Welcome to 1943. Learning the lessons of the Great War, the Nazi regime insulated the German people from the effects of the war. The occupied territories were stripped of food and resources to ensure there was no shortage at home. Civil publications like Motor Kritik kept up a stream of positive news stories, noting motoring developments - even reporting on motor shows in the US and Britain! Where the war is mentioned, it's imminent successful conclusion is forecast. This was all possible until the end of 1942 when the discomforts of the war began to be really felt at home. Motor Kritik starts 1943 with a positive spin on the war as a crucible of vehicle development; an illusion that would soon be hard to maintain.
In certain respects, the editorial opening this edition of Motor-Kritik could be written today, specifically in relation to the search for alternative fuels.
ln the last few years, German motor transport has shifted more than ever to the military sector. Insofar as motor vehicles are still in operation at home, they also serve exclusively for military purposes or the essential needs of transport, and indirectly at least for the war economy. Even the experimental vehicles falling outside of this framework are, with the exception of a few purely scientific developments, for military and economic trials.
General motor vehicles, which have been used for military purposes in recent years, have had to endure tensile tests in the impassable regions of the east, in the cold north and the tropical heat of the African desert, against which any other, however rigorously devised test program, could never have matched. Certainly, the military ‘test of fire’ proves to a certain extent to be one-sided, primarily because durability, reliability and off-road capability are the main focus, while comfort, speed, ease of use etc. are less important.
The sum of the experiences gained, which cannot be discussed in detail today, have already resulted in valuable guidelines for our future motor vehicle construction, not only with regard to the upcoming vehicle programs, but also for the development of accessories and maintenance techniques.
One of these guidelines is already noticeable in war production, which aims at the fewest, but most suitable types. What is certain is that the vehicle programs which were the order of the day in the years after the Great War will not come back, but energies will be directed towards the creation of large series of proven motor vehicles.
Production control does not mean sinking into a senseless mass production if the construction of test and development vehicles is pursued at the same time. If every company and inventor is able to get approval for research development then there is no need to worry about the progress in motor vehicles.
In order to take the private initiative into account - because how many essential inventions of German motor vehicles were made individuals who were not ‘guild members’ rather than relevant industry authorities - one would need to be very generous when it comes to issuing research development licenses and only exclude demonstrably mechanically unsustainable constructions. However, the inventor, who has succeeded in carrying out a test construction in such a way that the performance of his product is to a certain extent better than today's constructions, would have to carry out an objective examination of his creation and, in the event of demonstration of its advantages, there is also a possibility of utilization.
As is well known, experimental vehicles always require considerable expenditure of money. These are almost negligible compared to the costs of establishing a production line. It is decidedly economically more advantageous to write off the money of some failed test constructions than to go into production with an immature type in order to have to "switch over" after a few quarters. On the other hand, a test build is limited to one or a few examples, the loss of which, even when scrapped, is negligible from an economic point of view and at least provides insights, even if only negative insights.
In the same way, as increasing the proportion of motor vehicles used today for military service, the lessons drawn will later deliver an economic benefit, as it means that after a transition period, the motor vehicle population will increase enormously. In addition to the development of the motor vehicle itself, planning for the long term turns to the fuel problem.
Perhaps the question of future provision for the automotive industry is even more pressing than any other type of improvement because in the future aircraft will be more widespread and will absorb a considerable part of the liquid fuel available. You can melt the scrap of a motor vehicle and reuse it to a large extent for the production of a modern car, since the raw material as such is preserved. It is different with the fuel. This is extracted as crude oil or synthetically produced from coal as gasoline. If the fuel is converted in the engine to generate energy, then it has disappeared. When planning in the long term, we have to listen to the experts who deal with the calculation of the mineral resources on earth. According to their findings, we have every reason, with regard to the increasing motor traffic on the one hand, and the existing raw material quantities on the other, not only the most economical use to pursue, but also to look for other fuels and energy sources.
Today we can say, the great achievements of German chemistry, have given us synthetic gasoline and synthetic lubricating oils for many uses, in motor engines and gas generators. As a result of the expansion of the war, which made enormous demands on fuel procurement, we were forced to make up for the shortfall in the shortest possible time.
We once saw an instructive example of forward-looking planning when visiting a large industrial plant that occupies a leading position around the world. During the factory tour, there was also talk of the development department, the work of which is rarely made known to the public. At that time there was the prospect of the appearance of a new type of competing machine and was lively discussed in the specialist circles. When asked: "What do you think you will do when this innovation is brought out?", The engineer answered simply: “Then we start, type it with our brand, which is already ready for production and it then replaces the competitor brand."
At first glance, this seems strange and not very progressive. After all, who will let the production of a good product continue if they have achieved something better? This does not make sense to the technician; the businessman thinks differently because he always reckons with reserves; that he can use it in a difficult business situation.
So, we also come to the same result when it comes to the fuel question: at least experimentally try every possibility to expand our fuel thresholds and clarify it until it is ready for production.
It is very easy to laugh at the thoughts of an inventor who is struggling with the pulverized coal engine, operating an engine with hydrogen, or the like, or a chemist who is looking for new means of generating or storing electricity. It is very likely that thousands of suggestions and experiments will not bring any material success until a lucky man finally succeeds in the big winner. However, the success rate would be significantly higher if systematic planning in a narrowly limited sector would extend to problems that are worth dealing with, even if their realization should be reserved for later decades. This can be prioritised in an emergency. One example is gasoline injection in Otto engines, which, without getting to the general details, was essentially already solved when it was needed for aircraft engines.
The more we familiarize ourselves with such thoughts, the better we recognize the mistakes of an outdated age. The technician is a very disadvantaged stepchild compared to the creative artist in the field of fine arts, the poet, the composer, etc. Copyright protects the services of the former - without any significant payment of fees - for up to 30 years after their death, but the inventor is only able to maintain the protection granted to him for 18 years by applying substantial and constantly increasing patent fees. Circumstances are just sufficient to introduce invention. Those who enjoy practicing waiting and who didn't move a hand then enjoy the material benefits.
If we take the path of type limitation in our narrow sector in the future, then general changes will take place at longer time intervals, progress may take place in fewer but larger strides, and appropriate social protection for the advanced technician would have to be built in.
All of Germany today is characterized by the struggle for existence. The German soldier is fighting on the fronts, and at home people are working hard, sometimes under difficult circumstances. While the majority is employed in the production battle, the pioneers of technology are entering uncharted territory. The speed and effectiveness of their efforts depend on the support they receive. In a figurative sense, we now refer to every unimpeded, smooth course of a process as a course in a "streamline". May our year-end wish be this year: "Successful streamlined work everywhere!"
