Josef Ganz

Josef Ganz, 1946

Josef Ganz in the cockchafer prototype, 1931

Entire cockchafer from 1931

Entire cockchafer from 1931

The first “Volkswagen” by Josef Ganz, 1933

Josef Ganz (born July 1, 1898 in Budapest , Austria-Hungary , † July 26, 1967 in St Kilda , Australia ) was an engineer and journalist of Hungarian origin.

Life

As a twelve-year-old high school student, Josef Ganz invented a protective device for electric trams, for which he was granted a patent. Before the Second World War he worked for various car manufacturers such as Adler , Daimler-Benz , BMW as well as for the motorcycle manufacturer Ardie and was editor-in-chief of the specialist magazine Motor Critique . In total, he developed around 30 small cars, including a prototype in 1931 with the name “Maikäfer”. In 1932, Ganz found a manufacturer for his "cockchafer" in the Ludwigsburg standard vehicle factory, a revised version of which came onto the market in 1933 as a standard superior . Like the previous model, the vehicle had independent suspension , pendulum axles and a mid-engine . The Standard company advertised the four-seater as a Volkswagen . In the spring of 1933 she presented it at the international automobile and motorcycle exhibition in Berlin. Josef Ganz's early contributions to the development of the original VW are controversial and not clearly clarified .

A short time after the exhibition, the Jewish engineer was arrested by the Gestapo on May 21, 1933 and his office in Frankfurt am Main was searched. According to Ganz, numerous documents are said to have been confiscated. After his release, he was deposed as editor-in-chief of Motor Criticism , but was still allowed to write a few articles. In March 1934 he fled to Liechtenstein and later to Switzerland . There he later worked for the Rapid company in Dietikon .

From 1934, Ganz also developed an inexpensive, lightweight small car with a mid-engine in Vienna . The vehicle had an empty weight of 450 kg and should cost S 3,500  .

After the war, Ganz had increasing problems with the Swiss authorities. The inconvenient inventor led numerous lawsuits, was viewed as a notorious troublemaker and ultimately expelled from Switzerland. After a short stay in Paris , he emigrated to Australia in 1951 . He became almost bedridden after a series of heart attacks in the early 1960s , but continued to work for General Motors- owned Australian automaker Holden until he retired .

“Until the fresh and cheerful outbreak of the Third Reich, Ganz's criticism of the engine was considered a real delicacy by the people of the car industry. It was a kind of 'car torch', brilliantly written, filled with a spirit that always denies. Dipl. Ing. Josef Ganz understood everything better and most of it differently. […] Definitely: Josef Ganz helped the German auto industry get back on its feet. Please take a look at the wagons before and after. Dipl. Ing. Josef Ganz was also a good prophet for himself. One month before his arrest, he quoted Mr Goering in the Motorkrtik in a black-framed footnote, so to speak as a separate party note : '… In these days they come, the informers, they accuse one or the other of competition envy and similar reasons out. ['] Both were right: Goering and Ganz. "

- Report in Der Morgen of June 6, 1933

See also

• Butz (car brand)

literature

• Paul Schilperoord: The True Story of the VW Beetle. How the Nazis stole the VW patents from Josef Ganz. Original title: Het ware verhaal van de Kever translated by Paul von Oojen and Peter Wydler. Orell Füssli , Zurich 2011, ISBN 978-3-7193-1565-8 .

Web links

Commons : Josef Ganz  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Paul Schilperoord: The Ganz case: How the VW Beetle really came about. In: Technology Review . October 26, 2005 . 
• Paul Schilperoord, Lorenz Schmid: Josef Ganz: True father of the VW Beetle concept. In: JosefGanz.org. (English). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ City of God: Illustrated magazine for the Catholic people. Anthology 1910, portraits of daily history, page 377 with photo.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Protective custody of the engine criticism. In:  The morning. Wiener Montagblatt , June 6, 1933, p. 15 (online at ANNO ).
3. ↑ International automobile and motorcycle exhibition in Berlin. In:  Österreichische Auto-Rundschau. Wiener Kraftfahrer-Zeitung / Austrian car. Motorad-Zeitung / Oesterreichisches Auto und Motorad-Zeitung / Der Motorfahrer / Automobil- und Motorrad-Zeitung. Der Motorfahrer , February 17, 1933, p. 6 (online at ANNO ).
4. ↑ Paul Schilperoord: The Ganz case: How the VW Beetle really came into being. In: Technology Review . October 26, 2005, accessed November 24, 2019 . 
5. ↑ A good fellow. In:  Free Voices. German Kärntner Landes-Zeitung / Free votes. Southern German-Alpine daily newspaper. Deutsche Kärntner Landeszeitung , May 28, 1933, p. 12 (online at ANNO ).
6. ↑ A small Austrian car around 3500 schillings. In:  Salzburger Chronik für Stadt und Land / Salzburger Chronik / Salzburger Chronik. Tagblatt with the illustrated supplement “Die Woche im Bild” / Die Woche im Bild. Illustrated entertainment supplement to the “Salzburger Chronik” / Salzburger Chronik. Daily newspaper with the illustrated supplement “Oesterreichische / Österreichische Woche” / Österreichische Woche / Salzburger Zeitung. Tagblatt with the illustrated supplement “Austrian Week” / Salzburger Zeitung , July 10, 1934, p. 4 (online at ANNO ).