Lois Welzenbacher as an Architect of the Nazi Air Force: New Perspectives on the Siebel Aircraft Factory

The Siebel aircraft factory in Halle an der Saale, Germany, where scouts and bombers for the Nazi regime were produced, is architect Lois Welzenbacher’s largest project, constructed in 1939–1944. The complex was severely damaged during the final years of World War II. Its remains were eventually dismantled in 1946. Existing monographs on the architect interpret it as a manifestation of the incorruptibility of Welzenbacher’s modernist architectural vision. Newly discovered drawings reveal his designs for the site, which significantly differ from the realised structure. This paper explores these deviations and their underlying causes by recontextualising Welzenbacher’s work in Halle. I argue that his more traditional-looking initial designs reflect not his incorruptibility, but rather his opportunism under the Nazi regime.