The Gerhard Fieseler Werke (GFW) in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

was a German

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

of the 1930s and 1940s. The company is remembered mostly for its military aircraft built for the

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

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

Gerhard Fieseler Gerhard Fieseler (15 April 1896 – 1 September 1987) was a German World War I flying ace, aerobatics champion, and aircraft designer and manufacturer. From birth to the 1918 armistice Born in Glesch (near Cologne), Fieseler joined the Imperial G ...

, the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

and

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

champion, purchased the Segel Flugzeugbau Kassel on April 1, 1930; it was renamed the Fieseler Flugzeugbau in 1932.Green, p. 163 Fieseler had been a manager for the

Raab-Katzenstein Raab-Katzenstein was a 1920s German aircraft manufacturer based in Kassel. History The main character of the company was its designer Gerhard Fieseler. Following World War I, he returned to printing, but yearned to return to flying. In 1926, he ...

, but when this company went bankrupt, Fieseler bought a

sailplane A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...

factory in Kassel and quickly turned it to building sports planes. At the same time, Fieseler still custom-built sailplanes for some of Germany's most prominent designers and pilots, including

Wolf Hirth Wolfram Kurt Erhard Hirth (28 February 1900 – 25 July 1959) was a German gliding pioneer and sailplane designer. He was a co-founder of Schempp-Hirth, still a renowned glider manufacturer.Segelflugbildkalendar 2011 Hirth was born in Stuttgar ...

's "Musterle" and

Robert Kronfeld Squadron Leader Robert Kronfeld, AFC (5 May 1904 – 12 February 1948) was an Austrian-born gliding champion and sailplane designer of the 1920s and 30s. He became a British subject and an RAF test pilot. He was killed testing a glider in 1948. ...

's "Wien" and "Austria" (for many years the largest sailplane ever built). In 1934, the company achieved prominence when Fieseler won the

World Aerobatics Championship The FAI World Aerobatic Championships (WAC) is a competition in sport aviation organized by CIVA (Commission Internationale de Voltige Arienne), the aerobatic commission of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the world air sports federat ...

in an aircraft his company had built, the F2 Tiger. This was followed by the highly successful F5, generally regarded as a classic among sports planes. Even greater success was to follow in 1936 when an aircraft of Fieseler's own design won a tender over aircraft from both

Messerschmitt Messerschmitt AG () was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in parti ...

and

Siebel Siebel was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in 1937 in Halle an der Saale.Gunston p.424 History It originated in the Klemm-Flugzeugwerke Halle that had been founded in 1934 as a branch of Leichtflugzeugbau Klemm in Böblingen. Its nam ...

for a new

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...

observation and liaison aircraft for the ''

''. It was designated the

Fieseler Fi 156 The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, "stork") is a liaison aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Fieseler. Its nickname of '' Storch'' was derived from the lengthy legs of its main landing gear, which gave the aircraft ...

''Storch'' (Stork), and the company would produce over 3,000 during World War II. In 1937 Fieseler also produced the

Fieseler Fi 253 The Fieseler Fi 253 Spatz, (English: ''Sparrow''), was a light civilian aircraft, manufactured by the German company Fieseler in Nazi Germany. Only six units were produced, however, due to the Second World War. Development In January 1937 Major W ...

. On April 1, 1939 the company name changed to the Gerhard Fieseler Werke

GmbH (; ) is a type of Juridical person, legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is equivalent to a (Sàrl) in the Romandy, French-speaking region of Switzerland and to a (Sagl) in the Ticino, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. It is a ...

. Fieseler's other wartime production would largely consist of building other firms' aircraft under licence, including the

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...

and

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the ...

. In 1941 however, a Fieseler project for an unpiloted flying bomb (Fi 103) attracted the attention of the RLM (''

Reichsluftfahrtministerium The Ministry of Aviation (, abbreviated RLM) was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstrasse in central Berlin, Germany, which ...

'' - "Reich Aviation Ministry"). This went into production as the Fieseler FZG-76 (''flakzielgerät'', antiaircraft targeting device), better known as the V-1. The Fieseler factory was the target of many Allied air raids, but continued production throughout the war. Following the War, part of the factory continued in business for a few years, producing automotive components. Its most famous products, the Storch and the V1, continued to be produced by foreign companies.

Aircraft

Fieseler aircraft included: * F2 Tiger acrobatic sportsplane, 1932 * F3 ''Wespe'' (Wasp) experimental flying wing, ca. 1931 *

Fieseler F 4 The Fieseler F 4 was developed, built and flown as a two-seat sports and travel aircraft at the Fieseler Flugzeugbau. Design and development After the failure of the Fieseler F 3 Wespe, Fieseler developed a sport aircraft with emphasis placed ...

, two seat sports aircraft, 1932 * Fi 5, acrobatic sportsplane + trainer, 1933; previously F5 * F 6, trainer and sport aircraft, 1933 * Fi 97, competition and touring monoplane, 1934 * Fi 98, biplane fighter, 1936 * Fi 99, sport aircraft * Fi 103 (V-1); RLM designation for the V-1 * Fi 103R Reichenberg, manned version of the V-1, 1944 * Fi 156 ''Storch'' (Stork), STOL reconnaissance aircraft, 1937 * Fi 157, unmanned anti-aircraft target drone, 1937 *

Fi 158 The Fieseler Fi 158 was a civilian research aircraft designed and built in Germany from 1938. Design and development Designed as a manned version of the Fieseler Fi 157, Fi 157 radio-controlled drone, the Fi 158 was a low-winged monoplane built ...

, research aircraft (manned version of Fi 157), 1938 * Fi 166, vertical launched jet fighter * Fi 167, ship-borne torpedo bomber and reconnaissance biplane, 1938 * Fi 168, ground-attack aircraft, 1939 * Fi 253, sport aircraft, 1937 * Fi 333 transport (concept), 1942

History

Aircraft

Gliders

See also

References

Bibliography