Personal life.

Aliona Savchenko was born in Obukhiv, near Kiev, and raised with three brothers. Her father Valentyn is a former weightlifter.  In April 2010, Savchenko became godmother to Galina Efremenko's daughter. In 2014, she worked with the German Red Cross on an aid project for eastern Ukraine.  In April 2015, Savchenko announced her engagement to Liam Cross whom she met at a poker game. The couple that lives in Oberstdorf married on 18 August 2016. Their daughter, Amilia Savchenko Cross, was born on September 7, 2019.

Career for Ukraine.

Savchenko became interested in figure skating after seeing it on television. She began skating at age five and practiced with her father on a lake. She convinced her parents to let her skate at a rink 50 km away, although it required her arriving at a bus stop at four in the morning for a two-hour ride to the rink. Savchenko turned to pairs at age 13, saying "I saw the other skaters doing it and I wanted to do it myself. I liked all the acrobatic things like lifts and twists and throws."  Savchenko and her first partner, Dmytro Boyenko, were coached by Olexander Artychenko, and represented Ukraine under the auspices of the club Dynamo Kiev. The pair split after the 1998 World Junior Championships where they placed 13th.  Her next partner, Stanislav Morozov, was also from club Dynamo Kiev. They were coached by Halyna Kukhar and won the 2000 World Junior Championships, twice won the Ukrainian National title, and placed 15th at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Savchenko's partnership with Morozov dissolved in 2002 because of health issues. She considered partnering with Anton Nimenko from Russia, however, the Ukrainian skating federation would not fund his move to Kiev. She was frustrated by the lack of support for skaters in Ukraine.

Partnership with Szolkowy for Germany.

Formation.

Savchenko told a German journalist she was looking for a partner. He spoke to German coaches and suggested Robin Szolkowy, whom she recognized from a competition. In May 2003, Savchenko and Szolkowy had a successful tryout in Chemnitz, Germany. Three months later, she relocated to Germany and the new team began training in earnest with former World champion Ingo Steuer as their coach. When they first teamed up, they had to adjust to the fact that they had been taught different basics.

Training.

Savchenko/Szolkowy worked mostly in Chemnitz, training twice a day, six days a week. Ingo Steuer served as their coach, choreographer, skate sharpener, and music cutter. Savchenko designed the pair's costumes. When the Chemnitz ice rink was melted – generally from the start of April to mid-May – they trained in Dresden if they needed ice time during this period.

2003–2004 and 2004–2005 seasons.

In their first season together, Savchenko/Szolkowy won the German national title. They made their international debut as a team at the start of the 2004–05 season. They again won the German National pair title, placed fourth at 2005 European Championships and sixth at the 2005 World Championships.

2005–2006 season.

Savchenko/Szolkowy earned their first Grand Prix gold medal at the Skate Canada International, placing first in both programs, and went on to win the bronze medal in their first appearance at the Grand Prix Final. After winning their third national title, Savchenko/Szolkowy took the silver medal in their second appearance at the European Championships. They finished 7.79 points behind champions Tatiana Totmianina / Maxim Marinin.  Savchenko was granted German citizenship on 29 December 2005, making it possible for the pair to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Just prior to the Olympics, the National Olympic Committee of Germany decided to exclude their coach, Ingo Steuer, from the Olympic team due to his collusion with the Stasi. After a court battle, he was granted accreditation. Savchenko/Szolkowy finished sixth with 180.15 points. They also placed sixth at the 2006 Worlds some weeks later, where they earned 170.08 points overall.

2006–2007 season.

