1. Introduction.
It was well known that Germany had always depended largely on synthetic operations for her liquid fuel supply. As the air force of that nation grew and developed, and its fuel requirements increased both in quantity and quality, it was correctly concluded that synthetic oil plants had kept pace with the aircraft development and continued to be the main source of fuel supply.
The ever increasing quality of aviation gasoline used by the Allies was paralleled by that of the German supply. The many new processes applied in America for manufacturing high quality gasolines were well understood by the Germans. They obtained information through Allied technical publications, through analysis of gasoline from captured planes, and otherwise. At the same time, German research in great force was supplying new processes, many the same as those being developed by the Allies to their own operations. Toward the end of the war the quality of fuel being used by the German fighter planes was quite similar to that being used by the Allies.
In entering Germany to study their manufacture of aviation gasoline, it was to be expected therefore that many processes and developments would be found that were the same as those in use in America. Also, from examination of the gasoline in captured enemy planes it was believed that no radically new compounds were being synthesized by the enemy. It could be anticipated, however, that new manufacturing techniques and technology might be found, that new designs in engineering might be seen or that new or better catalysts might be in use in the various synthetic processes.
In the course of the technical survey being reported herein, most of the plants that manufactured aviation gasoline components were visited. Many industrial and government technical people were interrogated. A great variety and volume of technical and operating documents were obtained and studied.
In the following sections are discussed the overall German position on supply of aviation gasoline, and there are described the plants and processes producing the isoparaffin, base stock and aromatic components. Some of the newer research work is described. The manufacture of nitration grade toluene is also reported, because its production was rather closely related to the aviation gasoline systems.