Why the Jewish Refugee Engineer, Ludwig Loewy was crucial to Britain

The late 1930’s brought break-neck growth in aircraft production in Britain to meet the needs of re-armament.  These planes for the RAF used new technology for aircraft construction and more powerful engines.  But the light alloys used to build them were manufactured on German machinery!  This paper tells the compelling story of Ludwig Loewy, a refugee Jewish engineer who fled from the Nazis and brought the crucial light-metals technology needed for rearmament from Germany to Britain in 1936.

About The Lecturer

Jonathan Aylen is a recent President of the Newcomen Society.  He has researched aerospace technologies including missile guidance systems and Britain’s early atomic bombs.  He has also written on innovation in rolling mill technology and on revolutionary computer technology at British Rail.  This lively presentation draws on his current work on refugee engineers.  Dr Aylen is a visiting researcher at the University of Manchester.