The Mystery of Hans Kammler
Aside from Adolf Hitler, Chief of the Luftwaffe High Command Hermann Göring, and head of the SS Heinrich Himmler, whose respective fates are well-known, there was one other high ranking German official who would have known intimate details about secret German aircraft and weapons projects underway during the closing days of the war in Europe. That individual was Hans Kammler. In early 1945 Kammler, who had already been overseeing crucial building projects relating to the German rocketry program, was put in charge of all missile and jet aircraft projects, making him effectively only answerable to Hitler. If anyone had been privy to information of circular-wing aircraft being designed and built during that period, it would have been him. Of Kammler it was stated by one of his contemporaries:
“He was the Head of a staff of specialists who developed highly secret weapons and war-equipment. Whereas up to recent date each branch of the Wehrmacht and its competent authorities had their developments carried out separately, Kammler succeeded in his field a centralized command for all branches of the Wehrmacht. His field consisted mainly of V-weapons, rocket-apparatus, remote control, atomic energy, jet-propulsion and other similar subjects.”
- Wilhelm Voss, Skoda Works (Weapons and aircraft manufacturer, part of a German industrial conglomerate during WWII)
In the final weeks of the war Kammler ordered the evacuation of personnel and the destruction of certain sensitive materials at various production facilities. His whereabouts during this time are difficult to pin down, but there is evidence that he communicated with various German officials and even met personally with rocket engineer Wernher Von Braun. In May of 1945 he essentially disappeared. There has been conjecture over the decades regarding what became of Kammler. Stories were told in the aftermath of the war that he was killed by allied troops, or perhaps committed suicide. There was also talk that he had been captured or had surrendered to the Allies and was whisked away to work on various defense projects like so many German experts in relevant fields.
In 2019 evidence was published revealing that Kammler had been captured and interviewed by American forces in May 1945. In a document which originated at the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Air Force in Europe, Hans Kammler is listed among 34 key German Air Force personnel who were “presently being held for interrogation”. However, almost nothing is known of his whereabouts after such time. It seems likely that if Kammler had indeed been taken into American custody that, given the information he knew concerning secret German weapons and aircraft projects, he would have potentially been cut a deal like the scientists under Operation Paperclip. Why was Kammler’s case kept so secret all of these years? Given what is now known, could he have played some part in the subsequent post-war reports of unconventional aircraft over North America?
by HiramAbiff6
1 Comment
The answer to your question is “no.”