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The Final Years

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Ludwig Prandtl

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Abstract

The end of the war saw a frosty reunion between Prandtl and his star student Theodore von Kármán, who now inspected German aeronautical research on behalf of the US Army. The British Military Government ordered the dismantling of the Aerodynamic Research Institute, but allowed the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute to continue under the directorship of Albert Betz. In the last years of his life, Prandtl concentrated on carrying out meteorological flow research and the revision of his “Führer durch die Strömungslehre”. He died in 1953 following a stroke.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Schmeling (1985, p. 74).

  2. 2.

    Lasby (1971), Bower (1988), Gimbel (1990), Hunt (1991), Jacobsen (2014).

  3. 3.

    Schmaltz (2005, p. 330).

  4. 4.

    Gorn (1992, 1994).

  5. 5.

    Daso (2002).

  6. 6.

    Entries in the notebook of Hugh Dryden, Dryden Papers, Series 2, Subject Files, Box 10, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Johns Hopkins University.

  7. 7.

    von Kármán and Edson (1967, p. 280f).

  8. 8.

    von Kármán and Edson (1967, p. 281).

  9. 9.

    von Kármán and Edson (1967, p. 281).

  10. 10.

    Wegener (2011), Klapdor (2014).

  11. 11.

    von Kármán and Edson (1967, p. 274).

  12. 12.

    Simon (1947, p. viii 73–75, 107).

  13. 13.

    Smelt (1946).

  14. 14.

    Cited in Nahum (2003, p. 104).

  15. 15.

    Christopher (2013, p. 55).

  16. 16.

    Uttley (2002, p. 5).

  17. 17.

    Prandtl to Taylor, 28th July 1945. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1654.

  18. 18.

    Prandtl to Taylor, 11th October 1945. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1654. The Ministry of Aircraft Production became the Ministry of Supply in 1945.

  19. 19.

    Taylor wrote the last letter to Prandtl after the November pogroms on the 16th November 1938 (GOAR 3670-1). In this, he stated his irreconcilable political attitudes: “I don’t suppose you can have any idea of the horror which the latest pogroms have inspired in civilized countries […]. You will see that we are not likely to agree on political matters so it would be best to say no more about them”. Subsequently, there were no further letters from Taylor in Prandtl’s correspondence.

  20. 20.

    Institute’s directors’ discussion, 17th September 1945. GOAR 3484.

  21. 21.

    Betz (1961, p. 14) and Kraemer (1975, p. 32). In addition to the Göttingen Monographs, there was a similar series of “Braunschweig Monographs”, which provided details of warfare research at the LFA. Please also refer to the overview in Görtler (1948a).

  22. 22.

    Report to Oberst Dane, middle of June 1945. AMPG, Abt. I, Rep. 44, No. 48.

  23. 23.

    Bericht über die Kriegsarbeiten der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Instituts für Strömungsforschung (KWI), not dated. AMPG, Abt. I, Rep. 44, No. 48.

  24. 24.

    Please refer to the Table of Contents of the “Göttingen Monographs” in Görtler (1948a, p. 2–5).

  25. 25.

    Betz (1948, 1953).

  26. 26.

    Görtler (1948a).

  27. 27.

    Prandtl, 1953; Görtler, 1948b.

  28. 28.

    Weizsäcker (1948), Heisenberg (1948).

  29. 29.

    Please refer to Sect. 10.2.

  30. 30.

    Heinemann (1990), Oexle (1995), Hachtmann (2007, Chap. 12).

  31. 31.

    Planck to Betz, 17th December 1945. GOAR 2735.

  32. 32.

    Busemann to Prandtl, 1st February 1946; Prandtl to Busemann, 12th February 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 217.

  33. 33.

    Prandtl to Prager, 12th August 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1272.

  34. 34.

    Goody to Betz, 16th September 1946. GOAR 3184.

  35. 35.

    Pretsch, Laudatio zum 60. Geburtstag von Betz (25th December 1945). AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 24, No. 4.

  36. 36.

    Betz, Manuscript with progress report, not dated [1949]. GOAR 2735.

  37. 37.

    Prandtl to Sommerfeld, 20th September 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1538.

  38. 38.

    Prandtl to Tollmien, 23rd September 1946, AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 76, Schriftwechsel 1, 1947–1950.

  39. 39.

    Hahn to Betz, 30th May 1947. GOAR 2735.

