Wolfgang Martini
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang Martini was a Career Officer in the German Air Force, and largely responsible for promoting early radar development and utilization in that country.
in his hometown of Lissa
in the Province of Posen
, Wolfgang Martini had been a radio enthusiast. Upon graduating in 1910, he joined the Army as a Cadet, and his talents were such that he soon became a Lieutenant and made Company Officer of a Telegraph Battalion. During World War I
, he had a number of leadership positions in radio operations, being promoted to First Lieutenant and then Captain. At the end of the war, he was a Radio Specialist in the Grand Headquarters and Commander of the Army Signals School at Namur
in occupied Belgium
.
After the Treaty of Versailles
was signed in 1919, Martini was one of the few officers allowed to remain in the Army. For the next five years, he served as a signals instructor at several Army schools, and then from 1924 to 1928, he was the Signals Staff Officer with a District Command. Between 1928 and 1933, he was promoted to Major and served as an Equipment Advisor with the Reich
Defense Ministry.
in 1933, Martini transferred to this new service and shortly became the Chief for the Board of Radio Affairs. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1934 and then Colonel in 1937, he served as Leader of the Department of Communication Affairs. In 1938, he was promoted to Major General and named Chief of Communication Affairs of the Luftwaffe. Martini was elevated to General der Luftnachrichtentruppe (General of the Air Signal Corps) in 1941, and remained in this position until the end of the war in May 1945.
, a scientist with the Kriegsmarine
(German Navy), and was conducted in the greatest secrecy, not even informing the other military services of its existence.
GEMA’s product, an early-warning system code named Seetakt
, was eventually demonstrated to the Luftwaffe General Staff in November 1938. Martini was there and immediately recognized the great value to the military of this new technology. He ordered the development of a similar system (ultimately called Freya
) for the Luftwaffe, and from this time on was the primary promoter of Funkmessgerät (radar) to the German High Command.
Beginning in 1941, in addition to other duties he was officially the High Command’s Special-Agent for Radio-Ranging (Radar) Technology. Although not university educated, his grasp of this technology was instinctive and his involvement was perhaps the greatest impetus to the ultimate development of wartime radar in Germany.
In most of his activities, Martini reported directly to Hermann Göring
, Commander of the Luftwaffe, but Göring never fully trusted him and the two often clashed over technical decisions. For example, as British radar became known to the Germans through Martini’s Signals intelligence, they violently disagreed as to its importance. Concerning this, Göring had told other commanders that Martini was a fool, “It was the same with all specialists; they exagerrate the importance of whatever they are working on.”
(Federal Defense Force), Martini returned to high positions with the new Air Force in 1956, and later with NATO.
In these years, Martini established relationships with radar pioneers in several other countries. One of these, Sir Robert Watson-Watt
, considered “the father of British radar,” included the following in his 1959 autobiography:
.
Early career
While attending the GymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in his hometown of Lissa
Leszno
Leszno is a town in central Poland with 63,955 inhabitants . Situated in the southern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously the capital of the Leszno Voivodeship . The town has county status.-History:...
in the Province of Posen
Province of Posen
The Province of Posen was a province of Prussia from 1848–1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The area was about 29,000 km2....
, Wolfgang Martini had been a radio enthusiast. Upon graduating in 1910, he joined the Army as a Cadet, and his talents were such that he soon became a Lieutenant and made Company Officer of a Telegraph Battalion. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he had a number of leadership positions in radio operations, being promoted to First Lieutenant and then Captain. At the end of the war, he was a Radio Specialist in the Grand Headquarters and Commander of the Army Signals School at Namur
Namur (province)
Namur is a province of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Liège and Luxembourg in Belgium, and on France. Its capital is the city of Namur...
in occupied Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
After the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
was signed in 1919, Martini was one of the few officers allowed to remain in the Army. For the next five years, he served as a signals instructor at several Army schools, and then from 1924 to 1928, he was the Signals Staff Officer with a District Command. Between 1928 and 1933, he was promoted to Major and served as an Equipment Advisor with the Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Defense Ministry.
Lieutenant Colonel to General
Upon the formation of the LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
in 1933, Martini transferred to this new service and shortly became the Chief for the Board of Radio Affairs. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1934 and then Colonel in 1937, he served as Leader of the Department of Communication Affairs. In 1938, he was promoted to Major General and named Chief of Communication Affairs of the Luftwaffe. Martini was elevated to General der Luftnachrichtentruppe (General of the Air Signal Corps) in 1941, and remained in this position until the end of the war in May 1945.
