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Ninth Generation
349. Dipl. Ing.
Ernst Ritter VON HORSTIG genannt d'Aubigny von Engelbrunner was born
on 22 May 1893 in Malstadt-Burbach, Saarbrücken, DE. He was
born on 22 May 1893 in Malstadt-Burbach, Saarbrücken, DE. He
died on 7 Jun 1969 in Korbach. He was a General-major of the Artillery.
He was also known as Ritter von Horstig gennant d'Aubigny von Engelbrunner.
He graduated with a M.Sc. in Engineering (Diplom Ingenieur) on 19 Oct 1927
Promotions:
Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (13 Aug 1913); Fähnrich (20 Nov 1913); Leutnant
(19 Jun 1914); Oberleutnant (16 Sep 1917); Hauptmann (01 May 1925); Charakter
als Major (01 Oct 1932); Major (01 Feb 1933); Oberstleutnant (01 Aug 1935); Oberst
(01 Feb 1938); Generalmajor (01 Mar 1942)
Career:
Entered Army Service (06 Mar 1913)
Fahnenjunker in the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (06 Mar 1913-02 Aug 1914)
Detached to the War-School Danzig (29 Aug 1913-20 May 1914)
In the Field as Platoon-Leader with the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (02 Aug
1914-28 Mar 1915)
Adjutant & Court-Officer of II. Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(28 Mar 1915-01 Apr 1915)
Platoon-Leader in the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (01 Apr 1915-06 Jun 1915)
Adjutant & Court-Officer of I. Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(06 Jun 1915-23 Dec 1916)
Adjutant & Court-Officer of III. Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(23 Dec 1916-16 May 1917)
Leader of 3rd Battery of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (16 May 1917-09 Sep
1917)
Leader of 9th Battery of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (09 Sep 1917-11 Sep
1918)
At the same time, Leader of III. Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(27 Jul 1918-06 Aug 1918)
Wounded, in Hospital (11 Sep 1918-01 Nov 1918)
Transferred to II. Replacement-Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(01 Nov 1918-19 Nov 1918)
Adjutant of II. Replacement-Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (19
Nov 1918-25 Jan 1919)
Transferred back to the mobile 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (25 Jan 1919-22
Mar 1919)
Transferred to Freikorps Hessen-Nassau (22 Mar 1919-01 May 1919)
Transferred into the 11th Reichswehr-Artillery-Regiment (01 May 1919-01 Oct 1920)
Detached to Course at the Field Artillery Firing School Jüterbog (15 May
1919-15 Aug 1919)
Transferred into the 1st Reichswehr-Artillery-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-01 Jan 1921)
Transferred into the 6th Artillery-Regiment (01 Jan 1921-01 Oct 1921)
Transferred into the 17th Infantry-Regiment & Detached to Weapon Technology
Studies at the Technical College Braunschweig (01 Oct 1921-01 Apr 1926)
Detached to the 3rd Motor-Transport-Battalion (01 Apr 1926-01 Apr 1927)
Detached to the RWM (01 Apr 1927-01 Oct 1927)
Chief of 8th Battery of the 3rd Artillery-Regiment (01 Oct 1927-01 Jul 1930)
Detached to the RWM/Wa A (01 Jul 1930-01 Nov 1930)
Advisor in the Army Weapons Office, RWM (01 Nov 1930-01 Oct 1932)
Department-Chief in the Army Weapons Office, RWM (01 Oct 1932-21 May 1935)
Department-Chief in the Army Weapons Office, RKM (21 May 1935-01 Jan 1937)
Commander of II. Battalion of the 53rd Artillery-Regiment (01 Jan 1937-10 Nov
1938)
Transferred to the Staff of Field-Equipment-Command X (10 Nov 1938-01 Feb 1929)
Field-Equipment-Commander X (01 Feb 1939-25 Sep 1939)
Commander of the 256th Artillery-Regiment (25 Sep 1939-20 Mar 1940)
Artillery-Commander 102 (20 Mar 1940-20 Sep 1941)
Führer-Reserve OKH (20 Sep 1941-01 Nov 1941)
Director of the Service-Office of German Military-Economics-Officers in Italy
& Special-Representative of the Army Weapons Office (OKH) with the Military-Attaché
at the Embassy in Rome (01 Nov 1941-01 Mar 1944)
Director of the Service-Office of Army-Weapons-Office X in Italy (01 Mar 1944-02
May 1945)
In Captivity (02 May 1945-1947)
Released (1947)
At the end of 1929 Lieutenant Colonel Dipl.Ing. Karl Emil Becker, an artillerist,
head of section 1 ( Abteilung 1) “ Ballistics and Munitions” of the
Army Ordnance Testing Division ( Heeres Waffenamt Prüfwesen Wa Prw ) received
permission from the Reich Defense Ministry for a small solid-fuel rocket program.
