Bernhard Hohmann Papers: Finding Aid mssHohmann
Kelly Kress
The Huntington Library
July 2022
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Bernhard Hohmann papers
Identifier/Call Number: mssHohmann
Physical Description:
13.3 Linear Feet
(7 boxes and 2 tubes)
Date (inclusive): 1933-1984
Abstract: Materials related to the life and career of Bernhard Hohmann, a German aircraft engineer, test pilot, and space program director
who emigrated to the United States after World War II and worked in the aviation and aerospace industry. Materials date from
his time in Germany encompassing 1933 to 1946, through his work with the United States space program from 1956 to 1970.
Language of Material: Materials are in English and German.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
NOT AVAILABLE: Box 5: 35mm film unavailable until reformatted.
[Identification of item]. Bernhard Hohmann papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Simon Johnston and Ros Cross, May 2022.
Bernhard Hohmann was born in Germany in 1916. He was a glider pilot and engineer, and joined the Luftwaffe as a test pilot
during World War II. Hohmann was stationed at the Peenemünde Army Research Center where he made test flights of the Messerschmitt
Me 163 Komet, a rocket powered fighter aircraft. After the war, Hohmann surrendered to Allied forces and by 1947 was working
at Wright Field, now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. Hohmann became Chief of the Flight Development section
before leaving in 1957 to take a job with the Aerospace Corporation, in El Segundo, California. Hohmann worked extensively
with the Mercury and Gemini space programs, particularly on astronaut flight safety. Hohmann was married to Irmgard Kaufmann
Hohmann, who joined him in the United States while he was at Wright Field. The Hohmanns lived in Pacific Palisades, California,
and had no children. Bernhard Hohmann died in 1984.
Collection includes items related to Hohmann's life and career in Germany and the United States. German materials include
photographs and publications from his pre-war work as a glider pilot, wartime documents and correspondence related to his
postings and employment, flight maps, manuals, and ephemera. There are also many personal photographs, a Hohmann family history,
and a photo-illustrated account of Bernhard and Irmgard's dangerous departure from Peenemünde in 1945, created by Irmgard
Hohmann. United States space program materials include Hohmann's notes about flight testing, lecture materials, internal reports,
press release photos, a test flight map, printed ephemera, and newspaper articles. There is also some personal material related
to Hohmann's work and membership in professional organizations, personal photographs of Bernhard and Irmgard, and memorabilia.
Processed at the time of accessioning by Kelly Kress in July 2022. Materials were organized into binders by donor. Most binders
were left intact; a few were disassembled and materials foldered.
Organized in the following series:
- Series 1. Germany, 1933-1946
- Series 2. United States space program, 1956-1984
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Aerospace industries -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Aerospace engineering -- Germany
Aerospace engineering -- United States
Air pilots, Military -- Germany
Airplanes, Military
Brain drain -- Germany -- History -- 20th century
Gliders (Aeronautics) -- History
World War, 1939-1945 -- Technology
Peenemünde (Germany) -- History
Manuals (instructional manuals)
Maps
Photographs
Project Gemini (U.S.)
Project Mercury (U.S.)
Germany 1933-1946
Box 1
Personal 1939-1946
Personal photographs of Bernhard Hohmann, Irmgard Hohmann, and family in Germany; family histories; and Irmgard Hohmann's
account of the couple's departure from Peenemünde in 1945. Also includes a file of documents related to Bernhard Hohmann's
wartime work and postings, as well as receipts and other ephemera from that time, and a 35mm film evidently shot from or of
the Heinkel He 46 aircraft.
Box 2
Box 3
United States space program 1947-1984
Box 4
Box 5
Gemini and Mercury programs 1961-1966
Images used in a presentation about pilot safety for the Mercury program; Hohmann's notes about engine and flight testing
for the Gemini program; internal reports for Mercury and Gemini programs regarding performance, pilot safety, and human physiological
response; press release photographs from Aerospace Corporation and NASA; and printed space program ephemera including publications
and flyers.
Box 6
Box 7
Roll 1