Karl Becker (General)

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Karl Becker (1937)

Karl Becker (born September 14, 1879 in Speyer , † April 8, 1940 in Berlin ) was a German officer , most recently a general of the artillery in World War II , a ballistic and military scientist as well as a science politician.

Life

Becker graduated from the grammar school of his hometown and joined after July 16, 1898 as a cadet in the 2nd Foot Artillery Regiment of the Bavarian army one. On February 8, 1899, he was appointed ensign , shortly thereafter from March 1, 1899 to January 20, 1900 at the Munich War School. As a lieutenant (from March 7, 1900) he was assigned to the Bavarian Artillery and Engineering School from October 1, 1901 to April 3, 1903 .

After returning to his main unit from September 1, 1905, he was employed as an adjutant of the 2nd Battalion. On July 26, 1905, Becker married Katherina Hoppe in Munich, with whom he later had two sons. He was then sent to the Military Technical Academy from October 1, 1906 to July 15, 1909, and from October 1, 1909, he was appointed assistant teacher. Here he was promoted to lieutenant on March 7, 1910 . As such, Becker was from 1911 an assistant to the artillery examination commission of the Prussian Army. On November 13, 1913, he was transferred to the Prussian Army and on January 27, 1914, he was promoted to captain .

With outbreak of the First World War , he commanded as a battery commander with 42-cm-guns equipped Brief Marine gun battery 2 in the siege of Antwerp . In 1916, Becker was transferred to the artillery examination commission as a consultant. At the end of the war, this was dissolved and an inspection for weapons of the Reichswehr was set up, which he was appointed to head from 1919. In the mid-twenties, the "Weapons and Equipment Inspection" became the Army Weapons Office (HWA). From 1926 he headed the ballistics and ammunition department. From 1932 he became head of testing at the HWA and in this function was promoted to major general on February 1, 1933 , lieutenant general on October 1, 1934, and finally on October 1, 1936, artillery general. On March 1, 1938, Becker succeeded Kurt Liese as head of the Army Weapons Office .

As head of the research center at the Army Weapons Office, Becker had been promoting German rocket research since 1929. As a result of the German rocket program, largely developed by Becker in 1931, the prototype of the Mirak 3 liquid rocket was created in 1932 . Becker was one of the founders of the Peenemünde Army Research Center in 1936 . In 1937 Becker was made an honorary senator of the Technical University of Berlin.

Becker committed suicide on April 8, 1940 after he was charged with being responsible for ammunition shortages. He was honored with a state funeral on April 12th on the square in front of the Technical University of Berlin-Charlottenburg .

academic career

From 1906 to 1909 Becker studied at the Military Technical Academy in Berlin-Charlottenburg. After graduating, he was Carl Cranz's assistant for two years . From 1919 to 1922 he studied chemistry at the Technical University in Berlin-Charlottenburg and received his doctorate in engineering in 1922. In 1932 he was appointed honorary professor for defense science at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität by the Prussian Ministry of Culture . After the " seizure of power " by the National Socialists , Becker received a full professorship for general army technology at the TH Charlottenburg from March 3, 1933 and was simultaneously appointed dean of the faculty for general technology (from 1935 military technology faculty) at the Technical University Berlin-Charlottenburg , where he also took over the newly created chair for technical physics . In 1933 he was appointed senator of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society and in 1937 the first president of the Reich Research Council.

Since 1935 he was a full member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences .

Awards

literature

  • Rüdiger vom Bruch , Brigitte Kaderas (ed.): Sciences and science policy. Steiner, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-515-08111-9 .
  • Dermot Bradley (ed.), Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp: The Generals of the Army 1921–1945. The military careers of the generals, as well as the doctors, veterinarians, data officers, judges and ministerial officials with the rank of general. Volume 1: Abberger-Bitthorn. Biblio Publishing House. Osnabrück 1993. ISBN 3-7648-2423-9 . Pp. 267-268.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Burkhard Cielsa, biographical data Karl Becker, page 263 in Sciences and Science Policy (see list of literature)
  2. ↑ a b c Biographical data see web link Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB)
  3. ↑ a b Burghard Ciesla : Farewell to “pure” science biographical sketches of Karl Becker and his academic career (accessed on October 4, 2009; PDF; 16.0 MB)
  4. ^ Members of the previous academies. Karl Becker. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities , accessed on February 19, 2015 .
  5. ↑ a b Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres , Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, p. 112.
personal data
SURNAME Becker, Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer, most recently general of the artillery, ballistics and military scientist
DATE OF BIRTH September 14, 1879
PLACE OF BIRTH Speyer
DATE OF DEATH April 8, 1940
Place of death Berlin