AHJ_ah10955 Inventory of the Wolfgang B. Klemperer papers, 1909-2003 Klemperer (Wolfgang B Benjamin) Processed by Kenton G. Jaehnig The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
American Heritage Center Dept. 3924, 1000 E. University Avenue University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307.766.2574 Fax:307.766.5511 Email:ahcref@uwyo.edu URL:http://ahc.uwyo.edu/
2006

University of Wyoming

 Finding aid encoded by Ann Mulfort April 2006 Finding aid is in English Collection Summary Klemperer, Wolfgang B. (Wolfgang Benjamin), 1893- Wolfgang B. Klemperer papers 1909-2003 10955 5.73 cubic ft. (10 boxes) University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center. English and German Papers of this aeronautical engineer and aviation pioneer, including correspondence, photo albums, photographs, reports, publications, clippings, and other miscellaneous items. Biography of Wolfgang B. Klemperer

Wolfgang Benjamin Klemperer, prominent aeronautical engineer and aviation pioneer, was born in Dresden, Germany on January 18, 1893. He was the son of Leon and Charlotte Klemperer. His aviation career began during World War I, when he joined the Austrian Air Force in 1915. Serving as a pilot, he helped to develop weaponry on military aircraft. After the war, he graduated from the Dresden Institute of Technology in 1920 and became a professor at the Aachen Aerodynamics Institute.

Klemperer became a pioneer in non-motorized flight during the early 1920s. He was a highly regarded glider pilot and helped to organize several gliding and soaring clubs in Germany. From 1922 to 1924, Klemperer was head of research at Zeppelin Airship Company, in which he was involved in the development of zeppelins. He also furthered his education during this period, earning his doctorate in engineering from Aachen Institute of Technology in 1924.

Klemperer moved to the United States in 1924 to become manager of research at Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation in Akron, Ohio. In this capacity, he continued his work in the development and construction of zeppelins, most notably the U.S.S. Akron and the U.S.S. Macon. In 1936, Klemperer became a research engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, California, and later became Vice President of Research and Development. At Douglas, he invented and patented a visual flight simulator and the pressurized flight cabin.

Wolfgang Klemperer married Maria N. Englemann on March 29, 1932. The couple had two children: Eleanor and Walter. He was also an active member of several organizations, including the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, the Soaring Society of America, and the Southern California Soaring Association.

Wolfgang B. Klemperer passed away in 1965.

 Scope and Content

The Wolfgang Klemperer papers include correspondence, photographs, reports and other materials regarding his career as an aviator and aeronautical engineer. The papers are primary documentation of the activities of an aviation pioneer. Most of the correspondence regards his post World War II engineering activities. The photographic materials are of particular interest, providing visual documentation of his aviation activities during World War I and his work in the development of zeppelins in Germany and the United States. The reports are records of engineering work he performed for both Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation and Douglas Aircraft Company.

 Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

 Copyright Information

The American Heritage Center holds copyright to the Wolfgang Klemperer papers. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

 Related Materials

There is one other known archival collection created by Wolfgang B. Klemperer at: The National Soaring Museum in Elmira, New York.

 Acquisition Information

The collection was received from Eleanor Velarde (daughter) in 1982 and Walter Klemperer in 2016.

 Processing Information

The collection was processed by Kenton G. Jaehnig in July 2003 and updated by Jamie Greene in May 2017.

 Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

 Access Terms Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. Douglas Aircraft Company. World War, 1914-1918--Aerial operations. World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations. Airships. Aeronautics. Gliders (Aeronautics). Gliding and soaring. Airplanes--Pressurization. Flight simulators. Airplanes--World War, 1914-1918--Germany. Military Immigration and American Expansion German Americans Science Technology Photographs. Scrapbooks. Container List Series I. Correspondence 1926-1961 1 1 Check 1957

(Game)