The German Ministry of Interior Affairs continued to put pressure on the German Skating Federation over the Steuer affair. As a result, the pair's coach was denied accreditation for the upcoming competitions but the team challenged this in court and won. However, the pair's refusal to leave their coach cost Szolkowy his place in the German army, which had sponsored his skating. Private sponsors and fans supported the pair.  Savchenko/Szolkowy placed third at the 2006 Cup of China and won the 2006 Cup of Russia, qualifying them to the 2006–2007 Grand Prix Final, held in Saint Petersburg. They finished second with a total of 180.67 points, 22.52 behind Shen Xue / Zhao Hongbo, who won gold. In January 2007, they won their fourth German national title.  Savchenko/Szolkowy won the European Championships for the first time, becoming the first German pair skaters to win the title in twelve years; their coach, Ingo Steuer, had won with Mandy Wötzel in 1995. They won the short program with 65.38 points, although Savchenko fell on the throw triple flip. In the free skate, they set a new personal best of 134.01 points while skating to the soundtrack of the film The Mission. Their combined total of 199.39 points was also a new best, and they finished 19.78 points ahead of silver medalists Maria Petrova / Alexei Tikhonov.  Savchenko/Szolkowy made their third World appearance at the 2007 World Championships. Second in the short program and third in the free skate, they won their first World medal, a bronze. Their total score was 16.11 points behind gold medalists Shen/Zhao.

2007–2008 season.

Savchenko/Szolkowy won gold at the 2007 Skate Canada, silver at the 2007 Cup of Russia (second to Zhang Dan / Zhang Hao), and gold at the 2007 NHK Trophy. At the 2007–08 Grand Prix Final in December 2007, Savchenko/Szolkowy scored 72.14 in the short program, setting a new world record, and a season's best of 127.09 points in the free skate to win the pair title with 199.23 overall, eight points ahead of silver medalists Zhang/Zhang.  In January 2008, Savchenko/Szolkowy successfully defended their European title. Finishing first in both segments with a total score of 202.39 points, they won their second European title by a 32.98-point lead over silver medalists Maria Mukhortova / Maxim Trankov. At the 2008 World Championships, held in Gothenburg, Sweden, they placed second in the short program, 2.36 points behind Zhang/Zhang of China, and first in the free skate, 6.74 ahead of Jessica Dubé / Bryce Davison. Overall, Savchenko/Szolkowy finished 5.04 points ahead of silver medalists Zhang/Zhang and won their first World Championship title.

2008–2009 season.

In the 2008–2009 season, Savchenko/Szolkowy won both of their Grand Prix assignments, the 2008 Skate America and the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard. They took the bronze medal at the 2008–09 Grand Prix Final, earning a season's best of 70.14 in the short program and placing third in the long program with a score of 114.95. Overall, they earned 185.09 points to finish 6.40 points behind gold medalists Pang Qing / Tong Jian.  In late January 2009, they competed at the 2009 European Championships as the defending champions. After placing second in the short program, 2.98 behind Maria Mukhortova / Maxim Trankov, they won the free skate with a season's best score of 132.43 points and won the competition overall with a total of 199.07 points, 16.30 points ahead of silver medalists Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Smirnov. This earned Savchenko/Szolkowy their third consecutive European title.  Savchenko/Szolkowy went to the 2009 World Championships as the defending champions. Despite Savchenko fighting a flu, they tallied a personal best 72.30 points in the short program to take the lead by a margin of 3.36 points over Kavaguti/Smirnov. They also won the free skate with 131.18 points. A throw triple salchow on the last beat of their music in the long program ensured victory. They finished with a combined total of 203.48 points, another personal best, and won by almost 17 points over silver medalists Zhang Dan / Zhang Hao. Savchenko/Szolkowy were the first German pair since Marika Kilius / Hans-Jürgen Bäumler (1963 and 1964) to successfully defend a World Championship title.

2009–2010 season.

