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The History of the Department
The Influence of Politics
1954
The Establishment of Air and
Space Travel at the Department
There are countless examples of the influence of politics
and society on research at the Technical University of
Munich in its 150-year-old history. The creation of the
Institute for Aviation and Astronautics after the Second
World War is one.
In 1954, Julius Krauß received the professorship for aero-
plane construction, which was associated with an institute
for lightweight construction and aviation technology.
Krauß had already been Professor Ordinarius for aircraft
construction at the THM from 1942 to 1945. Without politi-
cal decisions being made at the highest level – the Federal
Minister for Special Affairs at the time, and later Minister of
Defence, Franz Josef Strauß, was an enthusiastic amateur
pilot – the establishment of the professorial chair would
not have been possible.
At first, the preconditions for the creation of such a
research focus appeared unfavourable. While before and
during the Second World War, there had already been
aviation research at THM, it was forced to close at the
end of the war following pressure by the Allies. In 1950,
the Bavarian federal state government had already begun
first discussions with the Allies regarding the resumption
of aviation research. The German federal government was
also highly interested in developing its own aviation and
astronautics industry and research. Here, the key player
was Franz Josef Strauß. The passionate pilot was particu-
larly committed to re-establishing the aviation industry and
aviation research, and ensured that this branch industry
and research was located in Bavaria, specifically in and
around Munich.
Finally, on 23 October 1954, the ‘Paris Agreements’ were
signed, which brought the Allied occupation status in the
Federal Republic of Germany to an end. Now, German
research could again participate in national and interna-
tional aviation and astronautics projects. The reaction
of the THM was immediate; that same year, Krauß was
awarded the professorship for aircraft construction.
In the years that followed, Munich became a centre for
aviation and astronautics. Strauß consciously pursued
technology- and industry-oriented policies. He persuaded
the entrepreneur Ludwig Bölkow to relocate his company,
Bölkow Entwicklungen KG, from Stuttgart to Ottobrunn
near Munich, which he did in 1958. In 1961, the analysis
and test facility of the German Federal Ministry of Defence
(IABG) was founded in Ottobrunn. In 1963, a division at
the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics
was turned into a separate sub-institute – the Max Planck
Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics – and one year later
was moved to Garching.
At this point in time, the professorial chair for aircraft
construction was further expanded – supported by the
aircraft industry companies. In Ernst Schmid, who in 1952
became Professor for Theoretical Mechanical Engineering
and Technical Thermodynamics, the THM already had an
expert in combustion processes in aircraft engines and
temperature measurement at high flying speeds. In 1957,
Erich Truckenbrodt, who had formerly been the head of
the aerodynamic division of the aviation company Heinkel,
was brought to the department. Shortly after his arrival, he
had three new wind channels built for aerodynamics tests.
The scientific council at the THM recognised the new
opportunities presented by the political developments,
and suggested that a professorial chair for astronautics
should be established. Truckenbrodt, who at that time was
the dean of the faculty, then succeeded in having an insti-
tute for aviation and astronautics technology established
at the department, which traditionally was not involved in
aviation. He was supported by the CSU in his endeavour,
in order to create a link between the Bavarian aviation and
astronautics industry with science. Now, Munich was the
fourth German federal higher education centre for aviation
and astronautics, alongside Aachen, Braunschweig and
Stuttgart.
Just a short time later, the professorial chairs of the
institute were given complex research tasks. Between
1965 and 1970, the chair researched aircraft engines on
behalf of the Federal Ministry of Defence, on flat engines
with deflection combustion chambers for a planned VTOL
aircraft. Research contracts were also received from other
countries, from the Research and Technology Agency
(RTA), a sub-organisation of the NATO Military Committee.
In this way, under the aegis of Truckenbrodt, important
numerical methods for transient and stationary flow pro-
cesses were researched, as were hypersonic flows, which
were of great importance to the astronautics projects that
were just beginning in the Federal Republic at that time.