Collection Summary
Oskar Ursinus Papers
1908-1943
1908-1943
MSS43745
Ursinus,
Oskar
4,500
items
14 containers
6 linear feet
English
German
Collection material in
English and
German
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Aviator, engineer, and
journalist. Correspondence, notes, articles by Ursinus and others, charts,
maps, sketches, blueprints, photographs, printed matter, and clippings relating
to the development of German aeronautics during the first half of the twentieth
century.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Ursinus, Oskar.
Subjects
Aeronautical instruments.
Aeronautical sports.
Aeronautics--Germany.
Aeronautics--Societies, etc.
Aeronautics.
Airplanes--Motors.
Airplanes.
Airships.
Flight.
Rocketry--Germany.
World War, 1914-1918--Aerial operations.
Occupations
Aviators.
Engineers.
Journalists.
Administrative Information
The papers of Oskar Ursinus, aviator, engineer, and journalist, were
confiscated by the American army in Europe after World War II. The material was
transferred to the Aeronautic Division of the Library of Congress from the
Wright Field in 1948 and to the Manuscript Division in 1954.
Processing History
The papers of Oskar Ursinus were arranged and described in 1954 and
1963. The finding aid was revised in 2010.
Related Material
The Oskar Ursinus Collection of Aeronautical Pictures is held in the Library's Prints and Photographs Division. An inventory to this material is available in their [finding aid].
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Oskar Ursinus
is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Oskar Ursinus are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Oskar Ursinus Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Carl Oskar Ursinus, pioneer of German aviation, was born in
Weissenfels, Germany, March 11, 1877, and died July 6, 1952. After graduating
from a technical college, Ursinus worked for the Borsig company on locomotives
and mining machinery. In 1908, he began publication of
Flugsport
, an aviation enthusiasts’ magazine, and later became prominent as an
organizer of Germany’s first international airshow. Ursinus was noted for his
contributions to sailplane designs and the sport of gliding. He founded
Germany’s first gliding club at the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön Mountains in
1920.
As a conscript in the German Army in World War I, Ursinus was posted
to Gothaer Waggonfabrik to design warplanes. The Gotha bombers used by the
German air corps during the war were based on his design. After the war, with
Germany prohibited from building powered aircraft, he focused on gliding but
returned to experimenting in human-powered flight before World War II.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Carl Oskar Ursinus (1877-1952) span the years 1908-1943.
The collection consists of correspondence, notes, articles by Ursinus and
others, charts, maps, sketches, blueprints, photographs, and clippings while
Ursinus was a participant and an observer of developments in German aeronautics
during this period. There are particularly valuable files of printed matter,
memoranda, and notes dealing with the technical side of aeronautics such as
altitude flying, engines, instruments, the German aircraft industry, maps and
charts, and rockets. Ursinus was also interested in and kept records relating
to military aviation in World War I, aeronautical societies, and aeronautical
sports events. Photographs, designs and sketches of hypothetical and real
aircraft, newspaper accounts and other printed matter round out the collection.
The collection is organized into the following series:
[
General Correspondence
](gencorr),
[
Subject File
](subject), and
[
Miscellany
](misc).
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in three series:
-
[
General Correspondence, 1909-1943
](gencorr)
-
[
Subject File, 1909-1939
](subject)
-
[
Miscellany, 1908-1943
](misc)
Container List
Container
Contents
1-3
General
Correspondence,
1909-1943
1909-1943
Letters and memoranda received with attached reports, charts,
photographs, clippings, printed matter, and other material.
Arranged chronologically.
1
1909-1927
1909-1927
(20
folders)
2
1928-1939
1928-1939
(11
folders)
3
1940-1943, undated
1940-1943, undated
(10
folders)
4-11
Subject File,
1909-1939
1909-1939
Correspondence, reports, writings, notes, charts, photographs,
blueprints, clippings, printed matter, and other material.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
4
Accidents,
1912-1933
1912-1933
4
Aerodynamics,
1910-1931
1910-1931
4
Air lines,
1923-1936
1923-1936
4
Air mail,
1926-1931
1926-1931
4
Airports,
1912-1939, undated
1912-1939, undated
4
Air ships,
1929
1929
4
Altitude flying,
1931-1938
1931-1938
4
Aviators,
1911-1939
1911-1939
4
Awards,
1922-1930
1922-1930
4
Blueprints,
1914-1936
1914-1936
(2
folders)
5
(1 folder)
5
Designs,
1912-1939, undated
1912-1939, undated
(7
folders)
5
Education and propaganda,
1926-1935, undated
1926-1935, undated
6
Engines
6
General articles,
1911-1935
1911-1935
6
German engines until
1910-1913
1910-1913
(2
folders)
6
Special makes,
1911-1938, undated
1911-1938, undated
(3
folders)
7
Exhibitions,
1911-1936
1911-1936
7
Explorations,
1925-1926, undated
1925-1926, undated
7
Flight of animals,
1930-1933
1930-1933
7
Fuel,
undated
undated
7
Gliding,
1912-1934
1912-1934
(2
folders)
7
Hangers,
1924, undated
1924, undated
7
History,
1911-1936
1911-1936
7
Humor and poetry,
undated
undated
7
Industry
7
German
7
General,
1912-1939
1912-1939
7
Specific,
1912-1939
1912-1939
(1
folder)
8
(1 folder)
8
Non-German,
1924-1939
1924-1939
8
Instruments,
1925-1939
1925-1939
8
Insurance,
1912-1928
1912-1928
8
International,
1914-1939
1914-1939
8
Inventions and patents,
1914-1939
1914-1939
8
Japan,
1931-1939
1931-1939
8
Laws and government,
1920-1933
1920-1933
9
Literature, manuscript on flying,
undated
undated
9
Materials, clothing,
1933, undated
1933, undated
9
Medicine,
undated
undated
9
Meteorology,
1926-1928
1926-1928
9
Military
9
General,
1912-1939
1912-1939
9
Orders issued to flyers during
World War I,
1915-1918
1915-1918
9
Models,
1926-1939
1926-1939
9
Newspapers and periodicals,
1912-1926
1912-1926
9
Photography,
1928-1938
1928-1938
9
Records,
1926-1937
1926-1937
9
Rockets,
1928-1933
1928-1933
10
Rotor planes,
1939
1939
10
Safety equipment,
1924-1938
1924-1938
10
School,
1911-1939
1911-1939
10
Sport,
1909-1939
1909-1939
(5
folders)
11
(1 folder)
11
Societies
11
Frankfurt Model Club, minutes,
1913-1914
1913-1914
11
General,
1912-1935
1912-1935
(4
folders)
11
Terminology,
1911-1912
1911-1912
11
Transportation,
1924-1938
1924-1938
12-14
Miscellany,
1908-1943
1908-1943
Writings, clippings, sketches, photographs, and other
miscellaneous papers.
Arranged by type of material.
12
Manuscripts and sketches,
1926-1938, undated
1926-1938, undated
12
Printed matter,
1908-1940
1908-1940
(4
folders)
12
Newspaper clippings,
1913-1943, undated
1913-1943, undated
(3
folders)
13
(4 folders)
13
Sketches,
undated
undated
14
Photographs,
undated
undated
14
General miscellany,
1913, undated
1913, undated