Why is German engineering so superior?

Question

I am researching this for a paper and I wonder what the public opinion is and facts about why it is that Germans seem to be exceptional at engineering.

By the way the atomic bomb was created by Leo Szilard who was of Hungarian and German descent.

Leo Szilard was educated in Germany.

Answer 1

It's in their culture. The Germans are slow and methodica in verything they do, and once a decision has been made, it's irreversible. This causes them to think things through with unmatched thoroughness. Plus, they build for eternity. Get a German drunk, and they will tell you how they tick. And it's always like: "Blahdiblah, if everybody did THAT," or "Blahdiblah, I want to set myself up in such a clever way that whatever I do will carry me through till I'm 500 years old". These guys don't go for "good enough" - they seek perfection, and they don't stop until they have it. And when they have it, they never discard it. I don't know what you call that. They're just really good.

Answer 2

German Engineering

Answer 3

During the beginning of the second World War the allies had a significant problem dealing with an enemy that had technological superiority in almost all phases of the war. The BF 109 aircraft and its variants had a sophisticated Daimler Benz DB600 series inverted V12 fuel injected engine with an advanced turbo charger with the world's first automatic transmission running it. The counter to that aircraft (British) had a carburator controlled engine which would stall when it flipped over. That had to be corrected immediately and the allies had a lot of catching up to do. The Germans had superiority in their tank designs and the 88 millimeter dual purpose gun was the best all-around gun of the war. The famous Tiger tanks put fear into allied tankers when one was seen on the battlefield. The Sherman tank was inferior to just about any German tank and this was never corrected throughout the war.
How did this technology come about? Germany, at the time of WWII, was an advanced society with many universities turning out some of the best and brightest academics the world has ever seen. You have heard of some of them: ALbert Einstein, Gothe, and many famous mathematicians whose equations are still used in engineering today. So, Germany had provided its people with an academic environment that encouraged its population to excel in sciences and the arts. Combine this with an excellent work ethic, and the result was some of the greatest inventions ever seen on Earth.
However, the outcome of the technology used for war lead to the death of millions. Someone once said that humans are best when they are on the defensive, or engaged in warfare. Well, there you have it.
Hope this helps.

Answer 4

I was born and educated (MSc equivalent) in Germany, and I basically agree with the . But from the answers above I must point out (oh here goes the German!) that we should not mix up "Inventions" and "Engineering". Also consider that many German cars (and also appliances) are no longer manufactured in Germany....! And the Lexus was created (may I say "copied"?) to challenge the luxury car market which was dominated by Mercedes and Rolls Royce.
I personally think that the claim of engineering superiority was true some 100 to 40 years ago. And it still lingers in peoples' mind (especially in China where I do business), though not 100% true anymore.

Answer 5

If my structural vibrations professor was typical, he was a stickler for details, and he placed a heavy emphasis on theory. But to his credit, he was always straight with you.

Now as to the question of superiority, that could be debated. There was talk of German weaponry during WW II. True, the weapons were highly advanced. However, they had a tendency to break down and required highly trained technicians to do the repairs. On the other hand, when American weapons broke down, the average soldier could do the repairs and keep the weapon operational.

When there are intricate designs that require specialists to keep operational, there could be over-engineering going on. Is it really superior engineering when operation and maintenance are not considered? Lockheed's Skunkworks at one time was lead by Kelly Johnson, and one of his tenets was "keep it simple, keep it stupid."

Answer 6

To select any set of engineers from a given country and say they are superior is a bit foolish. There are good, bad and average engineers in all countries that have engineering education programs.

To try to rate engineering efforts is a very subjective undertaking. What yardsticks would you use to compare various engineers? Do you even know what is a really good definition of an engineer? There are many misconceptions about what an engineer is suppose to do.

I personally can't say that German engineers are exceptional. Many think the Mercedes Benz car is exceptional but the Japanese Lexus is rated by most to be superior.

By the way there has been some pretty good engineering done in the US. Just look at transistors and where that has gone!!

Finally, Leo Szilard came from Hungary!!

Answer 7

Germans have a tendency to take everything seriously. I am a student of history, I
have studied the history of German East Africa. As colonisers their performance was superior to British, French or Portuguese. They were far ahead in administration,governance,logistics and infrastructure. It is in their culture to execute every responsibility
with utmost thoroughness.

Answer 8

atomic bomb yes they did check it out, and after the war they they took german scientists to the desert in America before the Russians got hold of them , and put them to work on the atomic project ,they invented or the first rocket , so you could say only for the germans their would be no moon landings , fact ! ooh and by the way im irish.

Answer 9

Germans get the math right, you know what happens with engineers who undermine the math

Answer 10

Is it really? News to me. I think this is more the inbred belief of your average German who believes that he is far more superior than anyone else. They still in denial over a couple of sorties that my ancestors participated in some years back.