Geographen im Zweiten Weltkrieg
- Author(s)
- Hermann Häusler
- Abstract
On the 31st of July in 1940, geographer Dr. Otto Schulz-Kampfhenkel founded the “Forschungsgruppe Schulz-Kampfhenkel” (Research group Schulz-Kampfhenkel) as a registered association, which used the novel idea of aerial reconnaissance for researching terrain. A second lieutenant in the German Air Force, he became head of a “Sonderkommando Dora” (Special task force Dora) exploration group on September 1st, 1942. This special command was a mission of the Counter-Intelligence Service of the German Armed Forces High Command (“Oberkommando der Wehrmacht”) to update terrain information on the frontier between Libya and Chad. From May to December 1942 he headed the “Forschungsstaffel z.b.V.” (“research detachment for special duties”) in North Africa to reconnoitre the frontier between Libya and Chad. From 1943 on, this small but exceedingly well-equipped group of the German Counter Intelligence Service was tasked with the development and production of terrain evaluation maps. During the mission in Libya this group consisted of 15 scientific personnel comprising cartographers, geologists, meteorologists and astronomers. From 1943 on, the civilian-military “Forschungsstaffel z.b.V.” increased in number and a total of about 172 scientists; predominantly geographers, plant sociologists, geologists, cartographers and geodesists directly or indirectly served this group. This “Forschungsstaffel z.b.V.” developed maps for German Wehrmacht missions in nearly all theatres of war in Europe. Printed as special maps at scales varying from 1:10.000 to 1:50.000 and also 1:300.000, they were distributed to the military commands. After the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht, Allied Secret Services intensively interrogated the former members of the “Forschungsstaffel z.b.V.” on their methods and the results of the integrated terrain evaluation.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Environmental Geosciences
- Journal
- Mitteilungen der Österreichischen Geographischen Gesellschaft
- Volume
- 160
- Pages
- 9-56
- ISSN
- 0029-9138
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1553/moegg160
- Publication date
- 2018
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 105406 History of geography
- Keywords
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/6499ce01-0a8c-4a78-9154-146c4481b552