Operation Paperclip
After the war Franz moved to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip, and worked for a time with the USAF on engine-related issues at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He was known to still wear his long leather, military coat from Nazi Germany in the United States, with the Nazi insignia removed.
In 1951 he was hired to set up a new turbine division at Lycoming's otherwise unused plant in Stratford, Connecticut. Here he decided to focus on engine areas not currently served by the larger companies (General Electric and Pratt & Whitney), eventually settling on helicopter engines. His first design, the T53, would go on to be one of the most popular turboshaft engines in history, powering the Bell Aircraft UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Cobra helicopters, and the OV-1 Mohawk ground attack aircraft. He followed this success with the larger T55, later converting it into a small turbofan engine as well. In the 1960s he led development of a new design for tank use, which developed into the AGT-1500, used on the M1 Abrams.
Read more about this topic: Anselm Franz
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