The Junkers Jumo 004 engine

This is the Jet engine which powered the WWII Messerschmitt Me262 and the Arado Ar 234

The German Junkers Company had been working on gas turbine (jet) propulsion since 1936, and was running a prototype of an axial-flow gas turbine engine by 1938. In the summer of 1939, the German State Ministry of Aviation (ReichsLuftfahrtMinisterium or RLM) awarded Junkers a contract to develop a jet engine for production. A design team under Dr. Anselm Franz conducted the development work on the engine, which became known as the "109-004". The "109-" suffix was used by the RLM to specify turbine engine projects.

The production Jumo 004 engine was a design compromised by a shortage of essential raw materials in the Germany of 1944. Despite efforts to overcome the problems that occurred due to the absence of trace metals required for aero-engine manufacture, the engine serviceability remained poor. Figures for the running life of production engines suggest a life of between 25 and 150 hours. Reliability also remained poor throughout the war.

post war story

At the end of World War II Dr. Anselm Franz emigrated to the United States. From 1946 until 1950, Franz worked for the U.S. Air Force, helping American jet engineers. In late 1950 Franz convinced the US company "Avco Lycoming" that it could market a gas turbine (jet) for use in helicopters. At the time, only a few forward-thinking engineers were advocatting the use of jets in helicopters.

In January 1951 Franz and his team at Lycoming's plant in Pennsylvania began development work that led to the "T53" Engine. In October 1956, the engine flew in the Bell XH-40 helicopter, the prototype for the well known Bell UH-1 (Huey). At the height of the Vietnam War, the demand for military helicopters meant Lycoming produced 300 T53 engines a month.

The T53 went on to become the most reliable and successful helicopter engine yet made. Approximately 6,500 T53s were still flying at the turn of the century, and engines could remain in service until 2020.

In 1967 - Franz received the "Dr. Alexander Klemin" Award for notable achievement in advancement of rotary-wing aeronautics. Anselm Franz died on 18th November 1994.

further reading: A life with the turbo-prop engine
ISBN 3-932182-08-01.

For an external link for more info try www.warplane

These images were taken during a visit to the RAF museum at Cosford near Wolverhampton, England in the summer of 2002.