  40. 40.

    Betz to Hahn, 6th June 1947. GOAR 2735.

  41. 41.

    Draft of the letter from Betz to Hahn, 6th June 1947. GOAR 2735.

  42. 42.

    Hahn to Betz, 28th June 1947. GOAR 2735.

  43. 43.

    Betz and Prandtl to Hahn, 1st July 1947. GOAR 2735.

  44. 44.

    Application for retirement from a professorship, 26th September 1946. UAG, Kur, PA Prandtl, vol. 2.

  45. 45.

    Niedersächsisches Kultusministerium to Prandtl, 19th January 1947. UAG, Kur, PA Prandtl, vol. 2.

  46. 46.

    Outline of the career of Prof. Dr. W. Tollmien; Questionnaire of the military government, C. C. G. (B. E.) Public Safety (Special Branch). In the private possession of Cordula Tollmien. For the post-war history of the Institute of Applied Mechanics, please refer to Rammer (2004, Chap. 5).

  47. 47.

    Notice of Retention, 22nd April 1947. UAG, Kur, PA Prandtl, vol. 2.

  48. 48.

    http://www.verfassungen.ch/de/de45-49/kr-direktive24.htm.

  49. 49.

    Prandtl to Bird, 14th March 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 136. Also reproduced in Vogel-Prandtl (2005, pp. 176–180).

  50. 50.

    Please refer to Sect. 7.1 and Tollmien (1998, p. 481).

  51. 51.

    Certification for Telschov, 7th June 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1674.

  52. 52.

    Cited in Hachtmann (2007, p. 1110). Regarding denazification in the KWG, please refer also to Beyler (2004).

  53. 53.

    Certification for Lorenz (19th September 1946). GOAR 3425.

  54. 54.

    Vogel-Prandtl (2005, p. 184).

  55. 55.

    Prandtl to Pohlhausen, 2nd January 1951. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1267.

  56. 56.

    Baeumker to Kármán, 25th November 1948. TKC, 1–40.

  57. 57.

    The fact that he could continue his career in the USA as an advisor to the Air Research and Development Command of the Air Force shows that this service system was widely sought after. In 1957, he returned to the Federal Republic of Germany, where he advised the Ministry of Defence on technical questions related to aeronautics. Hein (1995).

  58. 58.

    Prandtl to Taylor, 11th October 1945. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1654.

  59. 59.

    Aufstellung eines zukünftigen Forschungsprogramms des KWI, 10th February 1946. AMPG, Abt. I, Rep. 44, No. 48.

  60. 60.

    In general, please refer to Stamm (1981), Cassidy (1994, 1996). For further details about the implementation of research controls in Göttingen, please refer to various exchanges of letters in GOAR 3483 und 3484.

  61. 61.

    Betz to Ackeret, 18th November 1947. DLR-Archiv AK-3184.

  62. 62.

    Aufstellung des künftigen Forschungsprogramms des KWI (“Arbeitsgruppe Prandtl”), 9th May 1946. AMPG, Abt. I, Rep. 44, No. 48.

  63. 63.

    Aufstellung des künftigen Forschungsprogramm des KWI (“Arbeitsgruppe Prandtl”), Supplement, 21st May 1946. AMPG, Abt. I, Rep. 44, No. 48.

  64. 64.

    Prandtl to Tollmien, 23th September 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 76, Exchange of letters 1, 1947–1950.

  65. 65.

    Prandtl to Meyer, 2nd June 1947. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1067.

  66. 66.

    Tätigkeitsbericht des KWI Göttingen, 21st July 1947. AMPG, Abt. I, Rep. 44, No. 48.

  67. 67.

    Betz to Telschow, 6th August 1948. GOAR 2735.

  68. 68.

    Hahn to Betz, 26th July 1948, with a report on the institute’s directors discussion on 22nd July 1948. GOAR 2735.

  69. 69.

    Betz to Telschow, 6th August 1948. GOAR 2735.

  70. 70.

    Tollmien to Busemann, 14th November 1949, AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 76, Schriftwechsel 1, 1947–1950.

  71. 71.

    Betz, progress report, not dated [1949]. GOAR 2735.

  72. 72.

    Lecture manuscript “Luftschifffahrt” 1909. GOAR 2762-31.

  73. 73.

    Prandtl (1924b).

  74. 74.

    Prandtl (1932b).

