The German Air Sports Association (''Deutscher Luftsportverband'', or DLV e. V.) was an organisation set up by the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

in March 1933 to establish a uniform basis for the training of military pilots. Its chairman was

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

and its vice-chairman Ernst Röhm.

History

Since the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

officially forbade Germany from building

fighter plane Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domination o ...

s of any sort, the German Air Sports Association used gliders to train men still officially civilians for the future

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

.The World at War Episode 1 New Germany The first steps towards the Luftwaffe's formation were undertaken just months after

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

came to power. Hermann Göring, a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

ace with 22 victories and the holder of the '' Orden Pour le Mérite'', became National Kommissar for aviation with former director

Erhard Milch Erhard Milch (30 March 1892 – 25 January 1972) was a German general field marshal ('' Generalfeldmarschall'') of Jewish heritage who oversaw the development of the German air force (''Luftwaffe'') as part of the re-armament of Nazi Germany fo ...

as his deputy. On 25 March 1933 the German Air Sports Association absorbed all private and national organizations, whilst retaining its 'sports' title. In April 1933 the '' Reichsluftfahrtministerium'' (RLM – Reich Air Ministry) was established. The RLM was in charge of development and production of aircraft, and soon afterwards the test site or ''Erprobungsstelle'' at

Rechlin Rechlin is a municipality in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, around 100 km (60 mi) northwest of Berlin. The town's airport has a long history and was the Luftwaffe's main testing ground for new aircraft designs in Nazi Germany. ...

became its testing ground, a military airfield that had been first established in August 1918. Göring's control over all aspects of aviation became absolute. The German Air Sports Association was dissolved in 1937 and replaced with the

National Socialist Flyers Corps The National Socialist Flyers Corps (german: Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps; NSFK) was a paramilitary aviation organization of the Nazi Party. History NSFK was founded 15 April 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association; the ...

, a corporation under public law and subordinate to ''Reichsluftfahrtminister'' Göring.

Insignia

References

Sports organizations established in 1933 Organizations disestablished in 1937 Nazi Party organizations Irregular military air services Aviation organisations based in Germany 1933 establishments in Germany 1937 disestablishments in Germany Hermann Göring Gliding associations Gliding in Germany {{nazi-stub

History

Insignia

See also

References