2nd Garde-Dragonerregiment in Berlin-Lichterfelde in the years 1886-1889 he also used the available time for extensive social activities at the courts of Emperor Wilhelm I and his son Friedrich. After completing his training, Ernst II advanced in the military hierarchy to lieutenant-colonel á la suite of the army (1914). The hereditary prince then aspired to a career in the Foreign Office, for which he first used one of his frequent stays in London in 1889 as a kind of private 'apprenticeship' at the German embassy. Queen Victoria was a great-aunt of Ernst II, so that he could always move at the highest social level. In 1890-1891 he passed his diplomatic exam and then took up a position as 3rd secretary in the embassy in St. Petersburg. Already in 1892 Ernst II achieved his transfer to London with the help of his father, who had enough influence as governor of Alsace-Lorraine, where he served as 3rd embassy secretary until 1894. In this year the hereditary prince Prince Hermann followed to Strasbourg to work as legation secretary of the ministry for the Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine. In 1896 Ernst II married his cousin of the 3rd degree Alexandra (1878-1942), a princess from the British royal family, whose father Duke Alfred of Edinburgh had taken over the Thuringian Duchy of Saxony-Coburg and Gotha three years earlier. Together with his wife and the offspring who soon followed - Gottfried, Marie Melita, Alexandra, Irma and Alfred, who died shortly after his birth - Gottfried, Marie Melita, Alexandra and Irma moved his centre of life to Langenburg and finally left the diplomatic corps in 1897. He had begun to establish himself in his role as heir when, after the unexpected death of Alexandra's brother Alfred (1899), the open question of succession in Saxony-Coburg and Gotha required a settlement. Ernst II was assigned as regent and guardian for the new, still youthful Duke Carl Eduard, a task he took over in 1900 after the death of his father-in-law, so that he now stood for 5 years at the head of a German principality. After the end of the regency, during which he had acquired the goodwill of his Thuringian subjects through a liberal attitude, Emperor Wilhelm II, his 3rd cousin, gave him the prospect of a position as State Secretary and appointed him in 1905 provisional head of the Colonial Department in the A u s w ä r t i g e s A m t , which was to be upgraded to his own R e i c h s k o l o n i a l a m t . But because of internal quarrels and the resistance in the Reichstag against the financing of the new authority, the hereditary prince had to take his hat off again in 1906. The following year Ernst II returned to the political stage as a member of the Reichstag for the constituency of Gotha, in which he had run as a representative of the bourgeois parties against the SPD. As a guest student of the parliamentary group of the German Reich Party, he sometimes appeared with speeches in the plenum, but everyday parliamentary work remained largely alien to him. As a result of a special political constellation in the Reichstag, Ernst II nevertheless managed to be elected vice-president of parliament in 1909 as a compromise candidate for the right-wing conservative camp. But he was not able to carry out this task for long either, because he did not want to come to terms with the conventions of parliamentary debates. As early as 1910 he used the anti-Protestant "Borromeo encyclical" of Pope Pius X to resign from his office in protest, albeit at the price of no longer being able to play a political role at the national level in the future. In 1913 Prince Hermann zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg died and his son took over the noble inheritance, which also included the county of Gleichen in Thuringia. Ernst II successfully compensated for the loss of leading political offices through his increased commitment to social forces, which rather worked in the background: first and foremost the Protestant Church, the Order of St John and the Red Cross. Within these institutions he held important and influential positions at local and state level, through which - in conjunction with his memberships in numerous associations and federations - he was able to cultivate a broad network of correspondents from noble, political, scientific, ecclesiastical and cultural circles.As commentator of the Württembergisch-Badenschen Genossenschaft des Johanniterordens and honorary president of the Württembergischer Landesverbandes vom Roten Kreuz it was obvious for Ernst II not to strive for a position with the fighting troops, but in the organization of voluntary nursing at the outbreak of the First World War. After a short period as a delegate for each stage in Berlin and on the western front, he was appointed at the end of 1914 as the general delegate for voluntary nursing care for the eastern theater of war, so that he spent the longest period of the war in the eastern headquarters - among others in the vicinity of Field Marshal von Hindenburg. In 1918 he was finally promoted to the highest representative of his organization, the Imperial Commissioner and Military Inspector, and in this function he led, among other things, the German delegation to prisoner of war exchange negotiations with the USA in Bern. Here he benefited from his diplomatic experience, which the emperor had already drawn on in 1915, when he sent