Fritz Gosslau (25 March 1898 – 1 December 1965) was a German engineer, known for his work on the

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...

Study

Gosslau was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In 1923, he completed his engineering studies by gaining a diploma from the ''Königliche Technische Hochschule'' in Berlin-Charlottenburg (now

Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin; also known as Berlin Institute of Technology and Technical University of Berlin, although officially the name should not be translated) is a public university, public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was the first ...

). In 1926, he obtained his PhD on the topic ''Rechnerische und experimentelle Untersuchungen über Wärmebeherrschung und Leistungssteigerung in luftgekühlten Flugmotorenzylindern'' – calculated and experimental studies on heat control and performance improvement in air-cooled aircraft engine cylinders.

Work

During the 1930s, Gosslau worked on the development of

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...

s at

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

. When the company abandoned production of aircraft engines, he moved to '' Argus Motoren Gesellschaft''. Gosslau was part of the construction team of the Argus As 410 and 411 engines. He was also involved in the construction of a 24-cylinder air-cooled engine that developed 3,500

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

. In early 1937, Gosslau developed proposals for a remote, unmanned missile for special military use. This remote controlled target aircraft completed its maiden flight on 14 July 1939. On 9 November 1939, he proposed the development of a motorized wing-mounted missile providing a range of several hundred kilometers, and through radio-navigation, a high accuracy. For this missile, Gosslau used a

pulse jet engine In medicine, the pulse refers to the rhythmic pulsations (expansion and contraction) of an artery in response to the cardiac cycle (heartbeat). The pulse may be felt (palpated) in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface ...

(''Pulsationsschubrohres''). By the start of production, he had developed this into a highly reliable unit.US-Patent 2382707
Device for regulating internalcombustion engines
/ref> From 1942, Gosslau participated in the development team of the

Fieseler Fi 103 The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...

, also called V1 – an unmanned, explosive payload missile. Towards the end of

World War II 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 ...

, Gosslau became involved with its construction as a suicide weapon, and his name is connected with the establishment of the Leonidas Squadron.Friedrich Georg: ''Hitler's Miracle Weapons: The Secret History of the Rockets and Flying Craft of the Third Reich.'' Volume 2: ''From the V-1 to the A-9.'' Helion & Company, Solihull 2004, , S. 181ff. After the war, Gosslau joined Dürkopp, the motorcycle manufacturer, where he was chief designer from 1948. In 1954, he moved to the

Heinkel Flugzeugwerke Heinkel Flugzeugwerke () was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight, wit ...

(aircraft manufacturer) and took over the development of new engines. In 1958, after the engine development branches of Heinkel and

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 ...

were acquired by Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke (aircraft and engine manufacturer), Gosslau became a director of Junkers until 1963, when they were converted to a stock company, a technical board of the

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

-based company. Gosslau died in

Grünwald, Bavaria Grünwald (German language, German for ''green forest'') is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Munich (district), district of Munich, in the state of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Isar, 12 km southwest ...

, aged 67.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gosslar, Fritz 1898 births 1965 deaths Junkers people Engineers from Berlin Technische Universität Berlin alumni V-weapons people