Savchenko/Szolkowy began the 2009–2010 season at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy. They finished first in both segments and earned the gold medal with a total score of 185.99 points. At their first Grand Prix of the season, the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard, the pair placed first in the short program with a new personal best score of 72.98 points, leading by 6.1 points over Maria Mukhortova / Maxim Trankov, but finished fourth in the free skate with 101.44 points. Overall, they won the bronze medal with 174.42 points, 18.51 behind gold medalists Mukhortova/Trankov. On the plane back to Germany, Steuer suggested scrapping their long program to "You'll Never Walk Alone", which had been recorded for them by André Rieu's orchestra in Maastricht. Although they had worked on the program since May, Savchenko said it "just didn't suit us", so they decided to prepare a new one to the soundtrack of "Out of Africa".  At the 2009 Skate Canada, Savchenko/Szolkowy won the short program, improving their personal best to 74.16 points, and leading the rest of the field by 8.36 points. They also won the free skate with a score of 132.55 points, placing first overall with 206.71 points, 21 ahead of Mukhortova/Trankov. They set a new world record for pairs' combined total under the ISU Judging System. It was also the first time a judge gave a 10.0 under the Code of Points.  Their placements in their two 2009–10 Grand Prix events qualified them for the 2009–10 Grand Prix Final that was held in Tokyo, Japan, in December 2009. Savchenko/Szolkowy placed second in the short program with 73.14 points, 2.22 behind Shen Xue / Zhao Hongbo. However, they finished fourth in the free skate with 127.24 points. They won the bronze medal overall with 200.38 points, 13.87 behind gold medalists Shen/Zhao. Savchenko developed a flu during the Grand Prix Final which worsened and forced the pair to withdraw from German Nationals.  At the 2010 European Championships, Savchenko/Szolkowy led in the short program with 74.12 points, by just 0.2 over Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Smirnov. They placed second in the free skate with a new personal best 137.60 points, 1.63 behind gold medalists Kavaguti/Smirnov, who consequently placed first in the free skate and overall. Overall, Savchenko and Szolkowy earned a new personal best score of 211.72 points.  At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Savchenko/Szolkowy earned their personal best score of 75.96 points in the short program, yet only placed second. Shen/Zhao took the top stop with a world record short program score of 76.66 points. They placed third in the free skating with 134.64 points, 7.16 behind Pang Qing / Tong Jian, who placed first in that segment. Overall they won the bronze medal with 210.60 points, 5.97 behind gold medalists and Olympic champions Shen/Zhao and 2.71 behind silver medalists Pang/Tong.  Savchenko/Szolkowy ended their season at the 2010 World Championships. They placed third in the short program with 69.52 points, which was 5.76 behind leaders Pang/Tong. In the free skate they placed second with a score of 135.22 points, 0.89 behind Pang/Tong, who also won that segment to capture the gold medal. Overall, the team totaled 204.74 points to win the silver medal. Following the Olympics, Savchenko/Szolkowy both concluded they would like to continue competing at least another season.  Savchenko/Szolkowy toured in multiple ice shows around the world, including the 2009 Ice All Stars, in South Korea, and the 2010 Art on Ice in Lausanne, Switzerland.

2010–2011 season.

After performing in fifteen shows, Savchenko/Szolkowy began training for the 2010–2011 season in May 2010 in Chemnitz. The pair experimented with a throw quad flip in training. Steuer said, "It did work sometimes, but it needs extremely high concentration." In September 2010, Savchenko stated that they "plan to continue through 2014, but you never know if our bodies will work as we like them to work."  Savchenko/Szolkowy won 2010 Skate America by over 20 points and 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard by 14 points, and were the top qualifiers for the 2010–11 Grand Prix Final. On their way back from France, the airline lost their luggage containing their skates, resulting in concerns the pair would be forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final. Skates were not permitted as part of hand luggage, the blades being considered potential weapons. The airline found their luggage a few days later. They placed first in both the short and long program at the 2010–11 Grand Prix Final to win the title.  At the European Championships, Savchenko/Szolkowy won the short program by almost three points, receiving a perfect ten for performance and execution from one of the judges. In the long program, the pair received zero points for a spin after an error by Savchenko; they placed second in the free program by less than a point, finishing first overall to win their fourth European title ahead of 2010 champions Kavaguti/Smirnov. Their training ice was scheduled to be melted in late March, after they would normally have left for the World Championships, however, the competition was postponed to late April. They were able to get their ice time extended until Easter, with the city and sport association negotiating the finances.  At the 2011 World Championships, Savchenko/Szolkowy were in second place following the short program. They went on to win their third World Championships with a record-breaking free skate. Their total score was also a new world record. With this win, the pair capped off a season in which they won every event they entered.

2011–2012 season.

