It was the Minister of Aviation, Kesselring, who provided the most interesting item for consideration. The national airline, Lufthansa, had submitted a comprehensive and well thought out report, outlining the need for a greatly expanded airline network, as well as a new generation of fast civilian airliners.
Lufthansa was inundated with requests for flights to business centres all over Europe and the world. There was a great upsurge of interest in flights to China, Japan and Asia. Both the Chinese and Japanese governments had asked Lufthansa to expand their air services to those countries.
“There is a great opportunity here for our national airline to become the biggest in the world. It would only require the acquisition of suitable aircraft and establishment of overseas facilities.
There is something else of importance for us to consider. The American aircraft manufacturer, Lockheed, have been working on a four engine pressurised airliner since 1937. They are calling it the Constellation. The emphasis later switched to a military version, but I believe this is about to end and civilian aircraft will become available to the world’s airlines in the next year or so.
During the next few years, Germany has a golden opportunity to develop aircraft manufacture as one of our main export industries. An industry of the utmost strategic and economic importance. Our own European Alliance is virtually a captive market for sales. I have done some preliminary research on this. One possibility is co-operation with Great Britain, or perhaps France, in this field.
My recommendation is that we authorise a study for the development of a fast airliner as competition to the Lockheed Constellation. But this should only be considered as an interim stage. A further study should also be conducted, in parallel, to design the next generation of airliner, a four engine jet aircraft.”
He had given them food for thought. All were very enthusiastic. Kesselring was asked to give them a copy of his research and a copy of Lufthansa’s proposal, for them to study.
The Minister of Defence amplified what had already been agreed at other, informal, meetings. The intelligence services confirmed that the Soviet Union had slowed production and delivery of their Sturmovik fighter and the new T36 tank. The best assessment was that the Soviet Union was short of funds, and as a result of the purchases from Germany, also suffering from diminished supplies of raw materials for their own use. Also it was believed that Stalin was perhaps not entirely unhappy with the status quo in Europe and was letting the Germans know this by slowing down his rearmament programme.
The evaluation was that the chances of any attack by the Soviet Union were reduced for at least another year.
“Accordingly, gentlemen, we will delay for six months the introduction of our new aircraft and tanks. This will save a lot of money and at the same time allow continued development and improvement of the weapons.
Professor von Braun reports good progress with his rockets and he is talking of demonstrating something very interesting to us later in the year. Beyond that I know very little of what he is doing. Von Braun still insists that rockets are the weapons of the future! I am inclined to at least partially believe this.”
LONDON
James Blackstone had finally found a job. He had been appointed a director of a small London based private bank, Bradlington Thornberry Bank. His remit was to seek new financial opportunities in Britain and Europe. The contacts and acquaintances he had made during his years as an MP were expected to be very useful to him.
His wife Fiona had been extremely annoyed with him for losing his status as a Member of Parliament. However, his new title at the bank partly compensated for this, as did his increased salary. She continued to spend money faster than James was making it.
A list he had compiled of potentially useful contacts was complete. Now he would start acting on it. First and second on the list were his father and his brother Jeremy.
Horace Blackstone had been Permanent Secretary to the Treasury for the past five years. James was under no illusion that his straight-as-a-die father might use his influence or contacts to assist him. He did, however, respect his father’s knowledge and experience. This was the reason for meeting for lunch today.
Over a pleasant unhurried lunch, James did most of the listening while his father, in answer to James’ questions, gave a lengthy and detailed discourse on the state of the world economy and banking in general, and Britain in particular. James was fascinated! He was finding his new career in banking could be exhilarating. Perhaps losing his seat in Parliament was a blessing in disguise!
He would always remember his father’s last words that day. “Remember, James. Be scrupulous and prudent in every single financial transaction you are faced with. The world of banking is small. Mistakes and transgressions are not forgiven”.
They parted company with James silently promising himself to visit the old man more often.
LONDON - AUGUST
Kesselring’s comprehensive survey on the future of civilian aviation had been given the great consideration it deserved, before being approved by the Governing Council. Through the German Embassy in London he had arranged a meeting with his British counterpart, Harold Balfour. That meeting was now about to be held.
Little was known in Germany about Balfour. He was forty five years old, and an ex-Great War fighter pilot. He had been a Member of Parliament since 1929, and had served in the Air Ministry for the past four years. As far as Kesselring had been able to ascertain he was diligent and highly intelligent. Perhaps not your average politician!
The German Aviation Minister was in London to explore the possibility of Germany and Britain co-operating in building civilian airliners. He had brought his various research and study documents with him, but he was not prepared to release them unless he felt Balfour was genuinely in favour of the project. If he wasn’t, then Germany would go it alone. Or perhaps in partnership with France.
