Siegfried Knemeyer

Siegfried Knemeyer
Born	Template:Birth date Minden, Province of Westphalia, Germany
Died	April 11, 1979(1979-04-11) (aged 70)
Occupation(s)	Aeronautical engineer, pilot
Known for	Head of Technical Development, Reich Ministry of Aviation; development of Dreieckrechner; involvement in Luftwaffe research and development during WWII

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Siegfried Knemeyer (born 5 April 1909 – died 11 April 1979) was a German aeronautical engineer and pilot who served as the Head of Technical Development within the Reich Ministry of Aviation of Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Early career

Knemeyer completed his studies at the Technische Hochschule Berlin, graduating in 1933 with degrees in both theoretical experimental physics and aeronautical engineering. During his university years, he was a member of the Academic Flying Group. By 1935, he had become a flight instructor for the Reich Air Ministry, which functioned as a civilian entity supporting the German armed forces.

In 1936, Knemeyer developed the Dreieckrechner, a handheld flight computing tool comparable to the American Lt. Philip Dalton’s contemporaneous E6B device. This invention rapidly gained acceptance among both military aviators of the Luftwaffe and civilian pilots in Germany.

Following the outbreak of World War II, he joined the Luftwaffe on 4 September 1939.

World War II

Initially serving as pilot to Field Marshal Walter von Brauchitsch during the short-lived Invasion of Poland, Knemeyer was subsequently assigned to the Rowehl Reconnaissance Group. In this role, he completed numerous reconnaissance missions across all theaters of German operations. In late 1939, Knemeyer conducted a reconnaissance flight over Narvik, Norway to verify British occupation of the port. During this mission, he successfully photographed the British Home Fleet stationed at Scapa Flow and evaded two pursuing Spitfires. The intelligence he gathered facilitated the Kriegsmarine's U-boat U-47 in sinking the British battleship HMS Royal Oak, an event that earned him his initial Iron Cross.

By April 1943, Knemeyer had been appointed technical officer to General Dietrich Peltz, who managed air operations against England. He initiated a program dedicated to capturing and refurbishing enemy aircraft to provide tactical benefits and support Luftwaffe research.

Concerned by Allied progress in aviation technology in 1943, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring convened a summit at Carinhall with senior officials. General Peltz brought Knemeyer along to this meeting where Göring was impressed by his forward-thinking concepts. Subsequently, Göring declared "Knemeyer is my boy!" and appointed him as his personal technical advisor in July that year. Later that year, Knemeyer was promoted to Oberst and assumed leadership as Director of Research and Development for the Luftwaffe. Göring affectionately nicknamed him "Star Gazer" and would often ask upon greeting him, "Now, my Star Gazer, what do you see in your crystal ball?" In November 1943, he took on the role of Head of Technical Development at the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), serving under Oberst Edgar Petersen.

Remarkably, Knemeyer had not piloted any German heavy bombers until February 1944 when he flew a prototype of the twin-tailed Heinkel He 177B at Wiener Neustadt military airfield on the 24th. Impressed by its handling characteristics, he advocated prioritizing production of this Heinkel design over the still early-stage four-jet Heinkel He 343 medium bomber project.

Shortly after assuming his senior technical position within the RLM, Knemeyer reconnected with General Werner Baumbach. In November 1943 he was included on a Special Committee composed of top Luftwaffe officials tasked with promoting widespread adoption and investment in the Me 262 jet fighter. Aviation historians J. Richard Smith and Eddie Creek credit both Knemeyer and General Adolf Galland for securing mass production of the Me 262A-1a.

In response to Germany’s deteriorating war situation in 1944, Knemeyer devised an ambitious plan involving development of a long-range bomber capable of delivering a radioactive "dirty bomb" over New York City to coerce American withdrawal from the conflict. To advance cutting-edge aerospace technology, he organized and oversaw a competition among three leading projects: Wernher von Braun’s Aggregat A-9 rocket missile with A-10 booster; Eugen Sänger’s Silbervogel; and the Horten brothers’ turbojet-powered flying wing fighter Ho 229. Although this competition accelerated technological progress, only one prototype Ho 229 (the Versuchs-Zwei or V2) achieved flight before war’s end.

As hostilities neared conclusion, General Baumbach entrusted Knemeyer with his vehicle as he fled westward. Near Hamburg on a rural road, British troops spotted him; after abandoning his car and attempting escape on foot by hiding beneath a bridge, he was captured by British forces.

Operation Paperclip

Following his apprehension in the British Zone of Occupation, Knemeyer was detained initially in Münster and subsequently transferred to the Latimer internment camp. As a participant in Operation Paperclip, he secured a permanent employment contract with the United States Air Force, under the Air Materiel Command, in June 1948. This arrangement allowed his family to reunite with him in the United States. Knemeyer's tenure with the United States War Department commenced on 1 July 1947. In recognition of his significant contributions, he was honored in 1966 with the highest civilian accolade awarded by the U.S. military, the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award.

Awards

In Germany

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold, awarded on 27 July 1942 while serving as Hauptmann in the 4.Staffel/Aufklärungsgruppe of the OB.d.L.
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, bestowed on 29 August 1943 when holding the rank of Major within the Stabsamt of the RLM and acting as Gruppenkommandeur of the Aufklärungs-Lehr-Gruppe under OB.d.L.

In the United States

• Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award

Bibliography

• Baumbach, Werner (1960). The Life and Death of the Luftwaffe. Ballantine Books. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 60-11283.
• Green, William (1970). The Warplanes of the Third Reich. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 88-29673.
• Griehl, Manfred and Dressel, Joachim (1998). Heinkel He 177 – 277 – 274. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85310-364-3.
• Herwig, Dieter and Rode, Heinz (1998). Luftwaffe Secret Projects: Strategic Bombers 1935–1945. ISBN 1-85780-092-3.
• Kahn, David (1978). Hitler’s Spies. ISBN 0-02-560610-7.
• Myrha, David and The History Channel (2005). Nazi Plan to Bomb New York. DVD. ASIN: B001CU7W76.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2]. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Shepelev, Andrei and Ottens, Huib (2006). Horten Ho 229: Spirit of Thuringia. ISBN 1-903223-66-0.
• Smith, J. Richard and Creek, Eddie J. (1982). Jet Planes of the Third Reich. ISBN 0-914144-27-8.
• Smith, J. Richard, Creek, Eddie J., and Petrick, Peter (2003). On Special Missions: The Luftwaffe’s Research and Experimental Squadrons 1923–1945. ISBN 1-903223-33-4.
• Smith, J.R. and Kay, Anthony L. (1972). German Aircraft of the Second World War. ISBN 1-55750-010-X.