Military and civil aviation

the failure of disarmament caused by the aviation problem during the interwar period

Abstract

Military and civil aviation have shared the same sky since the birth of aviation technology. According to Eugene Sochor in his 1991 book published, ‘the close links between civil and military aviation were well understood when governments were the principal actors in the early days of commercial aviation.’ This paper aims to clarify that commercial aviation in the interwar period enabled Germany to rapidly reestablish its air power by 1935. After its defeat in the First World War, Germany had been prohibited from maintaining its airpower and Air Force, with exception of the aircraft industry and commercial aviation. At that time, the U.S. delegation insisted that Germany could run its commercial aviation in its own territory. With its participation in the League of Nation, and the International Commission of Aerial Navigation (Commission Internationale de Navigation Aerienne), Germany started its commercial aviation with the establishment of Deutsche Lufthansa, A. G. (DLH) in 1926 expanding to China, and to Latin America. In the early 1920s, European countries such as France and Great Britain had considerable influence over Latin American aviation; however, German aviation was gaining ground. Civilians of German descent in Columbia established the national airline company with support from the German aviation industry. One of the oldest airline companies, Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aeros (SCADTA) started its flights around Columbia, the Isthmus of Panama, and the Caribbean Sea. DLH and SCADTA also founded an affiliated company, Syndicate Condor, and the company became the prominent airline in Brazil. For the purpose of protecting its prestige in Latin America, Pan American Airways (Pan Am) was established by one of the most prominent U. S. military aviation figures, Henry Hap Arnold, and then Juan Terry Trippe took over the company. In the early 1930s, German-owned airlines and Pan Am engaged in peaceful competition in Latin America. When Hitler obtained the political power, however the German government had tried to solidify politico-economic relationships with Latin American countries. At the same time, competition between DLH and Pan Am became more severe. The U.S. government also became aware of the latent threat of DLH as an air power, when German and Italian air forces intervened in the Spanish Civil War, and they conducted indiscriminate air strikes on the civilian population. In 1937, civilian aviation was switched to military air power. Germany legally developed its civil aviation in an era of disarmament, and rapidly established its Air Force with the personnel and airplanes that had been developed through civil aviation.