  75. 75.

    Zitiert in Freytag (2007, S. 262).

  76. 76.

    Prandtl (1944b, p. 157).

  77. 77.

    Prandtl (1944d, c).

  78. 78.

    Prandtl to Tollmien, 23rd September 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 76, Schriftwechsel 1, 1947–1950. Prandtl (1946).

  79. 79.

    Nebeker (1995, Chap. 11).

  80. 80.

    Prandtl (1946, p. 105).

  81. 81.

    Prandtl to Tollmien, 23rd September 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 76, Schriftwechsel 1, 1947–1950.

  82. 82.

    Manuscript sheets “Boundary Layer Machine”, individual sheets dated from 1939 to 1941. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 2284. Report on the wartime activities of the KWI, not dated. AMPG, Abt. I, Rep. 44, No. 48.

  83. 83.

    Görtler (1975, p. 159).

  84. 84.

    Prandtl to Courant, 12th May 1950. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 252.

  85. 85.

    Prandtl (1949b, 1950a, b).

  86. 86.

    Prandtl to Busemann, 21st May 1951. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 217.

  87. 87.

    Kleinschmidt (1951, p. 72). On the role of Kleinschmidt‘s theory for further development, please refer to Thorpe (1993).

  88. 88.

    Prandtl to Tietjens, 6th November 1941. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1698.

  89. 89.

    Schiller (1944).

  90. 90.

    Prandtl (1942, p. IV–V).

  91. 91.

    Prandtl (1944a, p. VII).

  92. 92.

    Vieweg to Prandtl, 2nd March 1945. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1822.

  93. 93.

    Vieweg to Prandtl, 25nd May 1945. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1822.

  94. 94.

    Prandtl to Vieweg, 28th June 1945. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1822.

  95. 95.

    Vieweg to Prandtl, 9th May 1946. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1822.

  96. 96.

    Vieweg to Prandtl, 22nd January 1947. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1822.

  97. 97.

    Vieweg to Prandtl, 20th June 1947; Prandtl to Vieweg, 23rd June 1947. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1822.

  98. 98.

    Prandtl to Blackie and Son, 18th September 1947. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1823.

  99. 99.

    Prandtl to Vieweg, 2nd February 1948. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1824.

  100. 100.

    Prandtl (1949b, p. VI).

  101. 101.

    Prandtl to Blackie and Son, 23rd February 1948. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1824.

  102. 102.

    Blackie and Son to Prandtl, 28th July 1950, 21st August 1950 and 7th September 1950. Prandtl to Blackie and Son, 12th September 1950. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1828.

  103. 103.

    Vieweg to Prandtl, 20th September 1950. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1828.

  104. 104.

    Schrenk to Prandtl, 25th September 1950. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1495.

  105. 105.

    Prandtl to Schrenk, 2nd October 1950. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1495.

  106. 106.

    Prandtl (1949a, p. 11).

  107. 107.

    Vogel-Prandtl (2005, p. 203).

  108. 108.

    Vogel-Prandtl (2005, p. 202).

  109. 109.

    Prandtl to Busemann, 19th January 1951. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 217.

  110. 110.

    Prandtl and Tollmien to the MPG General Administration, 5th March 1951. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 2383; Tollmien (1961, p. 727).

  111. 111.

    Prandtl to Koschmieder, 13th November 1951. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 874.

  112. 112.

    Please refer to the correspondence between Prandtl and Merbt in AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1054.

  113. 113.

    Prandtl to Busemann, 21st May 1951. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 217.

  114. 114.

    Prandtl to Blasius, 30th June 1952. AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 144.

  115. 115.

    Prandtl to the Freie Demokratische Partei, 2nd December 1946, AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 483.

  116. 116.

    Prandtl to Baumgartner, 11th May 1949, AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 93.

  117. 117.

    Prandtl to Richardson (BBC), 27th January 1950, AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1360. Regarding the Saar question, please refer to Hudemann and Poidevin (1995).

  118. 118.

    Vogel-Prandtl, 2005, p. 206.

  119. 119.

    Prandtl to Pieck, 13th February 1952, AMPG, Abt. III, Rep. 61, No. 1256.

  120. 120.

    Vogel-Prandtl (2005, p. 208).

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    Michael Eckert

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Eckert, M. (2019). The Final Years. In: Ludwig Prandtl. Springer Biographies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05663-6_9

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