Captain Dipl. Ing. Ernst Von Horstig became his second in command on 1 July
1930.
End 1931 Becker and von Horstig became interested in the liquid-fuel rocket car
engine of Paul Heylandt. On 1 Oct 1932 von Horstig was made acting Major and
acting head of section 1. In November 1932 Section 1 built a liquid-fuel test
stand at the Kummersdorf weapons range. In December 1932 the young apolitical
engineering student Freiherr (Baron) Wernher von Braun began to work at Kummersdorf
with liquid-fuel rocketry as his dissertation topic for his doctoral degree in
applied science at the University of Berlin, under Professor Dr. Erich Schumann.
Dr. Schumann, a physisist, also directed the small research branch of section
1 ( Zentralstelle für Heeresphysik und Heereschemie Wa Prw 1/Z). Von Braun
received from section 1 a stipend of 300 marks.
In early 1933 Becker was promoted to Chief of the Ordnance Testing Division in
the rank of Brigadier General. Von Horstig, on 1 Febr promoted to Major, succeeded
him as head of Section 1. Von Braun received his doctorate in June 1934 with
high honours, joined the section as a civilian scientist and stayed involved
in the program.
In December 1934 two A-2 type test rockets, called Max und Moritz, were launched
successfully on the island Borkum. In Febr 1935 the Head of the Ballistics and
Munitions Section, von Horstig outlined to Testing Division Chief Becker a budget
of nearly half a million marks to expand the facilities at Kummersdorf for solid-fuel
and liquid-fuel rockets development. The expanded facilities received the reference
“Experimental Center West”. On 1 Aug von Horstig was promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel.
Around mid 1935 the Luftwaffe began to take an interest in the rocket as a propulsion
system for high-speed aircraft. Out of that interest arose an interservice rocket
alliance and a revolutionairy new center in Peenemünde, located at the northern
tip of the island of Usedom. The selection of Peenemünde as the new site,
was the result of a suggestion of von Braun`s mother, “Why don´t you
take a look at Peenemünde, your grandfather used to go duck-hunting up there.”
Next to von Horstig the Luftwaffe key figure in forging the interservice rocket
alliance was Lieutenant Colonel Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, a fighter-ace,
cousin and squadron mate of the famous “Red Baron” von Richthofen in
1917/18. In early 1935 von Richthofen became the enthusiastic head of the Luftwaffe
Technical Offices Development Division.
In January 1936 von Horstig and von Richthofen discussed the layout of the new
joint center. The unbureaucratic fast-moving character of the new Luftwaffe administration
started the ball rolling, with a budget promise of 5 million marks. To von Horstigs
astonishment, General Becker, not wanting the “upstart” Luftwaffe as
Junior Service to take control said to him: “ I intend to appropriate six
million on top of von Richthofen´s five.”
On 1 Jan 1937 von Horstig was returned to the Artillery and became Commander
of the II Battalion of the 53 Artillery Regiment.
For details on Ernst`s assignment to the Army Weapons Office see Michael Neufeld`s
“The Rocket and the Reich, Peenemünde and the coming of the Ballistic
Missile Era”, The Free Press, New York, 1995 (Copyright by the Smithsonian
Institution).
