Gustav Lachmann

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Gustav Victor Lachmann (1896-1966) was a German aeronautical engineer who spent most all of his professional life working for the British company of Handley Page.

Lachmann served as a lieutenant in the German Army during World War I, before being trained as a pilot. He was severely injured in the crash of his plane in 1917. In order to reduce the stall speed of aircraft he invented in 1918 leading egde slats (Lachmann Flaps), but was rejected by the German Patent Authority.

After the war he studied engineering. After periods of work in Germany and Japan, in 1929 he took a job with the Handley Page company in the United Kingdom, becoming director of scientific research there.

On the outbreak of World War II he was interned as an enemy alien in Canada, but after pressure from his employers was eventually permitted by the authorities to continue with his work at Handley-Page.

He stayed with the company for the remainder of his career.