Hohenemser Kurt

German-born American aerospace engineer and pioneer in the field of helicopter design. Kurt Hohenemser was the son of German Jewish musicologist Richard Hohenemser and his English wife Alice Salt. Hohenemser attended university at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt from 1924 to 1929, receiving his engineering diploma in 1927 and his PhD in engineering in 1929. From 1930 until 1933, Hohenemser taught and conducted research at the University of Göttingen under Ludwig Prandtl, one of the most famous aerodynamics physicists during the 20th century. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Hohenemser was dismissed from his position at the university. After his dismissal, Hohenemser worked briefly for aircraft manufacturer Gerhard Fieseler before going to work as a consultant for Anton Flettners Flettner Flugzeubau GmbH, whose company specialized in the development and manufacture of helicopters. Hohenemser was an extraordinary engineer who developed the detailed designs required for the success of Flettners helicopters. Hohenemser stayed with Flettners company through the end of World War II. Though considered Jewish by the Nazis because of his Jewish father, Hohenemsers role in Flettners company provided protection for him and his family during the war. Kurt Hohenemser emigrated from Germany to the United States with his family in 1947. Hohenemser and Anton Flettner were among the first German emigrants into the United States after World War II. Kurt Heinrich Hohenemser died on 7 April 2001 in St. Louis, Missouri at age 95. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less