Generalmajor Dipl.Ing. Ernst Ritter von Horstig genannt d'Aubigny von Engelbrunner
Diploma in Engineering: 19 Oct 1927
Promotions:
Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (13 Aug 1913); Fähnrich (20 Nov 1913); Leutnant
(19 Jun 1914); Oberleutnant (16 Sep 1917); Hauptmann (01 May 1925); Charakter
als Major (01 Oct 1932); Major (01 Feb 1933); Oberstleutnant (01 Aug 1935); Oberst
(01 Feb 1938); Generalmajor (01 Mar 1942)
Career:
Entered Army Service (06 Mar 1913)
Fahnenjunker in the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (06 Mar 1913-02 Aug 1914)
Detached to the War-School Danzig (29 Aug 1913-20 May 1914)
In the Field as Platoon-Leader with the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (02 Aug
1914-28 Mar 1915)
Adjutant & Court-Officer of II. Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(28 Mar 1915-01 Apr 1915)
Platoon-Leader in the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (01 Apr 1915-06 Jun 1915)
Adjutant & Court-Officer of I. Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(06 Jun 1915-23 Dec 1916)
Adjutant & Court-Officer of III. Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(23 Dec 1916-16 May 1917)
Leader of 3rd Battery of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (16 May 1917-09 Sep
1917)
Leader of 9th Battery of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (09 Sep 1917-11 Sep
1918)
At the same time, Leader of III. Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(27 Jul 1918-06 Aug 1918)
Wounded, in Hospital (11 Sep 1918-01 Nov 1918)
Transferred to II. Replacement-Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment
(01 Nov 1918-19 Nov 1918)
Adjutant of II. Replacement-Battalion of the 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (19
Nov 1918-25 Jan 1919)
Transferred back to the mobile 27th Field-Artillery-Regiment (25 Jan 1919-22
Mar 1919)
Transferred to Freikorps Hessen-Nassau (22 Mar 1919-01 May 1919)
Transferred into the 11th Reichswehr-Artillery-Regiment (01 May 1919-01 Oct 1920)
Detached to Course at the Field Artillery Firing School Jüterbog (15 May
1919-15 Aug 1919)
Transferred into the 1st Reichswehr-Artillery-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-01 Jan 1921)
Transferred into the 6th Artillery-Regiment (01 Jan 1921-01 Oct 1921)
Transferred into the 17th Infantry-Regiment & Detached to Weapon Technology
Studies at the Technical College Braunschweig (01 Oct 1921-01 Apr 1926)
Detached to the 3rd Motor-Transport-Battalion (01 Apr 1926-01 Apr 1927)
Detached to the RWM (01 Apr 1927-01 Oct 1927)
Chief of 8th Battery of the 3rd Artillery-Regiment (01 Oct 1927-01 Jul 1930)
Detached to the RWM/Wa A (01 Jul 1930-01 Nov 1930)
Advisor in the Army Weapons Office, RWM (01 Nov 1930-01 Oct 1932)
Department-Chief in the Army Weapons Office, RWM (01 Oct 1932-21 May 1935)
Department-Chief in the Army Weapons Office, RKM (21 May 1935-01 Jan 1937)
Commander of II. Battalion of the 53rd Artillery-Regiment (01 Jan 1937-10 Nov
1938)
Transferred to the Staff of Field-Equipment-Command X (10 Nov 1938-01 Feb 1929)
Field-Equipment-Commander X (01 Feb 1939-25 Sep 1939)
Commander of the 256th Artillery-Regiment (25 Sep 1939-20 Mar 1940)
Artillery-Commander 102 (20 Mar 1940-20 Sep 1941)
Führer-Reserve OKH (20 Sep 1941-01 Nov 1941)
Director of the Service-Office of German Military-Economics-Officers in Italy
& Special-Representative of the Army Weapons Office (OKH) with the Military-Attaché
at the Embassy in Rome (01 Nov 1941-01 Mar 1944)
Director of the Service-Office of Army-Weapons-Office X in Italy (01 Mar 1944-02
May 1945)
In Captivity (02 May 1945-1947)
Released (1947)
At the end of 1929 Lieutenant Colonel Dipl.Ing. Karl Emil Becker, an artillerist,
head of section 1 ( Abteilung 1) “ Ballistics and Munitions” of the
Army Ordnance Testing Division ( Heeres Waffenamt Prüfwesen Wa Prw ) received
permission from the Reich Defense Ministry for a small solid-fuel rocket program.