the prince to Constantinople and the Balkans as a special ambassador. After the end of the war, Ernst II resigned his high office in nursing and devoted himself again to his church and association activities. He paid special attention to the Protestant Commission for Württemberg, for which he acted as chairman of the Gerabronn district and the Langenburg local group as well as delegate in the regional committee. While the unification of the Protestant regional churches in the German Reich had already been of great concern to him as a Thuringian regent, in the 1920s and 30s he continued to campaign for the Protestant cause at church congresses and church assemblies in Württemberg and at Reich level. In 1926 the Langenburg prince was also appointed senior citizen of the Hohenlohe House, and in the same year he was elected governor of the Balley Brandenburg, i.e. the second man of the Order of St John in the Empire. During National Socialism, Ernst II, as in republican times, stayed away from political offices, especially as he was of an advanced age. From 1936 he invested a large part of his energy in the endeavour to have the Langenburg ancestral estate recognised as an inheritance court and also took care of the publication of his correspondence with the widow composer Cosima Wagner. 11 December 1950 Prince Ernst II died very old in Langenburg, where he was also buried. 2. inventory history, inventory structure and distortion: Before distortion, the estate was in a relatively heterogeneous state, which was due to an inconsistent way of transmission and multiple processing approaches. During the fire at Langenburg Castle in 1963 and the associated temporary relocation of documents within the building complex, the original order probably suffered its first damage, which was intensified in the subsequent period in the course of the transfer of Langenburg archives to Neuenstein. Probably the estate was torn apart and transferred to the central archive in several parts that could no longer be reconstructed in detail. At the latest during the administrative work carried out there in the 1960s under Karl Schumm, the written remains of Ernst II were mixed with other files from Langenburg. Further parts of the estate may also have arrived in Neuenstein in the following decade. Building on the gradually implemented provenance delimitation of the Langenburg archival records, a rough pre-drawing of the estate could be tackled in the early 1980s, but this was not completed. A last addition from the family archives was made to the now formed holdings in 1992 by the delivery of Ernst-related files, most of which had originated in the Langenburg authorities, in particular the domain chancellery.Ernst II regulated his correspondence with the help of registrar-like notes, which he usually affixed directly to the incoming documents. It contained information on the date, recipients and content of the replies and other written reactions. He also noted instructions to his administration and often complete drafts of letters on the incoming mail. In addition, the testator himself already arranged and sorted his documents further by forming units oriented to factual topics and correspondence partners and providing them with notes in the sense of a file title along with its running time. In general, he attached the notes to envelopes of different sizes, most of them used, which served as packaging or were enclosed with the files. Over the decades, Ernst seems to have repeatedly tackled such disciplinary measures, which had a long tradition in the family, without, however, being able to recognize a stringently maintained pattern. Only the rough distinction between factual and correspondence files formed a perceptible red thread, which was also observed in the current distortion. However, it must be taken into account that even in the fascicles formed according to subject criteria, parts of correspondence are often found, only compiled on a specific topic. Although this leads to overlaps with the correspondence series, the fact files were largely left as such and only slightly thinned out with regard to the correspondence partners, since they are mostly units that are comprehensible in terms of content and partly rich in content. While the 'file titles' created by Ernst II normally largely corresponded with the content of the fascicles, it must be noted for the following indexing approaches, also and especially for the preliminary indexing in the 1980s, that the names, dates and subjects noted on archive covers often deviated from the actual content and could hardly be used for the current indexing. