Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-15

~--@~--~--~~-~~-~
of the war was lifted with the
signing of the Paris Treaty last
May. Under this agreement, all
types of aircraft are permitted
. with the exception of strategic
bombers and guided missiles. At
the beginning, however, there
was no rush by the manufac-
turers to get back into business.
3 Turn to Midget Cars
Most of them, in the interim,
had kept going by turning out a
variety of civilian products. So
far as can be learned. there was
no undercover activity by any OF
the major companies. Dornier
and Heinkel have built midget
autos. Henschel has manufac-
tured small diesel engines and
machines for the chemical in
dustry. Messerschmitt showed
the greatest versatility, starting
with a repair service for Amerl-
can Army trucks and going on
from there to sewing machines,
prefabricated housing and a re-
markable, three wheeled motor
scooter which has become almost
as popular in Germany as the
Volkswagon.
One of the big manufacturers
-Claudius Dornier-set up shop
In Spain where, under contract
with the Spanish government,
he has been turning out low
cost light planes. known as the
Do IS and Do 27. Designed for
private flying. these six-passen-
ger craft could be adapted for
military liaison or observation.
Will Messerschmitt also has
been working part time for the
Spanish since 1852. The stand
ard World War II German
fighter, the Me 100, has been
manufactured there under pat
ent since the war and production
is now getting under way on the
Me 200, a small jet trainer pow
cred by two small French en-
gines, with a speed of about $50
m.p.h.
Although CDR. Will" is not
usually laxative about his pres
ent plans, it is known that his
plant near Augsburg in Bavaria
is being converted from sewing
machines to aircraft production
His projects are reported to be
ambitious, including two and
-engine cargo carriers as
well as several light planes. With
2.100 workers already employed
in various activities, Messer-
schmitt plans to have $500 in
aircraft factories alone with the
coming months.
Competition Seen
Other former manufacturers
are hoping to provide him with
competition. Hams Klemm will
begin production of a light
sports plane this year. Walter
Blume, whose former factories
were located in what is now the
Communist East Zone of Ger
many, has leased the Fokke-
Wulf plant near Bremen to get
into production with his first
postwar model. 1t will be the
B1 500, a low-Wing monoplane
capable of carrying four passen-
gers.
Fokke- Wulf itself, which since
the war has made hydraulic
machinery and other industrial
products, is rumored to be about
to reconvert. Fokke-W ulf's chief
designer, Kurt Tank, has re-
Gently returned to Germany from
the Argentine, where he de-
veloped a jet fighter reported
capable of speeds up to $50
m.p.h. Another top designer
who has returned to his old job
is Heinkel's Siegfried Gunther
who as a captive of the Rus
slams after the war. is said to
have helped to design the MIG
Is.
Among the prewar manufac-
turers of aircraft engines, two
are still in business. Daimler
Benz, which now makes Mer-
cedes-Benz automobiles. is be-
lieved to have only a limltee
interest in manufacturing lei
aircraft engines. On the other
y =