Savchenko/Szolkowy took up the option of competing at three Grand Prix events during the 2011–2012 season. They are entered in 2011 Skate America, 2011 NHK Trophy and 2011 Cup of Russia. In October, they confirmed "Pina" and "Angels & Demons" as their new music selections and said they were practicing a throw triple Axel, successfully executed in international competition by only one previous pair, Americans Rena Inoue / John Baldwin at the 2006 Winter Olympics. At Skate America, Savchenko/Szolkowy attempted the throw triple axel in the short program but experienced a hard fall. They were given credit for completing the revolutions and finished in 5th place, 3.4 points off the lead. They rebounded to place first in the free skate and won their second consecutive Skate America title and third in their career. They added a reverse lasso lift to their free program but performed only a double twist because they were still working on a new entry to the triple.  They attempted the throw triple axel again in the short program at 2011 NHK Trophy but Savchenko took another hard fall. They finished third at the event. Savchenko/Szolkowy rebounded to win the 2011 Rostelecom Cup. They qualified for the 2011–12 Grand Prix Final. Although they did not attempt it in Russia, they said they had not ruled out the triple axel. At the Grand Prix Final, Savchenko/Szolkowy won the gold medal with a total score of 212.26, defeating Volosozhar/Trankov by a margin of only 0.18 points. Savchenko/Szolkowy missed their nationals with the German Skating Union's okay and continued to work on the throw triple axel.  In October 2011, Savchenko/Szolkowy were awarded the public prize at Germany's tenth and final Unity Prize ceremony. In January 2012, they were voted Saxony's Sports Team of 2011.  Savchenko ruptured a muscle fiber in her left upper thigh as a result of a fall in training on 12 January 2012. Because she was not fully fit, the pair considered withdrawing from the 2012 European Championships (pairs event 25–26 January) or reducing the level of planned difficulty but said they feared a withdrawal would result in a one-year ban from competition if they performed in 2–8 February "Art on Ice" shows, a significant source of income (around 80,000 euros) for the pair which receives no funding from the German federation. By the start of the competition, Savchenko was able to land jumps and throws but spins aggravated her injury, causing the pair to withdraw before the short program on 25 January.  At the 2012 World Championships in Nice, France, Savchenko/Szolkowy were first in the short program on 28 March. After falls on previous competition attempts, Savchenko landed the throw triple Axel for the first time in their career but her free foot touched the ice. On 29 March, Szolkowy lost a court case seeking reinstatement to the Bundeswehr which funded his sports career until 2006 – the court stated he did not have an authorized coach. Savchenko/Szolkowy were second in the free skate on 30 March but finished first overall. They won their fourth World title – becoming the fifth pair in the post-World War II period to do so – by a margin of 0.11 points over silver medalists Volosozhar/Trankov.

2012–2013 season.

Savchenko/Szolkowy began the season with gold at the 2012 Skate Canada International, although Savchenko had a flu. Officials elected not to impose a deduction after Szolkowy violated the regulation against men wearing tights. Steuer said they would consider making some adjustments. Their colorful costumes received a mixed reaction, with one Canadian journalist describing them as "something that looked like the cat threw up", however, Szolkowy said he was pleased with the results of their collaboration with a Chemnitz design studio. On 8 November 2012, it was announced that Savchenko/Szolkowy had signed a three-year agreement with their first major sponsor, ThomasLloyd, a Swiss investment banking group. Szolkowy said that they no longer had to worry about finances. The pair said they were uncertain if they would compete at their second Grand Prix assignment, the 2012 Trophée Eric Bompard, due to Savchenko's illness. Savchenko's cold having developed into a severe sinus infection, the pair confirmed their withdrawal a week later. Since ISU rules do not allow another GP event to be given if skaters withdraw for any reason from an assignment, this also meant they would not qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Sochi. They won silver medals at both the 2013 European Championships and the 2013 World Championships.

2013–2014 season.

Savchenko/Szolkowy were assigned to the 2013 Cup of China and the 2013 Rostelecom Cup as their Grand Prix events. They finished second in the short program but won the free skate to claim the Cup of China title, making them only the second pair to win all six Grand Prix events. At the 2013–14 Grand Prix Final, Savchenko/Szolkowy edged out Volosozhar/Trankov for the gold medal after placing second in the short and first in the free setting a new personal best scores total of 227.03 points. They then competed at the 2014 European Championships but withdrew after the short program because of Savchenko's flu.  At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Savchenko/Szolkowy earned the bronze medal. They placed second in the short program and fourth in the free skate. During the free skate, Szolkowy fell on the pair's side-by-side triple jumps and Savchenko fell on the throw triple axel at the conclusion of the program and dropping to third in the overall standings behind Ksenia Stolbova / Fedor Klimov.  Savchenko/Szolkowy decided to compete at the 2014 World Championships and won their fifth world title together. They have the second-most world championship titles in pairs, second only to Irina Rodnina / Alexander Zaitsev. Szolkowy then retired from competition, leading Thomas Lloyd to end its sponsorship, in July 2014.