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the mixing with files of foreign provenance - including the estates of Ernst's father Hermann and his wife Alexandra as well as the domain chancellery and court administration - could never be completely eliminated and therefore numerous individual files had to be sorted out in the course of the current processing. However, this separation of provenances was not implemented consistently in every respect, but in particular files from the Langenburg and Coburg-Gotha administration, which refer directly to Ernst II, were left in existence; the official records usually differ from the actual estate in the outward appearance in the form of differently coloured folders with file titles, running times and file numbers. Furthermore 2 fascicles on the death of Ernst II and at the end of his reign in Saxony-Coburg and Gotha come from the estates of Ernst's children Gottfried and Alexandra. A special case is Ernst's correspondence with Cosima Wagner, which is kept entirely in Neuenstein, so that not only the letters received from the deceased, but also the letters to the composer's wife (Ernst, his mother Leopoldine and his cousin Max von Baden), stored in bound folders, were recorded as part of the princely estate (see 4.).Thus, the newly registered estate represents an inventory enriched with personal material. In addition, it is to be expected that there will still be isolated files from the estates of relatives whose origin could no longer be clearly clarified (e.g. loose individual pages or fascicles which refer to festive events without naming an addressee or previous owner), apart from the principle of retaining the original separation of factual and correspondence files, massive interventions had to be made in the formation and titling of the fascicles. In many cases, due to later order work, mixing within the fascicles and unclear new file formations had occurred, otherwise about a quarter of the holdings proved to be largely unordered. Even the rather ad hoc sorting carried out by Ernst II himself did not follow any kind of 'file plan', so that content overlaps and repetitions were the order of the day. Therefore, in the course of the current distortion, fascicles were repeatedly reshaped or newly formed under consideration of either thematic or corresponding criteria. The extraction of individual documents for assignment to other fascicles was generally documented by enclosed notes. Individual photographs and photo series with illustrations of Ernst II. were separated and formed into a separate 'photo collection' (see 5.), and in order to provide a better orientation for the user, the find book of most of Ernst II.'s relatives shows the degree of kinship to the deceased in square brackets in the appropriate places.The collection La 142, Nachlass Fürst Ernst II., was arranged and recorded from June to December 2004 by archivist Thomas Kreutzer within the framework of a project sponsored by the Kulturstiftung Baden-Württemberg. It covers 19.4 running meters. Files and volumes in 927 units with a running time of (1845-) 1868-1951 (1959).Neuenstein, in April 2005Thomas Kreutzer 3. Note for use:: During the distortion, cross-references were made in the files that refer to the former bundle number - not to today's order number. To find the corresponding fascicles, the concordance has to be used.Concordance earlier - today's tuft number: 4. Literature:: Heinz Gollwitzer, The Lords of Stand. Die politische und gesellschaftliche Stellung der Mediatisierten 1815-1918. Ein Beitrag zur deutschen Sozialgeschichte, Göttingen 1964, bes. S. 244-253.Maria Keipert/Peter Grupp (Ed.), Biographisches Handbuch des deutschen Auswärtigen Dienstes 1871-1945, Vol. 2, Paderborn et al. 2005, S. 344f.Thomas Kreutzer, Protestantische Adligkeit nach dem Kollbruch - Die kirchliche, karitative und politische Verbandstätigkeit von Ernst II. Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg between 1918 and 1945, in: Nobility and National Socialism in the German Southwest. Edited by Haus der Geschichte Baden-Württemberg in conjunction with the State Capital Stuttgart (Stuttgart Symposium, Series 11), Leinfelden-Echterdingen 2007, pp. 42-82 Thomas Nicklas, Ernst II. Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Standesherr, Regent, Diplomat im Kaiserreich (1863-1950), in: Gerhard Taddey (ed.), Lebensbilder aus Baden-Württemberg, Vol. 21, Stuttgart 2005, pp. 362-383.Frank Raberg (ed.), Biographisches Handbuch der württembergischen Landtagsabgeordneten 1815-1933 (Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für geschichtliche Landeskunde in Baden-Württemberg), Stuttgart 2001, pp. 381f.Karina Urbach, Diplomat, Höfling, Verbandsfunktionär. Süddeutsche Standesherren 1880-1945, in: Günther Schulz/ Markus A. Denzel (ed.), German nobility in the 19th and 20th centuries, St. Katharinen 2004, pp. 354-375 Karina Urbach, Zwischen Aktion und Reaktion. The Southern German Class Lords and the First World War, in: Eckart Conze/ Monika Wienfort (ed.), Adel und Moderne. Germany in European Comparison in the 19th and 20th Centuries, Cologne 2004, pp. 323-351.Freie Deutsche Presse Coburg, 30.12.1950 (obituary).Hohenloher Zeitung, [after 11.12.]1950 (obituary).further materials:La 95 Domänenkanzlei LangenburgLa 102 Fürstliche HofverwaltungLa 143 Nachlass Fürstin Alexandra zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Contains among other things: "The Belgian-English Question" Memorandum of an unknown author (printed as "Um des teuer deutschen Blut und Vaterlandes Willen", 1915); Memorandum of an unknown author on the question of war guilt (Fragment, 30 p.), ca. 1915; "Meine Londoner Mission" Memorandum of the Ambassador in London Prince Karl Marx Lichnowsky, 1916 Also contains: "Die Irische Republik", unknown author, ca. 1917-1918