The involvement of Britain was sought because of their vast empire in Africa, Asia, North and South America, and Australasia. They were an obvious ready market for airliners.
Balfour greeted Kesselring cordially and offered him coffee or tea. Like most continentals the German could not understand the love of the British for that insipid beverage called tea. He accepted coffee. It wasn’t very good coffee. They chatted about Europe, and general aviation matters before they got down to business.
“Mr Balfour, my ministry has recently completed a review on the future of civil aviation, as it applies to European countries, including Great Britain. Our conclusion is that aircraft manufacture is of great strategic and economic importance to our countries. If we are complacent about it, the Americans with their huge manufacturing potential and large domestic air travel market, will soon dominate the industry.
The British, French and Dutch have a vast empire spread across the world. This is a ready market for civilian airliners. A market that the Americans will grab for themselves, if we allow them.
We respectfully suggest that there is scope for Great Britain and Germany to co-operate in meeting this challenge.”
Balfour knew there had been much concern about the advances in German technology and some mention in government circles of possible future co-operation with Germany, but nothing specific. The sheer scope of Kesselring’s proposal was both simple and at the same time, fascinating! Balfour was an instant convert to the idea!
The two Ministers got down to the details. They threw thoughts, ideas and questions back and forth for the next two hours. Kesselring gave Balfour a copy of his precious research. They now needed some projected costs for research and development, cost of production, selling prices and expected sales. Balfour needed to discretely sound out key players in the British aviation industry. After that it was a job for the number crunchers.
Balfour promised to discuss this with the Prime Minister as soon as he could see him, which he expected would be the following week at the latest. Thereafter he would visit Kesselring in Germany to take the matter to the next level.
Kesselring returned to Germany satisfied with what he had accomplished so far.
BERLIN - SEPTEMBER
James and Jeremy were lunching in a quiet restaurant in a charming leafy suburb of Berlin. The two brothers had met outside the British embassy and strolled in the autumn sunshine, exchanging news. James was surprised to hear that a romance had blossomed between their sister and the American naval officer, Jamie MacLellan. Katherine kept that quiet!
Over lunch James explained his work to Jeremy. As had been the case with their father, he expected Jeremy to be circumspect in the matter of useful business contacts. However, one thing Jeremy did disclose that day, lit a fire under James Blackstone that had ramifications far beyond the little bank he worked for.
They had been talking about Germany’s jet fighter, the ME262. Jeremy added to the discussion by disclosing that Germany was considering producing commercial airliners in the not too distant future. An obvious first market for these would be the national airlines of each European country. The British and French empires alone must need dozens, maybe hundreds, of machines flying between home and the colonies every day.
Now he innocently said something that caused James’ ears to pick up. “These airliners will not be cheap. The smaller regional airlines will struggle to find the cash to buy them”.
He carried on taking but James wasn’t listening. Those few words of Jeremy’s had set his brain whirling. His ideas quickly crystallised. A new innovation at his bank. Specialists in tailor-made finance for aircraft. A huge potential market!
He could hardly sit still in his seat. He insisted Jeremy repeat everything once more, with as much detail as possible. Unfortunately Jeremy knew little more than he had already told his brother. He had heard that Britain may be involved somewhere, and that was about it. It wasn’t exactly a state secret so he undertook to keep James informed if and when he heard anything further.
After lunch Jeremy made his way back to the Embassy. James caught the first available flight back to London. He had work to do!
BERLIN - 5 OCTOBER
Kesselring finally had the report for which he and his British counterpart had waited impatiently the last two months. It was everything he hoped it would be.
Its compilation had been a team effort and included material provided by Lufthansa and other European airlines, individual pilots, aircraft designers and manufacturers, accountants, and Germany’s own state aviation and department of finance officials.
With the return to prosperity in Europe and a lot of the rest of the world, the increase in the number of civilian airline passengers travelling in the coming years, was forecast to explode.
Using the current design specifications for Lockheed’s Constellation as a starting point, a worldwide market in the region of at least one thousand similar aircraft was projected over the next ten or so, years. Using an estimated sale price of US$700000 per aircraft, this represented a US$700 million market. To put this in perspective, the value of German exports to its single largest market, the Soviet Union, were equivalent to about US$180 million per year.
The report recommended that any competition to the Constellation should be bigger, (seventy passengers compared to the Constellation’s forty four), and faster. Basic preliminary design concepts had already been submitted. First deliveries to airlines could be as early as 1944 provided no time was wasted.
