Perhaps it would be better if this thread was re-named
Udet-Flugzeugbau Projects or some such? As
richard said in reply #2, "Ernst Udet was ... not an aircraft designer". He did, however, attach his name to other people's projects - eg the proposed Udet/Rumpler transatlantic aircraft.
BTW, a new member -
Sotka (Olaf Bichel) - is the author of
Die Flugzeuge der Udet Flugzeugbau GmbH. Doubtless he will have some insights into Udet Flugzeugbau projects ... hint, hint
As has been well covered elsewhere, Ernst Udet lent his name to a company largely financed by the German-born American entrepreneur William Max Pohl. Pohl had made his money as President of a Milwaukee-based shoe-polish maker - Kepec Company. [1] Pohl was in Germany in 1921 to establish Kepec Chemische Fabrik GmbH in Bonn. He approached Udet directly and made it clear that the pilot was only lending his famous name to the enterprise.
According to
Udet: A Man's Life by Hans Herlin (Macdonald, 1960, page 108), the shareholders in the new Udet-Flugzeugbau GmbH were William Pohl, his brother Heinz Pohl, [2] Erich Scheuermann, and Hans Herrmann. The latter two were the engineers involved in the project.
Erich Scheuermann was named 'Technischer Leiter' - a somewhat overblown title considering that his Ramersdorf assembly shed had been dubbed "Scheuermann's chicken coop." [3] Udet regarded Scheuermann - another ex-military pilot - as a personal friend but Herrmann seems to have been the real designer. However, it is probably revealing that there is no mention at all of Hans Herrmann in Udet's
Mein Fliegerleben autobiography.
According to Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage in
Aircraft of the Luftwaffe, 1935-1945 (page 29), the Udet-Flugzeugbau GmbH failed primarily "because of disagreements at management level". Udet himself had already moved on by 1925. Scheuermann followed in February 1926. At that point, Herrmann took over control of the Udet-Flugzeugbau GmbH but the company failed in August 1926. [4]
The date of the firm's closing explains why the 1927 Udet
Alpensegler single-seat glider doesn't seem to have a designation.
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[1] The firm had previously been Keiner & Pohl Company and, in 1944, would be renamed Kepec Chemical Corporation. Pohl returned to Europe after his 1925 marriage in Wisconsin. He was not back in US until 1939. Pohl also had at least one European licensee - Kepec Co. (England), Ltd.
[2] There is no mention of Heinz Pohl in the Wiki entry.
[3] Scheuermann claimed to be operating a bee hive and chicken coop factory during the Allied prohibition of German aircraft production which lasted until January 1923. The "Scheuermann's chicken coop" comment referred to this cover story.
[4] It should be mentioned, however, the Lepage also mistakenly lists William Pohl as an engineer. BTW, Hans Herrmann refers to the firm simply as "UdetFlugzeugen" in one of his papers.[/B]