History of the Inventor: The Technical Office, established in 1933, set up testing facilities for weapons and equipment at various locations that existed until 1945. Inventory description: KOMMANDO DER ERPROBUNGSSTELLEN According to the provisions of the Versailles Treaty of 1919, the German Reich was prohibited from developing and constructing aircraft for military purposes. Nevertheless, as early as 1920, the Reichswehr Ministry (RWM) set up units with the task of carrying out preparatory work for the creation of development and testing sites for an air force. For example, a "Air Defence" (TA) unit was set up in the Truppenamt (TA) and an aeronautical unit in the Inspektion für Waffen und Gerät (IWG). After the merger of the IWG with the Waffenamt (Wa.A) of the RWM at the beginning of 1927, the aeronautical department became the department 6 F of the testing group (Wa.Prw. 6 F). He was in charge of the development departments disguised as civil engineering offices as well as the test groups in Johannisthal and Rechlin. The testing thus fell within the competence of the testing department of the Weapons Office. At the end of November 1928, the procurement department was also taken over by the Wa.L.Prw. Group. At the end of July 1939, in order to better meet the growing requirements, the Aviation Group in the Weapons Office (Wa.L) was divided into three groups: "Development of aircraft (Wa.L. I)", "Development of equipment" (Wa.L. II) and "Testing" (Wa.L. III). There was also a group on "Procurement" and a group on "Defense Economics and Armaments". On February 8, 1933, on the orders of Reichswehr Minister Blomberg, the Air Protection Office (LA) was formed, which was now also to be responsible for the development, testing and procurement of aircraft, aircraft engines and special aircraft equipment. He was assigned the aviation group in the weapons office, now known as Wa.Prw. 8, as Division L 2. After the transfer of the air-raid protection office to the newly created Reich Aviation Ministry (RLM) in May, the aviation technology department was initially subordinated as the Technical Department (B II) to the General Office (LB) of the RLM, but then, in the course of the reclassification of the RLM to the Technical Office (LC) on October 1, 1933, and, like the latter, directly subordinated to the Secretary of State for Aviation, Colonel General Milch. It was divided into the departments LC I (Research), LC II (Testing) and LC III (Procurement). Colonel Wimmer, as head of the Technical Office, remained responsible for aviation technology, while Captain Freiherr von Richthofen, who headed the LC II department from June 1934, was in charge of the technical aspects of the test centres (e-places). Until the Luftwaffe was unmasked in March 1935, the tests were carried out by the "Test Centres of the Reich Association of the German Aviation Industry" disguised as civilian. The "Commando der Fliegererprobungsstellen" (Command of Pilot Test Centres), which had been established in 1934 and was based in Rechlin, now appeared as the central testing authority. At the head of the command was the commander of the testing stations (K.d.E.), who was at the same time head of the E station Rechlin and superior of the chief of the E station Travemünde. His supervisor was the head of department LC II (Testing). In December 1936, the E posts Rechlin and Travemünde as well as Tarnewitz were directly subordinated to the new Chief of the Technical Office, Colonel Udet, in 1937 and charged with the development and technical testing of the Luftwaffe equipment. In the course of a reorganization of the entire RLM, the Technical Office was directly subordinated to Göring. As a result, Udet changed the organizational structure of the Technical Office again in May 1938 and dissolved the office of Commander of the Test Laboratories. The E posts now received independent command offices, which were technically subordinate to the head of the Technical Office. On February 1, 1939, the Technical Office, the Supply Office and the "Industry and Economy" group of offices were merged to form the new General Airworthiness Inspectorate (GL) and once again placed under the authority of the State Secretary for Aviation. Lieutenant General Udet was appointed General Airworthiness Officer and was now responsible for the management and control of the entire aviation technology as well as for the securing of the entire air force requirement while retaining his function as Chief of the Technical Office. After his suicide on 17 November 1941, the former Secretary of State for Aviation at the RLM, Generalfeldmarschall Milch, assumed these offices in personal union. In autumn 1941 a new command of the testing stations (Kdo.d.E) was established. In technical and operational terms, it was subordinate to the Commander of the Test Centres (K.d.E ), who in turn was subordinate to the Chief of the Technical Office and worked closely with the responsible development departments C to E of the Technical Office (GL/C). This post was held by Major Petersen until the end of the war. After the General Aircraft Master's Office was dissolved on 27 July 1944, the business area and thus the entire technical air armament was transferred to the Chief of Technical Air Armament (Chief TLR). The office was subordinated to the General Staff of the Luftwaffe and thus to the High Command of the Luftwaffe (OKL). The commander of the testing stations was now directly under the command of the Chief of Technical Air Armament, but was then subordinated to the commander of the Ersatzluftwaffe (BdE-Lw) shortly before the end of the war. Until 1945 the following E-positions were established and partially dissolved: Rechlin, Travemünde, Tarnewitz, Peenemünde, Udetfeld, Madüsee, Werneuchen, Süd (Foggia), Munster-Nord, Jesau, Arktis-Finsee, Cazeaux (Süd) and Karlshagen. In addition, a large number of test commands and test squadrons were set up from 1941 onwards, some of which were formed only briefly for the testing of individual aircraft types and quickly dissolved again after testing. ERPROBUNGSSTELLEN Torpedowaffenplatz der Luftwaffe Gotenhafen-Hexengrund (ca. 1942-1945) On April 2, 1942, the Luftwaffe Torpedowaffenplatz was repositioned as a branch office. He was subordinate to the General Airworthiness Officer (Technical Office) in terms of military service and discipline. He was assigned to Luftgaukommando I in terms of war classification, economy and administration. With effect from 1 May 1944, the Torpedowaffenplatz was then placed under the command of the E units. He was responsible for the testing of air torpedoes and associated dropping devices. Jesau (1943-1944) This E-Stelle was founded in 1943 as an outpost of the Peenemünde-West testing station. The main task of the E-Stelle Jesau was the execution of surveying work for distance and proximity fuses as well as the testing of the rocket-powered aircraft Messerschmitt Me 163. In August 1944 the E-Stelle Jesau was dissolved. Munster-Nord (1935-1945) As early as 1916, a test and production facility for gas ammunition was set up in Munster-Breloh for the first time on 6,500 hectares. From 1935, manufacturing and testing facilities for chemical warfare agents were again built on the site and the Munster-Nord Army Experimental Station, which was subordinate to the Army Ordnance Office, was set up. Both the Luftwaffe and the Weapons Office use the area for technical testing of high attack bombs and low attack spray containers. Peenemünde-West, later Karlshagen (approx. 1939-1945) After the start of construction work at the end of July 1937, Peenemünde-West started operations on 1 April 1938. Uvo Pauls was in charge until September 1, 1942, succeeding Major Otto Stams and Major Karl Henkelmann at the end of 1944. The task of the E unit was the testing of rocket engines and rocket-propelled, remote-controlled dropping weapons (e.g. Fi 103, Hs 298). The central group of the test centre was the air traffic control, which was responsible for the deployment of the aircraft fleet. She was also assigned a weather station. The following test groups were active at the experimental site, working on different tasks: E 2: Aircraft and missile systems with rocket propulsion, including support of the troop test commands (Fi 103 and Hs 117) E 3: Engines and fuels E 4: Radio and radio control systems E 5: Equipment (power supply, control systems, image station, measuring base) E 7: Drop systems, target and target training equipment E 8: Ground systems The E station was moved to Wesermünde air base near Bremerhaven in April 1945. Rechlin (approx. 1925-1945) Already planned in 1916, the "Flieger-Versuchs- und Lehranstalt am Müritzsee" started operations in 1918 during the First World War. Due to the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, however, the installations there were dismantled again at the beginning of the 1920s. As part of the camouflaged continuation of pilot testing in the Weimar Republic, a test airfield was built in Rechlin from 1925. On the initiative of Hauptmann Student, the German Aviation Research Institute (DVL) in Berlin-Adlershof set up a new "Department M" specifically for this purpose. The "Luftfahrtverein Waren e.V.", founded in 1925, acquired the necessary area on behalf of the Reich and took over the operation of the new airfield. Factory and flight operations began in the summer of 1926. From 1927/28 Albatros Flugzeugwerke GmbH in Berlin-Johannisthal leased the facility, which was now called the "Testing Department of Albatros Flugzeugwerke Johannisthal". After the Reichsverband der Deutschen Luftfahrt-Industrie (RDL) had taken over the site at the insistence of the Reichswehr troop office at the end of 1929, it was continued under the camouflage name "RDL Erprobungsstelle Staaken". After the National Socialists came to power in 1933, the facilities in Rechlin were rapidly expanded to become the largest testing station (E station) for aviation equipment. From 1935, the E-Stelle Rechlin was regarded as a showpiece of the Luftwaffe. Until the end of the war, four large building complexes with different uses were built on the huge area: Group North management and technical administration, air base command and weather station; Testing of airframes (from 1936), of radio and navigation equipment, of aircraft on-board devices and equipment, aeromedical tests as well as high-frequency and ionospheric research Group South Testing of engines, of materials as well as of fuels and lubricants East Group Testing of ammunition for on-board weapons and drop-weapons West Group Military testing (only 1935-1938), test group and shipyard, fracture recovery, training workshop Initially, the focus of testing activities in Rechlin was on flight and engine testing. This included the flight testing of the engines, the measurements on the individual engine components as well as the creation of complete aircraft types. Other areas of activity include the testing of aircraft equipment - from on-board instruments to rescue and safety equipment, hydraulic systems - and radio and navigation equipment. From 1933 the testing of weapons was also carried out in