Captain Dipl. Ing. Ernst Von Horstig became his second in command on 1 July
1930.
End 1931 Becker and von Horstig became interested in the liquid-fuel rocket car
engine of Paul Heylandt. On 1 Oct 1932 von Horstig was made acting Major and
acting head of section 1. In November 1932 Section 1 built a liquid-fuel test
stand at the Kummersdorf weapons range. In December 1932 the young apolitical
engineering student Freiherr (Baron) Wernher von Braun began to work at Kummersdorf
with liquid-fuel rocketry as his dissertation topic for his doctoral degree in
applied science at the University of Berlin, under Professor Dr. Erich Schumann.
Dr. Schumann, a physisist, also directed the small research branch of section
1 ( Zentralstelle für Heeresphysik und Heereschemie Wa Prw 1/Z). Von Braun
received from section 1 a stipend of 300 marks.
In early 1933 Becker was promoted to Chief of the Ordnance Testing Division in
the rank of Brigadier General. Von Horstig, on 1 Febr promoted to Major, succeeded
him as head of Section 1. Von Braun received his doctorate in June 1934 with
high honours, joined the section as a civilian scientist and stayed involved
in the program.
In December 1934 two A-2 type test rockets, called Max und Moritz, were launched
successfully on the island Borkum. In Febr 1935 the Head of the Ballistics and
Munitions Section, von Horstig outlined to Testing Division Chief Becker a budget
of nearly half a million marks to expand the facilities at Kummersdorf for solid-fuel
and liquid-fuel rockets development. The expanded facilities received the reference
“Experimental Center West”. On 1 Aug von Horstig was promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel.
Around mid 1935 the Luftwaffe began to take an interest in the rocket as a propulsion
system for high-speed aircraft. Out of that interest arose an interservice rocket
alliance and a revolutionairy new center in Peenemünde, located at the northern
tip of the island of Usedom. The selection of Peenemünde as the new site,
was the result of a suggestion of von Braun`s mother, “Why don´t you
take a look at Peenemünde, your grandfather used to go duck-hunting up there.”
Next to von Horstig the Luftwaffe key figure in forging the interservice rocket
alliance was Lieutenant Colonel Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, a fighter-ace,
cousin and squadron mate of the famous “Red Baron” von Richthofen in
1917/18. In early 1935 von Richthofen became the enthusiastic head of the Luftwaffe
Technical Offices Development Division.
In January 1936 von Horstig and von Richthofen discussed the layout of the new
joint center. The unbureaucratic fast-moving character of the new Luftwaffe administration
started the ball rolling, with a budget promise of 5 million marks. To von Horstigs
astonishment, General Becker, not wanting the “upstart” Luftwaffe as
Junior Service to take control said to him: “ I intend to appropriate six
million on top of von Richthofen´s five.”
On 1 Jan 1937 von Horstig was returned to the Artillery and became Commander
of the II Battalion of the 53 Artillery Regiment.
For details on Ernst`s assignment to the Army Weapons Office see Michael Neufeld`s
“The Rocket and the Reich, Peenemünde and the coming of the Ballistic
Missile Era”, The Free Press, New York, 1995 (Copyright by the Smithsonian
Institution). Dipl. Ing. Ernst Ritter VON HORSTIG genannt d'Aubigny von Engelbrunner
and Irmgard Carola Ellen ROEBEL were married on 15 Sep 1919 in Wiesbaden, DE.
Irmgard Carola Ellen ROEBEL was born on 31 Dec 1899
in Wiesbaden, DE. She died on 20 Dec 1988 in Neu Isenburg, DE.
Dipl. Ing. Ernst Ritter VON HORSTIG genannt d'Aubigny von Engelbrunner and Irmgard
Carola Ellen ROEBEL had the following children:
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