Book Bootsmotorenbau im ostdeutschen binnenland (bis 1945)

BOOTSMOTORENBAU IM OSTDEUTSCHEN BINNENLAND (BIS 1945)

BY WOLFGANG RUDOLPH

(Translated by Google)

The present presentation deviates from the scheme of the two earlier regional contributions on engine construction on the German coasts (Baltic Sea Coast 1996, North Sea Coast 1997).

In this third part of the investigation, many personal details and a number of desirable details about the respective productions had to remain open. They could no longer be elucidated: the loss of archive material during and after the Second World War was too great, and many things were also destroyed senselessly during reunification (1990).

The main sources were the German Reich address book for industry and commerce, the German Reichsanzeiger, the handbook of German stock corporations, the handbook of limited liability companies (GmbH) and a large number of local address books and official telephone directories - in addition to the advertising pages of the leading ones German trade journals (between 1895 and 1945): Werft Reederei Hafen, communications from the German Sea Fishing Association, German fish industry, gas engine technology, the oil engine/the economic engine, the motor car, the yacht, motor ship/motor boat and canoeing. Two standard works on German automotive history proved to be interesting new source material (Seherr-Thoss 1974, Gränz & Kirchberg 1975). In the present study, however, only those manufacturing companies are listed for which - e.g. in the cases of Nacke (Coswig), Hering (Ronneburg), Elite (Brand) or VOMAG (Piauen) and FAMO (Breslau) - in advertisements, internal documents or articles in the trade press expressly referred to the use of the manufactured engines as boat or ship propulsion systems. In principle, many older truck engines and car drives could be converted for installation in ships without any major changes. Basically, the not inconsiderable military-technical part of the engine production during the two world wars remains unconsidered: e.g. at Steudel (Kamenz) to drive engineer pontoons and assault boats, at FAMO during the defense of the Breslau Fortress, but also at Klingebiel (Schwerin), Grade (Magdeburg) , VOMAG (Plauen) and others.

The preservation of boat engines in museums in the east German inland is much worse than in the coastal federal states: Of the 37 companies documented here, only examples of the five brands Buckau Wolf, Jaehne, Junkers, Leisnig and Raab have survived - all as Accidental acquisitions, by no means as a result of systematic search and collection.

In contrast to the first two parts, in this overview the productions are presented in the alphabetical order of the 3 1 production places. However, due to its size (with around 60 manufacturers), the Greater Berlin area must be dealt with as Part IV in the next volume.

With regard to the regional development history, it should only be briefly mentioned that the earliest special boat engines were made in the eastern German inland territories.

Regarding the regional development history, it should only be mentioned briefly that in the eastern German inland territories the earliest special boat engines were manufactured in places where one would hardly expect it today: in Magdeburg (Langen Siepen 1891 ), in Leipzig (roughly 189 ), also in Coswig near Dresden (Nacke 1901 ).

But then the Berlin trade quickly followed suit - from 1901 with Dürr and Kämper. German outboard engine construction began its triumphal procession from Berlin: initially as a rear engine (FZ Ziegenspeck 1913, Hasse 1913), later as a side-board engine (König 1925). Covering the needs of the Navy also allowed the new type of small machine construction to flourish in Schwerin (Klingebiel), Magdeburg (Grade), Aschersleben (Trumann), Zeitz (Raab), Frankfurt/Oder and Kamenz (Steudel). Before starting the production of boat drives, there were often quite different types of production, e.g. precision mechanical construction of orchestras (at Grob and Raab), special machine construction (pumps at Langensiepen, safes at Trumann, straw processing plants at Nacke). During the transition from the increasingly heavy-duty Otto ship engines to light vehicle diesel engines, production in the East German states and provinces was very significantly influenced by the developments at Junkers (Dessau, Breslau and Scharfenstein). The last hot-bulb boat engines from the eastern interior were delivered in 1940 to Leisnig in Saxony.

Production sites and manufacturing companies

The 31 production sites dealt with here are spread over the following East German territories:

Aschersleben

Böhlitz-Ehrenberg

Brand-Erbisdarf

Breslau

Chemnitz

Coswig

Dessau

Dresden

Eilenburg

Eisenach

Erfenschlag

Erfurt

Frankfurt (Oder)

Görlitz

Gössnitz

Hirschberg

Kamenz

Landsberg (Warthe)

Leipzig

Leisnig

Magdeburg

Niesky

Nordhausen

Plauen

Potsdam

Ronneburg

Scharfenstein

Schwerin

Stettin

Zeitz

Zschopau