Rechlin. The main focus was on the testing of ammunition for firearms as well as the testing of drop ammunition within the framework of flight testing. After the beginning of the 2nd World War, prey planes were thoroughly tested there and the results evaluated. In addition to the purely technical testing of all land aircraft and their equipment, new aircraft types are tested for their military suitability, especially after the start of the war. For this purpose, the Lärz Test Command was set up, to which these aircraft types were assigned for operational testing. From mid-1944 the testing of the new jet aircraft Me 262, Ar 234 and He 162 received highest priority. The E-Stelle Rechlin has undergone several organisational changes during its existence. An overview of the structure and filling of positions is attached as an annex. This is a compilation from the publication of Beauvais. South (Foggia) (c. 1941-1942) In the second half of 1941, the E-Stelle Süd started operations at the airfield in Foggia, Italy. It was intended for the testing of air torpedoes and underwater weapons, which had to be carried out in Grosseto due to unfavourable conditions. At the end of February 1942, it was decided to move the E-Stelle Süd to the French town of Cazaux, southwest of Bordeaux, and operations began at the airfield in May 1942. The test flights were used for the ballistic measurement of various types of bombs or dropping containers, the testing of target devices and bomb droppings. The commander of the E post was Captain Henno Schlockermann. After Allied air raids in March and September 1944, during which the installations were severely damaged and several test aircraft destroyed, operations had to be restricted and then discontinued altogether. By order of 10 October 1944, the E post was officially closed. Tarnewitz (1937-1945) Construction work began in 1935, and two years later the Tarnewitz electric power station was officially put into operation. The task of the new unit was to test new weapon systems for Luftwaffe aircraft. In addition to machine guns and bombs, this also included the newly developed rocket weapons. The various tasks were performed by the groups W 1 (installation), W 2 (ballistics and sights), W 3 (mountings and air discs) and W 4 (on-board weapons and ammunition). From 1938, the E post was subdivided into the specialist groups machine guns and ammunition, including rocket testing (IIA), mountings and air discs (II D), ballistics and sights (II E), installation of weapons in aircraft (II F). Travemünde (1928-1945) In 1928 a seaplane test centre (SES) was founded in Travemünde under the camouflage name "Reichsverband der Deutschen Luftfahrtindustrie Gruppe Flugzeugbau". Originally planned and established after World War I as a secret testing ground for independent naval aviation, the Travemünde testing ground was subordinated to the RLM in 1934 after the National Socialists seized power and expanded further. The focus of the testing activities in Travemünde was the testing of seaplanes and their equipment, naval mines and air torpedoes as well as special ships and boats for maritime flight operations. This also included testing seaplanes, landing on icy and snowy ground, landing attempts on aircraft carriers and rescue measures on the open sea with the aircraft. The E post was divided into the following groups in 1933: A: Navigation, radio, seaman's equipment, special installations B: Operation of aircraft, ships, docks, catapults and vehicles, ground services E: Flight service, holding pilots ready F: Aircraft testing, preparation, execution and evaluation of measurements, reports, assessments G: Testing of on-board devices, radio measuring devices, laboratory, precision mechanical workshop, photo service, duplication K: Administration, personnel, material, buildings, installations M: engines, propellers, aggregates, workshop and test benches Udetfeld (1940-1945) The Udetfeld electric power station was set up in 1940 near Beuthen/Oberschlesien. At the beginning it was led by Major Werner Zober, later by Lieutenant Colonel Rieser. The test leader was Fl.Stabsingenieur Rudolf Noch. The task of the E-Stelle was the testing of small explosive and incendiary bombs, parachute bombs and special detonators as well as the acceptance blasting of all German bomb types. At times she was also engaged in the testing of parachutes and ejection seats. For this purpose it was equipped step-by-step with a measuring base, several discharge points and a picture position. Last tests and measurements took place until shortly before the invasion of the Soviet army at the end of January 1945. The E-Stelle was dissolved by order of 15 February 1945 and its tasks taken over by the E-Stelle Rechlin. Werneuchen (1942-1945) The E post was established in April 1942 at the air base in Werneuchen. She was responsible for the testing and development of search and target devices for air and sea reconnaissance and worked closely with the Aeronautical Radio Research Institute in Oberpfaffenhofen. Field stations for testing ground radio measuring instruments were located in Weesow and Tremmen. The flight testing of newly developed equipment was initially carried out by the test squadron of the Technical Test Command (TVK), and was then transferred to the newly formed night fighter group 10. Their tasks also included the development and testing of equipment for