Although this paper is primarily concerned with the structure of current German military aircraft, no apology is needed in considering for a few moments some of the outstanding developments that took place 20 or 30 years ago.

In the early days of any branch of engineering, there are always a few individuals in each country who stand head and shoulders above their fellow workers in the same field, and aviation is no exception. But, whereas in this country quite a number of people spring to mind as having made exceptional contributions to aeronautics, in Germany one name stands out pre-eminent— that of Junkers. Hugo Junkers was born in 1859 and soon showed promise as a scientist and engineer. His technical training was varied, and at the age of 36 he founded at Dessau the engineering firm which bears his name.