Kommando der Erprobungsstellen

Kommando der Erprobungsstellen
Unit name	Kommando der Erprobungsstellen
Dates	1930s–1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Luftwaffe
Type	Test and evaluation command
Role	Aircraft and weapons testing
Garrison	Rechlin, Johannisthal, Peenemünde

Kommando der Erprobungsstellen

The Kommando der Erprobungsstellen was the centralized German Luftwaffe test and evaluation command responsible for developmental trials of aircraft, airborne weapons, and related systems during the 1930s and World War II. It coordinated trials across major aeronautical sites including Rechlin, Johannisthal, and Peenemünde and interfaced with industrial firms such as Daimler-Benz, Messerschmitt, Heinkel, and Focke-Wulf as well as research institutions like the Kaiser Wilhelm Society and the Forschungsanstalten der Luftfahrt. Its activities linked to programs involving designers such as Willy Messerschmitt, Ernst Heinkel, Friedrich Weyer, and test pilots including Ernst Udet and Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe leadership.

History

The command evolved from 1920s German aviation testing practices centered at Rechlin-Lärz Airfield and Johannisthal Air Field and expanded under rearmament policies tied to the Treaty of Versailles violations and the Nazi Party’s military buildup. Early coordination involved the Reichsluftfahrtministerium and private firms like Bayerische Motoren Werke and BMW before consolidation under the Luftwaffe hierarchical system influenced by figures from OKL staff and ministries such as Hermann Göring’s administration. Wartime pressures from the Battle of Britain, the Eastern Front, and Allied strategic bombing prompted relocation and dispersal to sites including Peenemünde Army Research Center, Braunschweig, Wenzendorf, and facilities in Austria and Hungary.

Organization and Structure

The command reported into the Luftwaffe technical branches and coordinated with arms manufacturers like Rheinmetall-Borsig, Krupp, Siemens-Schuckert, and Thyssen. Its structure comprised evaluation wings, instrument sections, flight test squadrons, and ordnance trial groups analogous to units from the Luftwaffe Technical Service and the Heereswaffenamt liaison. Administrative oversight included representation from research bodies such as the German Research Institute for Aviation and the Technische Hochschule Berlin, while intelligence links connected to Abwehr and weapons procurement offices interacting with firms like Blohm & Voss and Junkers.

Test Sites and Facilities

Primary centers included Rechlin, Johannisthal, and Peenemünde, supplemented by satellite fields at Leipzig-Brunswick Airport, Dessau, Lechfeld, Neuburg, and Baltic sites near Rügen. Facilities encompassed wind tunnels developed by the Kaiser Wilhelm Society collaborators, inertial test rigs from Siemens, explosive houses for the Rheinmetall trials, and night-flying installations used by night fighter programs connected to Kammhuber Line development. Coastal testing used ranges near Wismar and Kiel, while mountain trials engaged alpine ranges near Innsbruck and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Aircraft and Weapon Testing Programs

Programs covered prototypes from Messerschmitt Bf 109, Messerschmitt Me 262, Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju 87, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Dornier Do 17, and secret projects such as V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket interface trials with Peenemünde. Tests included piston engines from BMW 801 and Jumo 004 turbojets, propeller research linked to Hirth, and armament trials for cannons by Mauser and machine guns by MG 15 teams. Collaboration extended to experimental projects like the Horten Ho 229, rocket-assisted takeoff systems from Walterwerke, and guided weapon guidance trials related to Fritz X and Guided anti-ship missile precursors.

Personnel and Leadership

Leadership involved technical officers from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium and test pilots drawn from elite cadres including Ernst Udet, Erich Warsitz, and engineers like Willy Messerschmitt and Hugo Junkers affiliates. Researchers from institutions such as the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, Technische Universität München, RWTH Aachen, and Darmstadt Technical University contributed aerodynamicists and structural engineers. Liaison officers interfaced with corporate technical directors at Messerschmitt AG, Heinkel Flugzeugwerke, Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke, and ordnance specialists from Rheinmetall and Krupp.

Operational Methods and Procedures

Testing followed regimented flight test protocols, wind tunnel validation, structural fatigue assessments, and weapons firing trials consistent with practices from Rechlin tradition and adapted by staff trained at Johannisthal. Instrumentation used gyroscopic platforms from Siemens and telemetry methods pioneered in cooperation with researchers linked to the Kaiser Wilhelm Society and engineers partnering with Peenemünde teams. Safety and secrecy measures echoed compartmentalization seen in projects at Peenemünde Army Research Center and coordination with OKW for operational security. Data dissemination occurred through technical reports exchanged with ministries, industrial partners, and research institutes like DFG-affiliated laboratories.

Legacy and Postwar Impact

Postwar dispersal of personnel and technology fed into Cold War programs, Allied technical exploitation by Operation Paperclip, and reconstruction of aeronautical research at institutions such as NASA, DLR (German Aerospace Center), MIT, and Imperial College London. Designs and test methodologies influenced jet development in nations including the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and France. Many engineers relocated to companies like Rolls-Royce, General Electric, Snecma, and Aérospatiale, while technical archives contributed to historical studies by scholars at Oxford University, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Category:Luftwaffe