the defence against interference and deception by the enemy air forces. In Werneuchen, the night hunt radio measuring devices FuG 202 "Lichtenstein", the ship's target search device FuG "Hohentwiel" as well as the ground search devices "Würzburg-Riese" and "Freya" were tested. In February 1945, the E-Stelle was moved to Stade and renamed to E-Stelle Stade in April 1945. The E post was commanded by Major i.G. August Hentz until April 1944, then until its dissolution by Major i.G. Cerener. ERPROBUNGSKOMMANDOS und ERPROBUNGSSTAFFELN Erprobungskommando 4 (ERPROBUNGSSTAFFELN Test Command 4) Set-up by order of 1 December 1944 by air fleet 10. Troop testing of the X4 guided missile and testing of operational procedures and tactical capabilities. Test Command 15 Formed from the Experimental Squadron Hs 293 and intended for troop testing of the Gleitbombe Hs 293. Test Command 16 Set up on the Command Path in April 1942 in Peenemünde-West, at the beginning of September budgeting and transfer to Zwischenahn, then in October to Brandis. Testing of the rocket-propelled hunter Me 163 B "Komet". Dissolution on 14 February 1945. Tasks were to be taken over by Jagdkommando 400, which also received the operational aircraft. Erprobungskommando 17 Transfer of the 2./Kampfgruppe 100 from Hannover-Langenhagen to the French Chartes, renaming into E-Kommando XY in January 1942 and temporarily into E-Kommando 100 (March to May 1942), then budgeted as E-Kommando 17. Further development of the X- and Y-process and deployment against England. Mid-September 1942 Renamed 15th Combat Squadron, 6th Experimental and Training Command, 18, set up on 1 August 1942 in Pillau and subordinated to the General of the Air Force by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy (Ob.d.M.). Testing of the aircraft types intended for the aircraft carrier "Graf Zeppelin" including the instruction and training of the flying and ground personnel on this equipment. Test Command 19 Deployment on 1 July 1942 at the Castel Benito airfield near Tripoli on the Command Way. Testing of the aircraft types Bf 109 and Fw 109 for tropical suitability as fighter and battle planes. Personnel of the supplementary groups of the fighter squadron 27 and 53, respectively. Test and training command 20 formation on 1 October 1942 in Travemünde (later Kamp). Testing of on-board special aircraft as well as instruction and training of flying and ground personnel for on-board special aircraft. Test and Training Command 21 Set up on 1 August 1942 in Garz/Usedom. Personnel and equipment of the disbanded II. combat squadron 3. troop testing of the bomb PC 1400X. Test and teaching command 22 Set up autumn 1942 in Lärz. Testing of the Fw 190 fighter bomber version with long range (Jaborei). Personnel of the combat squadron 40, of the fighter squadrons 2 and 26 as well as of a destroyer school. Spring 1943 Transfer to St. André in France and use for the formation of the I./Schlachtkampfgeschwader 10. Test and training command 24 formation on 1 March 1943 in Mark-Zwuschen. Testing of aircraft types suitable for reconnaissance purposes, including equipment (navigation and heading devices). Dissolution in October 1944, assumption of the tasks and the personnel by the experimental association OKL. Test Command 25 Set-up in accordance with the order of 17 April 1943. Troop testing of the aircraft required for day hunting, aircraft radio measuring equipment, weapons and combat procedures as well as deployment within the framework of the Reich Defence. Reclassification into hunting group 10 with the same tasks. Test Command 26 Set-up in accordance with the order of 29 December 1943 by renaming the 11th (Pz.)/battle squadron at the airfield of the Udetfeld E station. Dissolution on 14 February 1945 and transfer of personnel to General der Schlachtflieger. Assumption of the tasks of the supplementary squadron of the Schlachtgeschwader 151. Experimental squadron 36 Set up in Garz according to the order of 10 August 1943 by renaming the 13th/fighting squadron 100. Testing of the suitability for troops of the successor models of the Hs 293 as well as briefing of observers on the He 177 equipped with the Kehlgerät FuG 203. Dissolution on 12 July 1944. Transfer of the personnel to the E-Kommando 25 for the continuation of the testing of the fighter missiles. Test Command 40 The Fliegerforstschutzverband was formed on 5 March 1940 as an independent association from the "Pest Control Group" of the Flugkommando Berlin, which had existed since 1936. It was mainly used for forest pest control and from October 1941 also took over malaria control in the occupied territories. Numerous spraying and pollination flights were carried out for this purpose. Another focus of his activities was the sowing of agricultural and forestry seeds and the spreading of artificial fertilizers. After being placed under the command of the E units on 1 January 1944, the Fliegerforstschutzverband was renamed E-Kommando 40. By order of 3 September 1944, the command stationed in Göttingen was dissolved and the remainder of the command was transferred to Coburg in November 1944, where it was used to set up E-command 41. Erprobungskommando 41 Formation on January 22, 1945 from remaining parts of the Erprobungskommando 40 and subordination in military service under Luftgaukommando VII and operational under Luftflottenkommando Reich. Test Command 100 See