Professor Porsche’s Wars

August 18, 2015 Tim Havermans Karl Ludvigsen, Militaria, Pen And Sword

Professor Porsche's Wars

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The secret life of legendary engineer Ferdinand Porsche who armed two belligerents throughout four decades

In the list of the worlds most genious automotive engineers, you’ll definitely find Ferdinand Porsche somewhere in the front row. The old professor, as he was nicknamed in the Porsche factory, was responsible for some famous car designs as the Volkswagen Beetle, the record breaking Auto Union Grand Prix Cars, the first hybrid Lohner car and the Mercedes-Benz SS / SSK cars. However, Ferdinand Porsche was more then just an automotive engineer.

It may be less known, but Ferdinand Porsche was involved in the designing and engineering of military vehicles, aero engines and weapons too. Ferdinand Porsche was involved in the engineering of some famous artillery, like the Type 100 Leopard tank, the Maus, or the Kübelwagen and Schwimmwagen to name just a few. He may have even had influence in some parts of WWII when the Germans started using the V1 flying bombs, that used a turbojet engine, designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

Karl Ludvigsen, one of the most notorious Porsche authors, digged deep into the archives of Porsche, Mercedes and some military libraries, and wrote the complete story of Ferdinand Porsche’s military engineering history. Even though this is not about the history of the sportscar that bear the Professor’s name, this part of his life makes an integral part of the provenance of the Porsche brand, whether you like it or not. A true Porsche enthusiast truly won’t regret to read the book.

Because of him being heavily involved in all the military designs, Professor Porsche was first given house arrest, and later put in French prisonship in Dijon at the age of 71. Even though the vehicles and machinery he designed in this part of his life may have caused some cruel damage to many, Ferdinand Porsche’s goal was only to fulfill the demands of the people that hired him for the designing and engineering of it. He always wanted to make the final results of what left his drawing-board was mechanically the best.

Together with the other books Karl Ludvigsen wrote about Porsche, this makes a wonderfull addition to any Porsche library.