Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany)

Ministry Of Aviation (Nazi Germany)

The Ministry of Aviation (German: Reichsluftfahrtministerium), abbreviated RLM, was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstraße in central Berlin, Germany, which today houses the German Finance Ministry (Bundesministerium der Finanzen).

The Ministry was in charge of development and production of aircraft, primarily for the German Air Force (the Luftwaffe), but also for commercial applications. As was characteristic of government departments in the Nazi era, the Ministry was personality-driven and formal procedures were often ignored in favor of the whims of the Minister, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring. As a result, early successes in aircraft development progressed only slowly and erratically during World War II.