Partnership with Massot.

Formation.

Savchenko decided to continue competing, a possibility she had considered since the 2013 Cup of China. On 29 March 2014, it was reported that she would team up with France's Bruno Massot. The two began training together in April, working to adjust to each other's different technique. They made their first appearance as a pair at the 2014 All That Skate shows in South Korea. Because Chemnitz melted its ice rink until nearly the end of August, they trained in Coral Springs, Florida for two months beginning in mid-July.  Since the ISU does not allow any pairing to compete under two flags, one partner was obliged to change country and could not compete internationally until the previous country granted a release. In July 2014, Savchenko said she preferred to continue competing for Germany while Massot preferred France. On 29 September 2014, the Deutsche Eislauf-Union announced that the pair had decided to skate for Germany. In October 2014, Savchenko/Massot started training in Oberstdorf, coached by Alexander König. On 9 June 2015, Massot's mother announced that the French Figure Skating Federation (FFSG) had refused to release Massot to skate for Germany.

2015–2016 season.

On 31 August 2015, the FFSG reportedly demanded a release fee of 70,000 euros from Massot, later agreeing to 30,000 euros. He was released to skate for Germany on 26 October 2015.  Savchenko/Massot made their debut at the 2015 CS Tallinn Trophy, an ISU Challenger Series (CS) event, where they won the gold medal. That was followed by gold at the 2015 CS Warsaw Cup and German Championships. In January, they won silver at the 2016 European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. In April, they won the bronze medal at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, having placed fourth in the short program and third in the free skate.

2016–2017 season.

After taking gold at the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Savchenko/Massot won both of their Grand Prix events, the 2016 Rostelecom Cup and 2016 Trophée de France. On 12 November, Savchenko tore a ligament in her right ankle on the landing of the throw triple Axel during the free skate in France. She decided to continue skating due to the possibility of a medal and being in a partnership, saying "If you were alone you might just throw in the towel, but there is that other half of the pair, who is also competing." She stated, "Luckily, the ligaments were not completely ruptured, but it takes eight to twelve weeks to heal." As a result, the pair withdrew from their December competitions, the Grand Prix Final and German Championships.  In January 2017, Savchenko/Massot won the silver medal, behind Russia's Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov, at the 2017 European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic. In April, the pair received the silver medal, behind China's Sui Wenjing / Han Cong, at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

2017–2018 season.

Savchenko/Massot began their season with silver at the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Turning to the Grand Prix series, they took silver at the 2017 Skate Canada International after placing first in the short program and second in the free skate. Ranked third in the short and first in the free, the pair won gold at the 2017 Skate America. Their results qualified them to the Grand Prix Final in December, which they won with a world record score.  In November 2017, Massot received German citizenship, allowing the pair to compete for Germany at the 2018 Winter Olympics.  Savchenko and Massot withdrew from the European Figure Skating Championships on 12 January, in order to focus on preparations for the Olympics.  At the 2018 Winter Olympics, the pair competed in the first part of the team event. Savchenko and Massot then competed in the individual pairs event. They placed fourth in the short program after Massot doubled an intended triple jump. On 15 February 2018, they set a new world record score of 159.31 in the free skate. With their aggregate combined score, Savchenko and Massot won the gold medal, edging out world champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China (who were leading after the short program) by just 0.43 points, in spite of mark manipulation from Chinese judge Huang Feng (who was later investigated by the ISU and banned). At age 34, Savchenko became one of the oldest women to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating, and the first female European figure skater to win gold at all major ISU championships. Savchenko commented on the occasion: "I never give up. All my life I've been fighting."  Savchenko and Massot ended the season at the 2018 World Championships in Milan, Italy, where they won the world title, Massot's first and Savchenko's sixth. They set new personal bests in both the short and free programs, in the process setting new world records for the free skate and combined score.  Following their World Championship victory, it was announced that the pair would be taking an indefinite break from competition.