 8Cierco style1973 1 2 COMPR Report 1950-1953 1 3 Douglas Aircraft Company (Europe) 1952-1953 1 4 Ernst Nipp & Company 1952-1953 8Father John Domas1959-1973 1 5-7 Germany 1946-1953, undated 1 8 Hirth, Wolf 1952-1953 1 9 Klemperer, Maria 1933, 1935 1 10 Koschmieder, H. 1952-1953 1 11 Lear Incorporated 1955-1958 1 12 Lost Property in Germany 1939-1949 8NASA1971-1972 1 13-14 Organization Scientifique et Technique Internationale de Vol a Voile (OSTIV) 1950-1953 1 15 Pobel, Herbert 1950-1951 8Saudek, Martha - letters1991-1997 8Soaring Society of America (SSA)1953-1955 1 16 Stanford University 1958-1959 1 17 Sweden 1952-1953 1 18 Switzerland 1949-1952 1 19 U.S. Department of State 1951-1952 8-9Velarde, Eleanor1944-1975 1 20 Visual Simulator for Flight Training Device – Patent 1958-1961 2 1-4 General Correspondence 1926-1948, 1950-1953, 1957-1958, undated Series II. Photographic Materials 1909-1963 Subseries 1. Photo Albums 1909-1918 2 5 German Aircraft 1909-1915 World War I Aircraft 2 6-8 p. 1-150 circa 1915-1918 3 1-4 p. 151-332 circa 1915-1918 Subseries 2. Photographs 1924-1963 3 5 Airliner Oxygen Mask 1938 3 6 Akron, Ohio – Aerial Photographs circa 1920s-1930s 3 7 Flight Test Reports 1924, 1933 3 8 Ford Airfield Tractors circa 1930s 3 9 Gliders 1929, undated 3 10 Goodyear-Zeppelin Hangar, Akron, Ohio 1930 3 11 Measuring Instruments 1929-1935 3 12 National Geographic Society – Douglas Solar Eclipse Expedition 1963 4 1 Paris Air Show undated 4 2 Pilgrim, First Goodyear Blimp 1925 8Stratosphere flightundated 4 3 U.S.S. Akron (Zeppelin) 1930-1931 4 4 U.S.S. Los Angeles (Zeppelin), Components 1925-1928 4 5 U.S.S. Macon (Zeppelin) circa 1933-1935 4 6 U.S.S. Shenandoah (Zeppelin), Wreckage, Noble County, Ohio 1925 4 7 Zeppelin Components 1929, undated 8Zeppelin flightundated 4 and 9 Zeppelins and Blimps circa 1930s Series III. Reports 1923-1964 Douglas Aircraft Company 8Report SM-11827: Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling SpaceshipMay 2, 1964 4 9 Report SM-36310: Some Thoughts on the Kinematics of Rendezvous Maneuvers in Space December 10, 1959 4 10 Report SM-38419: On the Merits of a Three-Impulse Maneuver to Alter Satellite Orbit Orientation December 1960 8DC-8 Flight SimulatorMarch 15, 1964 8Douglas Spectrograph Experiment of Project APEQS (report and photos)1963-1964 8Proceedings of Project APEQS Symposium (report and photos)1963 8Report on Technical Problems Confronting a Resumption of Construction of AirshipsDecember 31, 1964 8TeloramaMarch 15, 1964 4 and 8 Trip Reports – Europe (Six International Congresses, Etc.) 1955-1964 8Gliding and Soaring reports1938-1944 Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation 4 12 Data About Wing Radiators circa 1920s 4 13 Report YVa7: Auszug aus Versuchsbericht 5o66 1923 4 14 Report YVd1: Bericht uber den Versuch 1925 4 15 Report YVe4: Grudee Bugwindschild 1925 4 16 Report YVs6: Box Girder 000006; A Deflection Recorder 1925 4 17 Report YVs7: Girder Y-000171; Variation #1 1926 4 18 Report YVt#2: Auspuffkuchlung durch Expansion 1925 4 19 Research Report R-12-20: Capacity of Gas Valve Louvers 1933 4 20 Research Report R-16-9: Fresh Water Lines on GZ-2 1933 4 21 Test Order YVn3: Yaw-Controlled Rudder 1925 4 22 Test Report R-20-17: Trial Flights, G-1; Advance Abstract Covering Speed Performance of the G-1 1935 4 23 Report on Technical Problems Confronting a Resumption of Construction of Airships 1964-1965 5 1 Report on Technical Problems Confronting a Resumption of Construction