# "Turbo/Supercharger Compressors and Turbines for Aircraft Propulsion in WWII" sent to press via ASME



## Snowygrouch (Aug 17, 2021)

My second WW2 aviation book has been made available for pre-order from "_The American Society of Mechanical Engineers" (ASME)_

It is the translated technical memoirs of a German WW2 aviation engine designer at Daimler-Benz, who specialised in compressor development. (Dr Kollmann), his
son provided me with his fathers papers and I translated them during research for my first book "The Secret Horsepower Race". Dr Gülen (gas turbine expert at Bechtel Corp.)
assisted me by providing a "bridge" between the German theory from WW2 and modern methods. We`ve added a lot of extra material to increase the utility of Dr Kollmann`s
original text (which is indented to distinguish it).

Link to preorder below:



Turbo/Supercharger Compressors and Turbines for Aircraft Propulsion in WWII - ASME



If you are very serious about your WW2 aero engine technology and understanding what techniques a German engineer actually used at the time, I do not think there
is an equivalent book in English to this one.

(The official sale blurb is below)

*"By Karl Kollmann, Calum E. Douglas, and S. Can Gülen*

This book is a unique blend of history, technology review, theoretical fundamentals, and design guide. The subject matter is primarily piston aeroengine superchargers - developed in Germany during the Second World War (WWII) - which are centrifugal compressors driven either by the main engine crankshaft or by an exhaust gas turbine. The core of the book is an unpublished manuscript by Karl Kollmann, who was a prominent engineer at Daimler-Benz before and during the war.

Dr. Kollmann's manuscript was discovered by Calum Douglas during his extensive research for his earlier book on piston aeroengine development in WWII. It contains a wealth of information on aerothermodynamic and mechanical design of centrifugal compressors in the form of formulae, charts, pictures, and rules of thumb, which, even 75 years later, constitute a valuable resource for engineering professionals and students.

In addition to the translation of the original manuscript from German, the authors have completely overhauled the chapters on the aerothermodynamics of centrifugal compressors so that the idiosyncratic coverage (characteristic of German scientific literature at that time) is familiar to a modern reader. Furthermore, the authors added chapters on exhaust gas turbines (for turbo-superchargers), piston aeroengines utilizing them, and turbojet gas turbines.

Drawing upon previously unpublished material from the archived German documents, those chapters provide a concise but technically precise and informative look into those technologies, where great strides were made in Germany during the war. In summary, the coverage is intended to be useful not only to history buffs with a technical bent but also to the practicing engineers and engineering students to help with their day-to-day activities in this particular field of turbomachinery."

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## Crimea_River (Aug 17, 2021)

Good luck with the book Calum. The price is a bit steep for my passing interest on the topic but I'm sure it will be snapped up by real enthusiasts.

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## Snowygrouch (Aug 18, 2021)

Crimea_River said:


> Good luck with the book Calum. The price is a bit steep for my passing interest on the topic but I'm sure it will be snapped up by real enthusiasts.



Yes, sadly for a book like this one, the only way it could be published was via an academic publishing house, which then means a very high pricetag. We're pushing for it to get into major lending libraries so that at least people can borrow it if they want to read it but are not rich!

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## P-39 Expert (Aug 18, 2021)

Best of luck with this book. Appreciate your posts.

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## rprosperi (Aug 23, 2021)

Looks excellent, and though not cheap, it is the cheapest book available on this subject.  

Is there any content on the turbo used in the BV-155 project, presumably one of the most advanced DB/turbo configurations of the war?

Also, have you seen any examples of the "Print on Demand" process used by ASME? PoD quality varies _widely_, and for the asking price, I'd be unhappy with a title a the low end of the quality zone?


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## Snowygrouch (Aug 23, 2021)

rprosperi said:


> Looks excellent, and though not cheap, it is the cheapest book available on this subject.
> 
> Is there any content on the turbo used in the BV-155 project, presumably one of the most advanced DB/turbo configurations of the war?
> 
> Also, have you seen any examples of the "Print on Demand" process used by ASME? PoD quality varies _widely_, and for the asking price, I'd be unhappy with a title a the low end of the quality zone?


Nothing on BV-155, Kollmann didnt write about it, so there you go.

If you have any compliants about printing quality when it arrives (if you buy it), I`m afraid thats something to be directed at ASME, not the author - as its just gone to pre-order, I dont even have my authors copy yet, and "I hope you wont make this crap" was somewhat of an implicitly understood statement in my discussion with ASME.

I`m deeply unhappy that the book isnt four times less cost than it is, but I`d be even unhappier if nobody gave us a publishing deal... sometimes you have to
accept that you`ll only get one or two of your target goals met with a project, and for this one, targets 1 & 2 were "preserve this knowledge" and "distribute it
through an authoritative channel". (what the other two un-met targets were are for me to know !) 

If you`re nervous about cost, I suggest you wait until its been reviewed - and also, I need to check as it could well be that a considerably cheaper e-book
may well become available through one of ASME`s distribution partners (I`ll email them and check on that now).


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## rprosperi (Aug 23, 2021)

Thanks very much for these comments, Calum.

Since the book is available in only a few days, I'll do as you suggest and wait for comments/reviews. And as you will likely get your author's copy relatively early in the process, please do leave comments in this thread about the PoD quality, image quality, binding, etc. as I imagine most prospective buyers would appreciate knowing about these issues.

Also, thank you for your efforts to save this historical work, finding a way to get it published, and massaging it so us mere mortals will be able to understand and appreciate it!

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## Snowygrouch (Aug 28, 2021)

ASME have updated me with news that the book will be available for download as an ebook in both "by chapter" and complete book formats. I suspect this will mean a significant (but not gigantic) cost reduction. It might be a month or so before the full book is ready as an e-book I`ll update this thread when it is.

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## Engineman (Feb 19, 2022)

Turbo/Supercharger Compressors and Turbines for Aircraft Propulsion in WWII.
Another GREAT book from Calum Douglas.
Nothing more needs to be said. However, to give some substance to my superlative comment, I shall say a little more of my impressions to guide interested readers.
Calum has used the original papers of Prof Kollmann to produce a coherent modern translation and analysis of the Second World War Supercharger tech. Written with the assistance of Dr S. Can Gulen, the book is a superb volume for anyone interested in the subject. 
Of great merit, the book combines the theoretical and technical detail with a clear and readable text. It can be read and understood by both experts and enthusiasts alike. The text reads easily and the mathematics is there but, it is not necessary to be a mathematician because the words explain the detail. At the same time, for those of you who are mathematicians or thermodynamicists I think you will find that the meat is there! 
Beyond the theory, this book contains another dimension of the material covered in Calum's previous book, The Secret Horsepower Race, and I would consider them as companion volumes. But, there is more!.. A sting in the tail! The book continues from exhaust gas turbines into a chapter on German Turbojets.
So, that is it, a GREAT book. I do think that this rates as a companion volume to TSHR. However, this book is more expensive. I looked at it this way, TSHR is cheap, if you buy this book Turbo/Supercharger Compressors and Turbines as a companion volume, you get a set at a great overall price.
IMO, this book really must be on the bookshelf of any serious WW2 Air Warfare enthusiast. It is that simple. This book will probably not see huge sales, and it may not see reprint, but it is surely the definitive volume that will be published on the subject!
I say, get it while you can!

Eng

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## Engineman (Apr 27, 2022)

I see that Amazon are offering this book at £108 in UK, now a cheaper and easier way to get this great book in UK.
My comments in the post above are worth reviewing, this is a book without comparison on the specific topic and it is particularly valuable to those who are interested in the German WW2 Aero-engine development.

Eng


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