Kurt Hohenemser
| Kurt Hohenemser | |
|---|---|
Dr. Kurt Hohenemser - (Courtesy of the Leo Baeck Institute, New York)
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| Born | January 3, 1906 Berlin, Germany |
| Died |
April 7, 2001 (aged 95) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | Technische Hochschule Darmstadt |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Aerospace Engineer, Professor |
| Projects | Helicopters, Wind Turbines |
Kurt Heinrich Hohenemser (January 3, 1906 – April 7, 2001) was a German-born American aerospace engineer and pioneer in the field of helicopter design.
Kurt Hohenemser was born on January 3, 1906, in Berlin, Germany, to the German Jewish musicologist Richard Hohenemser and his English wife Alice Salt. He received his secondary education from the Goethe-Schule in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, Hermann-Lietz-Schule in Haubinda, and Ziehenschule in Eschersheim. In 1924, Hohenemser received his Abitur. Hohenemser attended university at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt from 1924 to 1929, receiving his Diplom-Ingenieur in 1927 and his Doktor-Ingenieur in 1929. From 1930 until 1933, Hohenemser taught and conducted research at the University of Göttingen under Ludwig Prandtl, one of the most famous aerodynamics physicists during the 20th century. While at Göttingen, Hohenemser and his colleague William Prager organized a political discussion group, to which they invited another colleague who supported the ideologies of the Nazi Party. During these discussions, Hohenemser made comments critical of Nazi ideology. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, the colleague reported these statements, and Hohenemser was dismissed from his position at the university.
After his dismissal, Hohenemser worked briefly for aircraft manufacturer Gerhard Fieseler before going to work as a consultant for Anton Flettner's Flettner Flugzeubau GmbH, whose company specialized in the development and manufacture of helicopters. Kurt Hohenemser was an extraordinary engineer who developed the detailed designs required for the success of Flettner's helicopters. Hohenemser stayed with Flettner's company through the end of World War II.Though considered Jewish by the Nazis because of his Jewish father, Hohenemser's role in Flettner's company provided protection for him and his family during the war.
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