The second part of the project, a jet airliner, reflected an even more staggering potential. The project team had settled on an ambitious leap into the future. They recommended a four jet engined, long-range airliner able to carry a minimum of one hundred passengers. The estimated future cost of the aircraft would be at least US$1.2 million each. With an estimated world market of one thousand five hundred for this type of aircraft from about 1950 onwards, it represented potential sales of US$2 billion.
It was acknowledged that the USA would be a big competitor, but If Germany and Britain only captured half of the market it would still be an outstanding success story.
Talks with the British had resulted in a provisional agreement for the British and German governments to jointly build civil aircraft. The British would design and build the engines and instrumentation, the Germans would have the responsibility for the airframe, interior and fittings.
Any such agreement, of course, was subject to the acceptance of the report by, and final approval of, the respective governments. Kesselring thought, ‘This is where all the petty, jumped up politicians try to have a finger in the pie’.
Still everything looked positive so far, and it was due to be debated in the Governing Council next week and by the British Cabinet the following week. Kesselring eagerly awaited the outcome.
PEENEMUNDE - TWO DAYS EARLIER
The imposing rocket stood on the launch pad and the countdown had begun. It stood only twelve metres high and did not have the appearance of a wonder weapon. To the observers three hundred metres away, it looked no more than a large interesting toy.
The Governing Council, minus only the Economics Minister who had pleaded pressure of work, were there to witness, and perhaps pass judgement on, von Braun’s creation. It was designated the A4. The professor and some of his scientists mingled with the guests answering queries, and all silently praying that nothing went wrong.
The seconds counted down to zero. The button was pressed. The massive liquid propellant fuelled rocket engine fired in a deafening burst of thunder. For a second or two the missile didn’t move. Then it clawed its way from the ground and rapidly accelerated skywards. It was quickly lost to sight. To the uninitiated watchers it was an awesome display of power that was over too quickly. None were quite sure what to make of it.
It was another fifteen minutes before von Braun asked for the attention of the guests. He confirmed that the missile had been sighted splashing into the sea one hundred and eighty kilometres away. On its ascent it had reached a maximum height of eighty five kilometres. Impressive. But what did this mean in terms of the weapon’s potential?
Von Braun explained. “You have just witnessed the successful flight of the world’s first long range ballistic missile. The final version of this particular design will have a maximum range of a little over three hundred kilometres and carry a one tonne explosive warhead. The guidance system is simple and allows us to fire the missile on a trajectory that carries it straight to the target, say a large city such as Leningrad.”
Von Brauchitsch expanded on this. “As things stand right now, this missile is little more than a very expensive artillery shell with an enormous range. If it were to be used against cities it would be nothing more than a terror weapon. That is something which I personally would not like to see.
However, I believe we will be able to develop a more accurate guidance system, and this will give us a much more useful weapon. Also, perhaps an as yet undiscovered more powerful explosive used in its warhead, could put the weapon system in the category of a deterrent to the most belligerent foreign powers from attacking the European Alliance. Even comrade Stalin would not dare to make war on us if he knew we could obliterate Moscow and other great Russian cities.
There is no effective defence against this missile. It can also be fired from mobile launch platforms that will be almost impossible to detect before the missile is launched. Admiral Doenitz has even suggested these rockets could be launched from suitably designed submarines one day. Possibly even from underwater. Trials last year on U-boats using the much smaller nebelwerfer rockets fired from depths of twelve metres showed there was no negative effect on the rockets accuracy.
The potential is quite staggering and Professor von Braun and his worthy team are to be congratulated for what has been achieved here.”
All present enthusiastically clapped their hands and cheered in appreciation of the scientist’s efforts.
Von Brauchitsch had the final word. “Neither should we forget the good Professor’s dream, space travel.” He looked towards von Braun. “Keep up the good
work. I have no idea when it could happen, or even if it can be done, but if it is possible to put a man into space, I sincerely hope the first person is German.” The guests and the scientists cheered the field Marshall even more warmly for this vision.
BERLIN - 19 OCTOBER
Kesselring had what he wanted. The Governing Council, after the longest debate on a single issue during their relatively short history, unanimously approved government financial backing for the airliner projects. The British had done the same, but in their case the decision still had to be ratified in their Houses of Parliament.
The lawyers were already drawing up the necessary documentation to give life to the new project.
Rolls-Royce in Britain would be contracted for the engines, and in Germany, Focke-Wulf’s new airliner design was the one chosen from the several submissions. Their factory premises were already being extended. No time must be lost in the race with the Americans!
The German Peace Page 21