Test Command 17 Test Command Bf 109 G Report of arrival at Rechlin on 15 March 1942. Equipped with eleven Bf 109 G-1 and seven pilots in July. No more data. Test Command Ta 152 Positioning on the Command Way on 2 November 1944 in Rechlin. In accordance with the order of January 9, 1945, the deployment was extended until April 1945, and the deployment was reorganized into a group staff with a staff company as well as four task forces and a technical testing squadron. No formation of the four operational squadrons due to takeover of troop testing of the aircraft type Ta 152 by III/Jagdgeschwader 301. Dissolution on January 23, 1945. Test command Ta 154 formation on December 9, 1943 at the air base Hannover-Langenhagen. Testing of the front suitability of the aircraft type Ta 154. Dissolution according to the order of August 1, 1944. Transfer of personnel to the E-command Me 262. Test command He 162, deployment order of January 9, 1945 for an E-command in group strength (but not with this designation). Implementation of the operational testing of the aircraft type He 162 by I./Jagdgeschwader 1. Experimental squadron He 177 deployment on 1 February 1942 in Lärz. Testing of the aircraft type He 177. Dissolution on September 20, 1943. Transfer of personnel to combat squadron 40. Test squadron Ju 188 set up on March 1, 1943 in Rechlin. Transfer at the end of July 1943 to Chièvres near Brussels. Used for 4th/combat squadron 66th test squadron Me 210 set up in late spring 1942 in Lechfeld, relocated in July 1942 to Evreux in France. Operational testing of the aircraft type. After temporary renaming into 16th/fighter squadron 6 and 11th/destroyer squadron 1, finally reclassification into test squadron Me 410. Test squadron Ar 234 set up summer 1944 (July) in Lärz. Operational testing of the aircraft type Ar 234 B as a bomber. Personnel of the combat squadron 76th Erprobungskommando Me 262, deployment on 9 December 1943 at the Lechfeld air base. First testing of the V-model Me 262 and personnel supply of the III./Zerstörergeschwader 26 in April 1944. Starting from August 1944 formation of Einsatzkommandoos among other things in Lärz. At the end of September use of parts of the E-command, the III./ZG 26 to form the E-command "Novotny" and a new E-command 262 in Lechfeld. Official dissolution of E-command 262 on 2 November 1944. Test command Do 335 set up on 4 September 1944 by command of the E-positions. Troop testing of the aircraft type Do 335 as a mosquito night fighter, fighter, reconnaissance and combat aircraft. Relocation to Rechlin on 20 November. Revocation of the dissolution order of 14 February 1945. Test command JU 388 set up on 15 July 1944 in Rechlin. Testing the Ju 388 as a night hunter. Dissolution on 14 February 1945. Transfer of personnel to Combat Wing 76, E-Command Do 335 and various units. Test squadron Me 410 See test squadron Me 210. Troop testing of the aircraft type Me 410. Integration as 9th squadron of the combat squadron 101 and renaming into 12./KG 2 in October 1943 and finally April 1944 into 13./KG 51. Test squadron 600 formation according to order of April 1, 1945, intended for testing the rocket-driven interceptor Ba 349 "Natter". No further data known. Test command "Kolb", order of 20 November 1944. No further information known. Test command "Nebel" (Fog), order of 26 July 1944, for the testing and production of the Me 264 aircraft type, then from December 1944 also for the testing of long-range aircraft. Etatisierung des E-Kommandoos Ende Februar 1945. Lehr- und Erprobungskommando (W) After Colonel Wachtel had already been commissioned since April 1943 to carry out the war operation of the Fieseler Fi 103 (camouflage designation Flak sight FZG 76), the establishment of the Erprobungskommando began in June 1943. In military service it was subordinated to the higher commander of the anti-aircraft artillery schools and in questions of training and testing to the general of the anti-aircraft weapon. It was supplied by Luftgaukommando III, to which it belonged in terms of war classification. On 15 August 1943, the Wachtel Command formed the Flak Regiment 155 (W), which was soon transferred to France. Sonderkommando Fähre (Siebel) The Sonderkommando Fähre was responsible for the provision and operation of air force ferries for the transport of air force goods. (The information on the E-positions and E-commands were published in abbreviated form by Heinrich Beauvais/Karl Kössler/Max Mayer/Christoph Regel: Flugerprobungsstellen bis 1945. Johannisthal, Lipezk, Rechlin, Travemünde, Tarnewitz, Peenemünde-West. Bonn 1998). Characterisation of content: The collection mainly comprises work and test reports as well as correspondence between the command of the test centres and the test centres themselves and superior departments and various companies. Most of the test reports are for the two E posts Rechlin (approx. 200 AU) and Travemünde (approx. 160 AU). About 60 volumes of files with pollination and spray reports including the corresponding maps have been handed down by the Fliegerforstschutzverband. Of the remaining e-positions, only minor fragments of files have been preserved. The seven file volumes of the command of the e-offices, which deal with organizational matters of the e-offices and e-commands, are to be emphasized. State of development: Online-Findbuch 2007 Scope, Explanation: 573 AE Citation method: BArch, RL 36/...