Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt

The society was founded in Berlin on April 3, 1912 under the name Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Flugtechnik e. V. (WGF). This makes it the world's second oldest technical and scientific society for aviation and aerospace. The society already had 300 members in its first year.

In 1914, the WGF was renamed Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Luftfahrt (WGL). Ludwig Prandtl, who was already involved in the founding of the society, was commissioned to set up scientific and technical committees, e.g. for engines, aerodynamics, aerology, etc., which can still be found in the structure of the society today.

By 1929, the number of members had risen to over 800, and important aviation scientists such as Junkers, Oberth and Dornier gave lectures at annual general meetings. As early as 1928, the first lectures on space travel and rocket flight were added. In 1936, the WGL was dissolved and its members became part of the newly founded Lilienthalgesellschaft für Luftfahrtforschung.

From 1945 to 1952, all aviation activities were banned in Germany. It was not until April 21, 1952 that the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Luftfahrt was re-established. The society's highest award was the Ludwig-Prandtl-Ring, which was awarded to national and international scientists, thus establishing and strengthening relations with foreign societies and helping the WGL to gain international recognition.

In 1962, the WGL was renamed the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (WGLR - Scientific Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics) in order to cover all future problems of the emerging space travel and technology.

At the same time, from 1923 onwards, the space travel movement developed in Germany, triggered by publications by the physicist and later rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth. The Verein für Raumschifffahrt e. V. was founded and established the first German rocket airfield in Berlin in 1932. The association was dissolved in 1934 and the Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung e. V., Berlin (GfW) was founded. Hermann Oberth was honorary president of the GfW from 1948, which was renamed Deutsche Gesellschaft für Raketentechnik und Raumfahrt e. V. (DGRR) in 1956.

In 1967 it was decided that the DGRR and the WGLR should be represented in one association in future. This led to the merger of the two associations to form the German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics (DGLR).

From 1990, negotiations began to merge the DGLR with the Hermann-Oberth-Gesellschaft (HOG), the Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung und Raumfahrt (GWR) and the Fachverband Luftfahrt (FL) into one society. Thus, 1993, the German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics - Lilienthal-Oberth e. V. (DGLR) was founded.