Visions
The 1920s in Germany were not only marked by the consequences of the World War, they were also a decade full of technical innovations and visions which develop their effect to this day. Already in 1923 the grammar school professor and hobby rocket theorist Hermann Oberth publishes his pioneering work "The rocket to the planets" (Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen). Six years later his book "Ways to the spaceship journey" (Wege zur Raumschiffahrt) is released which makes him a leading figure of German rocket specialists. Apart from Oberth, the Austrian Max Valier by his publication "Push into space" (Vorstoß in den Weltenraum,1926) as well as young Werner von Braun, who in 1929 with "Theroy of a long distance rocket" (Theorie der Fernrakete) also draw one's attention. Other rocket visionaries are Rudolf Nebel and Eugen Sänger who notice with "Rocket airfield" (Raketenflugplatz) and "Rocket flight engineering" (Raketen-Flugtechnik) respectively.
All these men have one thing in common all of them have made their first technical experiences in the World War. Rudolf Nebel and Max Valier have already experimented as air force officers with solid fuel rockets. So it was only a question of time until the military component should find access to the scientists.
The Versaille treaty is jointly responsible in a certain way for the secret development of rockets during the Weimar republic in Germany. This forbids the possession and the development of far reaching artillery. But the Reichswehr (armed forces of Weimar Republic) knows what to do. Technical new developments accelerate the development. So for example in 1925 the Kinotheodolit, a device for the distance measuring and height angle calculation or in1929 the invention of the multiple-axle-steering control for flight equipment. Already in 1928 arrives the impulse-time- measurement procedure, one year later the flaw-wind tunnel-photography which revolutionizes the aerodynamics research.
The first liquid rocket engine runs for 96,5 seconds under scientific guidance in the Chemical-Technological-Empire-Institution (Chemisch-technische Reichsanstalt) in Berlin on July 2, 1930. In the same year Nebel and his partner Klaus Riedel start the first liquid rocket, the MIRAK 1 (mini-rocket 1). Nebel is looking for support increasingly at all sides at this time. He meets both with SA (Nazi stormtroops) leaders like Wolf Graf von Helldorf and also with the social democrat and Home Secretary Carl Severing. Even Albert Einstein favours Nebel`s visions and supports him. He meets Major Professor Dr.-Ing Karl Becker in 1930 for the first time.
Das Interesse Beckers lag in der Denkschrift von Generalleutnant Wilhelm Groener, der im Auftrag Severings das militärische Potential der Raketenforschung ausloten sollte. Basierend auf dessen Erkenntnissen macht Becker Nebel klar, dass nur dann massive Unterstützung von Seiten des Heers zu erwarten wäre, wenn die Raketenforschung waffentechnische Überlegenheit produzieren würde. Nebel versteht den Wink mit dem Zaunpfahl. Wenig später, am 27. September 1930 kann er am Tegeler Weg mit finanzieller Unterstützung des Heereswaffenamtes den Raketenflugplatz Tegel eröffnen.
