HISTORIE
HISTORY
was wounded on two occasions, first while serving with an unknown unit on May 28,
1915, and then again as a member of the Jasta 15 on February 20, 1917. Of the former, not
much is known, but of the latter, it is known
that it occurred during landing, and was likely very serious, because he did not rejoin
combat unit until fifteen months later, on
May 19, 1918. He joined Jasta 30 as Offizier
zur besondere Verwendung (Deputy Commander), which was generally a flying position. He lasted there until August 23, after
which he was hospitalized, according to one
of the unit members this was the result of
complications from previously sustained injuries. As a result, Ewald ended his combat
career three weeks prior to injuries forcing
his younger brother to do the same.
Unlike Eugen, Ewald returned to flying after
the war. He joined the newly formed Luftwaffe in 1943 as a Major in the reserve at Luftgaukommando (Air County Headquarters)
XII, which included Krefeld area, meaning he
stayed at home and did not participate in any
combat flying.
From Aircraft to Presses
After the war, both brothers involved themselves with their father’s business and
eventually took it over. The main role in the
development of the firm was played by Eugen. His son Dieter recalled in an interview
printed in a Siempelkamp newsletter: “My
father started managing the company at
the age of 25. He was very strong-willed.
He managed the company during the difficult period following the First World War –
through the inflation, the global depression
and the crippling lack of raw materials that
existed during the 1920s. He faced different
challenges than my grandfather had. And
he overcame them with hard work and his
strong will.”
Consular Certificate of Qualification given to Eugen Siempelkamp in January 1951, which was issued to him for his business activities in Brazil.
As an example, Dieter Siempelkamp said:
“Siempelkamp then received an order from
Russia for 20 hot-platen dryers for veneer
production – on condition that the first dryer
was supplied free of charge. My father took
the risk (Ed: his father had experience with
Russian clients in the past but dealing with
Soviets was uncharted territory) and shipped the prototype free of charge after three
months. The total order – for around 400 hot
platens – was placed six months later”. This
order pulled the company out of some very
tough times, and we can only hazard a guess as to whether or not this equipment was
used in the production of plywood twenty
years later for Soviet fighters…
“My father, just like my grandfather, was
also always interested in establishing international contacts to extend the company’s
reach. Furthermore, his innovative capaci-
Siempelkamp’s Pfalz D.IIIa as it appears in accordance with the latest research by historians
26
eduard
ties and foresight resulted in additional Siempelkamp patents (Eugen Siempelkamp
was the holder of several patents, Ed.). His
commitment to his workforce was also remarkable: before the currency reform in the
period following the First World War, it was
often customary for orders to be settled in
kind. When a farmer ordered a screw press for pressing potatoes or apples to produce high-volume spirits, it was frequently paid for in potatoes or apples – and we
often supplied rubber presses in return for
rubber boots and bicycle tyres. Such barter
transactions often benefited the workforce
and were not unusual during the post-war
period,” explained Dieter Siempelkamp while describing how difficult it was to conduct
business for his father and uncle in the inter-war years. In any case, the company
survived and by the latter half of the twenties, virtually all plywood manufacturing
facilities used presses bearing the Siempelkamp name. Development continued in
a wide range of manufacturing equipment
serving the wood, rubber, plastic, and metal working industries, such as vulcanizing
presses for belts and rubber, presses for
plastics, straightening presses for Bakelite
and, later, presses for the production of particleboard and MDF.
In the years immediately following the Second World War, the Siempelkamp company
returned to its roots, producing simple machinery such as hand screw presses, but Eugen was again able to navigate tough times
and ensure expansion despite, for example,
ignoring the American market. “He had bad
experiences with Americans, resulting in
a deep mistrust. He sold a license for the manufacture of one of our presses to the USA.
INFO Eduard - August 2021