AGO Flugzeugwerke
| Company type | Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aircraft manufacturing |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Founder | Gustav Otto, Herbert Alberti |
| Defunct | 1945 |
| Headquarters | Oschersleben (later), originally Munich and Johannisthal , Germany |
Area served | Germany |
Key people | Gustav Otto, Elisabeth Woerner, Hermann Fremery |
| Products | Military reconnaissance aircraft, fighters, trainers, dive bombers |
Number of employees | 4500 |
AGO Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer operating between 1911 and 1945. The acronym AGO represented different meanings throughout its existence (including Aktiengesellschaft Otto), but ultimately stood for Apparatebau GmbH Oschersleben. At its height, the firm employed approximately 4,500 workers.
Origins
The company was established in 1911 in Munich under the name Flugmaschinenwerke Gustav Otto, founded by aviator and engine designer Gustav Otto alongside Dr Herbert Alberti. Gustav, son of Nicolaus Otto, the inventor of the four-stroke engine, was an early aviation pioneer holding pilot's licence No. 34. Like many similar enterprises of the era, a flying school was affiliated with the company—one notable pupil being Ernst Udet.
The initial successful aircraft, developed under chief designer Gabriel Letsch, was an observation biplane featuring a pusher propeller configuration that quickly became standard equipment for the Bayerischen Fliegertruppe. This plane was powered by a 75 kW (100 hp) engine designed in-house, marketed as Aviatiker Gustav Otto.
In 1912, a distinct branch named Ago Flugzeugwerke was launched in Johannisthal, managed by Elisabeth Woerner and Hermann Fremery. Following the onset of World War I, AGO produced a series of military reconnaissance aircraft, starting with the AGO C.I, a pusher biplane designed by August Haefeli. The company's most notable wartime model was the 1916 C.IV, with a production run of 70 units.
By 1916, Gustav Otto had established a new facility in Munich called Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, and another factory in Oschersleben in partnership with Josef Schnittisser, again using the AGO name, this time representing Aktiengesellschaft Gustav Otto. The Oschersleben site primarily produced components for other aircraft manufacturers until World War I concluded.
Interwar Period
After the war's end and the Armistice, Otto ventured into automobile production but was compelled to lay off staff from the Berlin operation and relinquish control of the Oschersleben factory by 1919. He retired to Lake Starnberg and passed away in 1926. The company persisted and expanded in that same year by acquiring 20 hectares near the Sudenburger Maschinenfabrik und Eisengießerei AG plant at Magdeburg. However, this venture ceased operations by 1928. Subsequently, on 30 July 1930, AGO’s remaining holdings were liquidated through a court-ordered auction.
1933 – 1945
Under Nazi rule, AGO was revived through refurbishment of the Oschersleben factory to resume aircraft manufacturing. Initial contracts included production of 36 Arado Ar 65 fighters, 197 Arado Ar 66 trainers, and 71 Heinkel He 51 fighters. The first aircraft completed was an Ar 65 on 1 May 1935. This was followed by a contract for 140 Henschel Hs 123 dive-bombers delivered by late 1937, marking AGO’s entry into all-metal aircraft construction. Subsequent orders comprised 241 Gotha Go 145 trainers, 187 Arado Ar 96, and initially 150 Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance planes—a figure later increased to 390 during summer 1938. Between March 1937 and March 1938 alone, AGO manufactured 121 Focke-Wulf Fw 44. Production of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 commenced in 1938, and from 1941 onwards, the factory’s primary output shifted to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
The design division was reinstated in 1935, producing its first new model—the AGO Ao 192 Kurier—in 1937. A proposed heavy fighter project designated the Ao 225 failed to progress beyond wind-tunnel testing; even its RLM airframe code (8−225) was withdrawn and reassigned to Focke-Achgelis by the German Ministry of Aviation.
From 1943 forward, due to its critical role in Fw 190 production, AGO’s Oschersleben plant became a frequent target for Allied bombing campaigns, sustaining severe damage until war’s end. The remaining factory structures were demolished by the Red Army in 1947.
Otto
(Associated with Gustav Otto / Flugmaschinenwerke Gustav Otto / Aviatiker Gustav Otto)
- Otto 1913 pusher biplane[1]
- Otto B introduced in 1914[1]
- Otto B.I[1]
- Otto C.I from 1915[1]
- Otto C.II[1]
AGO Flugzeugwerke
(Operating since 1912 at Johannistal)
See also
References
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- Peter Supf: Das Buch der Deutschen Fluggeschichte, Bände I und II
- Uwe Schmidt: AGO-Flugzeugwerke Oschersleben
- Flugzeuglieferpläne des RLM LC II
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