of Airships – Appendices 1964 Series IV. Publications 1925-1973 5 2 Beitrage zur Flugtechnik 1937 5 3 Eckstein, Martin, Die Hillschen Grenzkurven in einem besonderen Fall des eingeschrankten Vierkorperproblems bei verschiedenen Werten der endlichen Massen October 1961 5 4 Hendriks, Ferdinand, Extraction of Flow Energy by Gliding in a Wind with Uniform Vertical Shear April 1973 Klemperer, Wolfgang 5 5 Technical Notes: National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics December 1942 5 6 Theorie des Segelfluges 1926 5 7 Windkanalversuche an einem Zeppelin-Luftschiff-Modell 1932 5 8 Koschmieder, H., Elementare Theorie der Linienboen und Schlotstromungen 1953 5 9 Lachman, Dr. Ing. G., Leicht Fleugzeugbau 1925 8Magazine - Aero RevueJune 1965 5 10 Miscellaneous Reprints 1952-1953 5 11 35 Jahre FVA Forschen-Fliegen December 1955 Series V. Miscellaneous 1933-1974 9Artifact - stereoscope and stereo cards of Zeppelins and Blimpsundated 7Awards and certificates - Various military and civilian awards for aviation1944-1961 5 12 Book - Deutsch, Armin J. and Klemperer, Wolfgang, Space Age Astronomy 1962 8Book - "Space Age Astronomy" by Klemperer1962 Clippings 8Aachen (German)undated 6 1 Germany 1950-1951 6 2 Miscellaneous Clippings 1948, 1974 9Drawings - landscapesundated 6 3 Envelopes, Los Angeles-New York-Boston Flying Post Office, Demonstration Flight 1946 9"Experiences in Flying in the Period 1912-1922" by John Jeyes1973 8"Gliders" article (transparencies)1967 8-9Klemperer biography (notes, clippings, and manuscripts)undated 6 4 Lectures - University of California at Los Angeles, Modern Physics for the Engineer 1947-1948 8Lectures - "Aviation's Gliding Heritage", IAeSMay 13, 1960 Newsletters 6 5 Douglas Missiles Engineering News May 20, 1957 6 6 Ikarus March-May 1949 Notes 6 7 Extra Terrestrial Travel Time undated 6 8 Gravity 1954 6 9 Paper, Synodic Satellites 1957 8Patents - Douglas Aircraft Company1942-1951 8Published articles by Klemperer1960 9Publications by and about Klemperer1917-1949 9Research file (articles and notes1929-1972 Scrapbook 6 10 Correspondence 1934-1935 6 11-12 Loose Clippings 1933-1935, 1949 6 13 Miscellaneous Items 1930s 6 14 Pages 1930s 6 15 Photographs 1930s 6 16 Publications 1934 8Trip to Europe (Vienna)1964-1965 10Video - Blimps and gliders at various air shows (16mm)1920s-1930s 8Zeppelin - (X-216, Druck dissertation)1922-2003 8Zeppelin photos and blueprintsundated Series VI. Oversized 1915-1962 Certificates 7 1 Corridor Diploma, Russian Zone of Austria May 2, 1952 7 2 Membership Certificate, Internationalis Astronautica Academia 1962 Photo Albums 7 3 Erlebnisse bei der Fliegergruppe March 1916-August 1918 7 4 Fliegerauffrahnaen: Flosh Fliegerkomp, 34-Fliegerkomp, 101/G 1915-1918 7 5 Hohernaufnahem auf dem Hinterland April 1916-September 1917 7 6 Hohernaufnahem von der Fliegerkampagnie 34 March-April 1917 7 7 Hohernaufnahem von Fluggeschwader 1 (spatter: Fliegerkompagnie 101G) April-October 1917 7 8 My Scrap Book undated

(Aerial photos of Europe)

 Photographs (rolled) 7 9 Graf Zeppelin circa 1928-1937 7 10 Graf Zeppelin, at Hangar circa 1928-1937 7 11 Graf Zeppelin, Interior and Exterior Views circa 1928-1937 7 12 Guggenheim Institute Forum, Akron, Ohio July 1935 7 13 U.S.S. Los Angeles at Hangar 1926 7 14 U.S.S. Los Angeles at Mast 1926 7 15 U.S.S. Los Angeles at Mast, Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, New Jersey 1925 7 16 View Completed Airship U.S.S. Akron circa 1931-1933