Julia Bittner 27 March 2012 Mr.

Yanko AP Euro DBQ DBQ The German army was both supportive as well as a hindrance in the development and production of the German aircraft industry between 1908 and 1918. The German army played a huge role when it came to the aviation industry. They wanted to rule the air so planes were obviously necessary. The army also placed a hindrance on the aviation industry. Their high demands for planes forced the industry from research and focused more on producing many of the same type of plane. Despite the hindrances, the army supported the industry. At the time, the army was one of the largest customers and the high demand for planes helped production soar. The German army played a huge role when it came to the aviation industry. The German army did not believe that aviation was necessary at the start of the war. According to the Annual Report on Aviation, the solution is that the issue concerning flight, should be left to private firms and the army would remain in constant contact (Document 1). This implies that aviation will be needed in the near future as an asset to the war. The army believed that a special aviation organization is necessary because it is the fastest of any modern technical creation (Document 2). Over time, the army realized that aviation became of great importance and production increased. Document four is based on fact thus there are no personal or emotional interference. Because it is found in the archives, it is accurate.

The armys high demand of planes put a hindrance on the industry. The army mandated that the aviation factories make some safety adjustments to prevent an accident such as that of Lieutenant Eckenbrechers crash. These adjustments include: subject all army aircraft types to practical weight tests to determine their strength, establish and publish standards for materials used in the construction of the aircraft, and continue to award monetary prizes for instruments that measure the stresses on aircraft while in flight (Document 6). Aviation firms cannot meet the high demands of the army because of the extensive testing and the construction. In addition, the companies have already prepared certain materials for a large scale of aircraft. Thus, no other construction can occur until said materials are used up (Document 7). The firms are avoiding costly experiments and progress is slowing. In order to keep up with demands, firms need to convert smaller factories into larger ones (Document 8). At this point, manufacturers are agitated due to the fact that the army is dictating and, as a result, putting a hindrance on development. Despite these hindrances, the army did show some support. It was conceivable that the army will be the largest customer for aircraft in the future. New factories should be large- scale, well- capitalized, and build only the aircrafts that are sure to succeed (Document 5).The military did understand that there would be some losses so they made sure that there would be some form of a technological advancement (Document 3). Anthony Fokker, an aeronautical engineer, thought of many ways in which he could further develop aircraft. He, ingeniously, developed the bi plane (Document 10). In cases like Anthony Fokker, these types of opinions are unbiased because he understands the engineering and the importance of proper flight materials.