Involvement with GEMA
In the mid-1930s, the firm Gesellschaft für Electroakustische und Mechanische Apparate (GEMA) started the development of a Funkmessgerät für Untersuchung (radio measuring device for reconnaissance). This pulse-modulated system was based on earlier work by Dr. Rudolf KühnholdRudolf Kühnhold
Rudolf Kühnhold was an experimental physicist who is often given credit for initiating research that led to the Funkmessgerät in Germany.-Early life:...
, a scientist with the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
(German Navy), and was conducted in the greatest secrecy, not even informing the other military services of its existence.
GEMA’s product, an early-warning system code named Seetakt
Seetakt radar
The shipborne Seetakt radar was developed in the 1930s and was used by the German Navy during World War II.In Germany during the late 1920s, Hans Hollmann began working in the field of microwaves, which were to later become the basis of almost all radar systems. In 1935 he published Physics and...
, was eventually demonstrated to the Luftwaffe General Staff in November 1938. Martini was there and immediately recognized the great value to the military of this new technology. He ordered the development of a similar system (ultimately called Freya
Freya radar
Freya was an early warning radar deployed by Germany during World War II, named after the Norse Goddess Freyja. During the war over a thousand stations were built. A naval version operating on a slightly different wavelength was also developed as Seetakt...
) for the Luftwaffe, and from this time on was the primary promoter of Funkmessgerät (radar) to the German High Command.
Beginning in 1941, in addition to other duties he was officially the High Command’s Special-Agent for Radio-Ranging (Radar) Technology. Although not university educated, his grasp of this technology was instinctive and his involvement was perhaps the greatest impetus to the ultimate development of wartime radar in Germany.
In most of his activities, Martini reported directly to Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
, Commander of the Luftwaffe, but Göring never fully trusted him and the two often clashed over technical decisions. For example, as British radar became known to the Germans through Martini’s Signals intelligence, they violently disagreed as to its importance. Concerning this, Göring had told other commanders that Martini was a fool, “It was the same with all specialists; they exagerrate the importance of whatever they are working on.”
Post-War Career
Following the war, General Martini, like other officers at his level, was held by the United States, and then Great Britain until 1947; however, no charges were ever placed against him for his service to the Luftwaffe. With the formation of the BundeswehrBundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
(Federal Defense Force), Martini returned to high positions with the new Air Force in 1956, and later with NATO.
In these years, Martini established relationships with radar pioneers in several other countries. One of these, Sir Robert Watson-Watt
Robert Watson-Watt
Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, KCB, FRS, FRAeS is considered by many to be the "inventor of radar". Development of radar, initially nameless, was first started elsewhere but greatly expanded on 1 September 1936 when Watson-Watt became...
, considered “the father of British radar,” included the following in his 1959 autobiography:
-
- I have a very dear postwar friend in General Wolfgang Martini, a shy, modest, charming, and very perfect gentleman ... His many claims on my affectionate respect include his failure to endear himself to Göring, from whom the qualities I have just tried to summarize may have concealed General Martini’s very high technical competence, wisdom, and resource.
Awards
Martini’s major awards included the Knight’s Cross Of The War Merit Cross With Swords (February 1945), and the Grand Cross Of The Service-Order Of The Federal Republic Of Germany (February 1959). Also in 1959, he was named an Honorary Member of the Board of the “Committee For Radiolocation.” In 1962, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering. Martini died of a heart attack on January 6, 1963, in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
.
General references
- Brown, Louis; A Radar History of World War II, Inst. of Physics Publishing, 1999
- Guerlac, Henry E; Radar in World War II, vol. 8 in the series The History of Modern Physics 1800-1950, American Inst. of Physics, 1987
- Kummritz, H. “German radar development up to 1945,” in Radar Development to 1945, edited by Russell Burns, Peter Peregrinus Ltd, 1988
- Trenkle, Fritz; Die deutschen Funkmessverfähren bis 1945 (The German radar procedures until 1945), in German, Motorbuch Verlag, 1978
- Watson, Raymond C., Jr.; Radar Origins Worldwide, Trafford Publishing, 2009