Reichsluftfahrtministerium

The Reichsluftfahrtministerium ( RLM ) was the ministry for the Aviation of the III {{E}} Reich in Germany under the mode national-Socialist.

It had been created in April 1933 as an organization of planning and development of the civil aviation starting from the police station with aviation ( Reichskommissariat für die Luftfahrt ). Its director was upon the departure Hermann Göring. Before even creating the RLM, it had taken a first step on the way of the setting to the political step (national-Socialist) of the aeronautical sporting organizations by creating the German federation of the air sport ( Deutscher Luftsportverband ). Whereas this ministry was still unimportant during the first years of its existence, he already regarded it as his playing field of predilection. It however appeared very quickly that the essential task of the RLM consisted in supporting by all the means the air force (Luftwaffe) of 1933 to 1945. The RLM was known to adhere savagely to the line of the political party national-Socialist. It published a review of illustrated propaganda called Der Adler (the eagle). One of the first activities of the RLM and Göring in particular was to unduly adapt the patents of Hugo Junkers and in particular of its company Junkers & Co. This related to in particular the right relative to its legendary plane, the Junkers Ju 52. The structure of the RLM changed only with the arrival of the general Werner von Blomberg who was at that time Minister for Defense ( Reichswehrminister ) then became later Minister for the War (Reichskriegsminister) of Reich. It was one of the most influential soldiers of the Reichswehr still limited to 100  000 men, in accordance with the Treated of Versailles. It decided that the Luftwaffe was not to form any more integral part of the Army ( Heer ) but that from the military and political point of view it was judicious to subdivide the armed forces according to the various weapons ( Teilstreitkräfte ). For this reason it transferred in May 1933 the service from the anti-aircraft defense ( Luftschutzamt ), person in charge at that time of the military aviation, in Reichsluftfahrtministerium. This is often regarded as the true birth certificate of Luftwaffe. This transfer strongly developed the RLM which became much more influential about it. Within the RLM, there was an office of the techniques, resulting itself from a department of the aeronautical techniques of the office of the armament of the Army ( Heereswaffenamt ) which existed until 1935. He was entrusted in 1936 to the future Generaloberst (the highest rank in lower part of the Luftmarschall ) Ernst Udet, which was at the same time Generalluftzeugmeister (directing provisioning) of the Luftwaffe and consequently, person in charge of the development and supply of the planes, armaments and material for the whole of Luftwaffe.

During years 1935/1936 one built (at the instigation of Göring and in the fields of the architect Ernst Sagebiel) a building sheltering 2000 offices on 56  000 m ², for the ministry whose manpower had strongly increased meanwhile. It was located in the Wilhelmstrasse and was the largest administrative building of Berlin at that time. After the suicide of Udet, Erhard Milch succeeded to him in 1941.

Compared at other comparable organizations, as well national as foreign, the RLM neither better nor less well was structured and organized but it is mainly thanks to the excellent relations which Göring with Hitler maintained that it acquired more influence and of being able that other ministries. Göring made profitable its position with the head of the RLM to offer “employment” to many friends and dignitaries Nazis. The latter were interested by the intrinsic tasks of the RLM than in the continuation of their own political ambitions. That ends up forming a body hydrocéphale, so that Göring did not manage finally any more to control its own ministry. It was during the decisive years of the war, between 1939 and 1942, that the RLM could not achieve its original mission effectively any more, which caused a blocking of the activities of development and production in the German aircraft industry. The new inventions could not be any more led to good term and of many requests lost themselves literally in the meanders of the administration. In June 1944, the RLM was entrusted to the Minister for Reich Albert Speer and was reorganized in order to create the requirements to quickly achieve the new activities of development of the armament. This decision came too to have any however much late effect on Luftwaffe and the course from the Second world war. After the capitulation, the building which had not undergone that little damage was first of all the seat of the Russian administration of occupation.

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