to have the closest possible connection with a clique consisting of the Postmaster-General, Ohnesorge, Goebbels and Hitlerâs personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann, who were all apparently party to some big secret.
Speer concluded that, since Hitler spurned responsible sources of information and preferred to rely instead on having knowledge peddled to him by these amateurs, it all went to prove not only Hitlerâs partiality for dabbling, but also how little he understood of the scientific principles involved.
Hitlerâs Reichspost handled all telecommunications as well as the mails and had a large budget for research. Part of this was allocated to an atomic development programme for which the Postmaster-General, Wilhelm Ohnesorge, had a particular interest. The Post Office was almost completely excluded from the proceedings of the official physics community in Germany, with whom few relations were maintained beyond the odd house-call, and it was in this atmosphere of secrecy that the atomic project was enabled to flourish.
Wilhelm Ohnesorge (1872-1962) had doctorates in mathematics and physics but pursued a career in telecommunications. One of his patents, the four-wire trunking switchgear, found worldwide application. During the First World War he served at the Kaiserâs General HQ as Chief of Telegraphy. At the Armistice he was 46 years of age and continued his career into diverse areas of Post Office management. An early convert to National Socialism, he was close to Hitler from the beginning of the movement and set up the first NSDAP district organization outside Bavaria, at Dortmund, in 1920. By 1929 he had become President of the Reichspost Central HQ at Berlin Tempelhof. Following the seizure of power, Ohnesorge accepted the portfolio as Secretary of State for the Post Office on 2 February 1933 and entered the Cabinet as Reichspostminister in 1937, retaining this position until the defeat.
He was a disciple of Philipp Lenard, founder of Aryan Physics, and delivered the keynote address during the physicistâs 80th birthday celebrations in 1942. 73 Ohnesorge was a reserved, diligent individual much admired by Hitler 74 for his industriousness: Hitler always observed Ohnesorgeâs birthday with a congratulatory telegram and often an invitation to an intimate table talk at the Reich Chancellery.
Von Ardenne-The Early Career
Baron Manfred von Ardenne (1907-1997) was the eldest of five children of an Army officer. During the First World War his father served at the War Ministry evaluating secret weapons. Shortly after leaving university Manfred von Ardenne served an apprenticeship in a radio workshop laboratory. By 1924, when his first book Rundfunk was published, he had already acquired a small income from technical treatises, royalties and patents. While specializing in the investigation of High Frequency circuitry problems at a laboratory in his parentsâ house, he spent four semesters at the University of Berlin studying the principles of physics, chemistry and mathematics. Because this was the only formal training he had had in Physics, during the war the professorial team labelled him The Dilettante - âThe Amateurâ. He was often invited to speak publicly about his radio experimental work and even made broadcasts on technical subjects. In 1926 he developed the simple triple-valve receiver which sold several million units and led to the purchase price of domestic wireless sets in Germany being cut by two-thirds.
By January 1928 von Ardenne was employing a number of scientific assistants and, because of the expansion of his activities, he rented a large house at Jungfernstieg 19 in the Berlin suburb of Lichterfelde Ost. The dwelling stood in 5,000 square metres of land. A Post Office contract for the production of measuring instruments enabled von Ardenne to purchase the property in 1930. He had met Ohnesorge for the first time at the Berlin Technical University in 1930. The
Speer concluded that, since Hitler spurned responsible sources of information and preferred to rely instead on having knowledge peddled to him by these amateurs, it all went to prove not only Hitlerâs partiality for dabbling, but also how little he understood of the scientific principles involved.
Hitlerâs Reichspost handled all telecommunications as well as the mails and had a large budget for research. Part of this was allocated to an atomic development programme for which the Postmaster-General, Wilhelm Ohnesorge, had a particular interest. The Post Office was almost completely excluded from the proceedings of the official physics community in Germany, with whom few relations were maintained beyond the odd house-call, and it was in this atmosphere of secrecy that the atomic project was enabled to flourish.
Wilhelm Ohnesorge (1872-1962) had doctorates in mathematics and physics but pursued a career in telecommunications. One of his patents, the four-wire trunking switchgear, found worldwide application. During the First World War he served at the Kaiserâs General HQ as Chief of Telegraphy. At the Armistice he was 46 years of age and continued his career into diverse areas of Post Office management. An early convert to National Socialism, he was close to Hitler from the beginning of the movement and set up the first NSDAP district organization outside Bavaria, at Dortmund, in 1920. By 1929 he had become President of the Reichspost Central HQ at Berlin Tempelhof. Following the seizure of power, Ohnesorge accepted the portfolio as Secretary of State for the Post Office on 2 February 1933 and entered the Cabinet as Reichspostminister in 1937, retaining this position until the defeat.
He was a disciple of Philipp Lenard, founder of Aryan Physics, and delivered the keynote address during the physicistâs 80th birthday celebrations in 1942. 73 Ohnesorge was a reserved, diligent individual much admired by Hitler 74 for his industriousness: Hitler always observed Ohnesorgeâs birthday with a congratulatory telegram and often an invitation to an intimate table talk at the Reich Chancellery.
Von Ardenne-The Early Career
Baron Manfred von Ardenne (1907-1997) was the eldest of five children of an Army officer. During the First World War his father served at the War Ministry evaluating secret weapons. Shortly after leaving university Manfred von Ardenne served an apprenticeship in a radio workshop laboratory. By 1924, when his first book Rundfunk was published, he had already acquired a small income from technical treatises, royalties and patents. While specializing in the investigation of High Frequency circuitry problems at a laboratory in his parentsâ house, he spent four semesters at the University of Berlin studying the principles of physics, chemistry and mathematics. Because this was the only formal training he had had in Physics, during the war the professorial team labelled him The Dilettante - âThe Amateurâ. He was often invited to speak publicly about his radio experimental work and even made broadcasts on technical subjects. In 1926 he developed the simple triple-valve receiver which sold several million units and led to the purchase price of domestic wireless sets in Germany being cut by two-thirds.
By January 1928 von Ardenne was employing a number of scientific assistants and, because of the expansion of his activities, he rented a large house at Jungfernstieg 19 in the Berlin suburb of Lichterfelde Ost. The dwelling stood in 5,000 square metres of land. A Post Office contract for the production of measuring instruments enabled von Ardenne to purchase the property in 1930. He had met Ohnesorge for the first time at the Berlin Technical University in 1930. The
Similar Books