Show career.

During her competitive years, Savchenko was 12 times part of Art on Ice in Switzerland. She also skated at All That Skate in Korea, 'Emotions on Ice' in Germany, 'Music on Ice' in Switzerland, 'Plushenko and Friends', 'Opera on Ice' and 'Hit on Ice' in Italy and several shows in Japan. In 2018/19, she and Massot were the star guests of Holiday on Ice: Showtime and ambassadors of the newly found 'Holiday in Ice Academy'. They decided not to skate any shows in spring and summer of 2019 due to Savchenko's pregnancy. She first performed again in December 2019 at the 'Saturn Eisgala' in Ingolstadt where she skated a solo number to 'Storm' by Eric Radford.

Holiday on Ice.

In 2018/19, Savchenko and Massot were the star guests of Holiday on Ice: Showtime and ambassadors of the newly found 'Holiday in Ice Academy'. They continued working with the Academy, selecting talents and giving seminars. In December 2019 some talents had the chance to perform live in the opening of Dancing on ice together with Savchenko. In February 2020 Savchenko/Massot are to make their comeback together at Holiday on Ice in Hamburg.

Coaching.

German National Team.

Even during her competitive career Savchenko coached young German pairs during the off-season to further develop the sport.

Knierims.

On 14 May 2018, it was announced that Savchenko would take a coaching position overseeing American pairs skaters Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim. She said that they planned to divide their time between the United States and Oberstdorf, Germany. Their collaboration ended in October 2018.

Century Star Club.

In 2018, Savchenko helped the coaches at Century Star Club Beijing. She worked with skaters like Xiaouyu Yu/ Hao Zhang and Xiangyi An and taught them and their coaches about skating skills and jump technique.

Aya Hatakawa.

Savchenko started coaching Aya Hatakawa after her previous coach moved away under Savchenko's guidance Hatakawa started performing triple jumps. She won German Novice Nationals 2019 and silver medals at both junior and senior Nationals 2020.

Hanna Keiß.

From 2019 on Hanna Keiß became part of the group.

Choreography.

Savchenko choreographed several of her exhibition programs with Massot, including their 2017/18 program 'Up all night" and the opening of the pair's 2017-18 free skate. Programs choreographed by her include:  - 2017/18 free skate of Annika Hocke / Ruben Blommaert.  - 2020/21 Short program of Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel

Books and Documentaries.

In 2016 skating journalist Tatjana Flade published the book 'Ein perfektes Paar' about Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy.  In December 2019 Savchenko announced her biography 'Der lange Weg zu Gold' written by Alexandra Illina published by Arete Verlag. The book became available in March 2020. Within a day it was the Amazon bestseller in Wintersports.  In 2019 a documentary about Savchenko's life and career was broadcast on German TV channel NDR.

Competitive highlights.

"GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix"

Detailed results.

"Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only."

Aljona Savchenko (, "Olena Valentynivna Savčenko"; German Romanization: "Aljona Sawtschenko", sometimes "Aliona Savchenko"; born 19 January 1984) is a Ukrainian-born German pair skater. One of the most decorated pair skaters, she is the 2018 Olympic Champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist (2010, 2014), a six-time World Champion, a four-time European Champion and a five-time Grand Prix Final champion.

Aljona Savchenko (en ), née le à Kiev, est une patineuse artistique germano-ukrainienne. Avec son partenaire Robin Szolkowy avec lequel elle patine de 2003 à 2014, elle est double médaillée de bronze olympique (2010 et 2014), quintuple championne du monde (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014), quadruple championne d'Europe (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011), et octuple championne d'Allemagne (entre 2004 et 2014).


Recording.

While in Los Angeles, Blunt lodged with Carrie Fisher, whom he had met through the family of a former girlfriend. Fisher was very supportive of Blunt's aspirations, and provided the use of a bathroom in her home that featured a piano for him to record Goodbye My Lover. Blunt later said, "Everyone sings in the shower and everyone in Los Angeles seems to have a piano in the bathroom."

Release.

The single was released on three physical formats. CD1 includes an exclusive non-album recording, "Close Your Eyes", which was first written during Blunt's army days. CD2 includes a further non-album recording, "Where Is My Mind" performed live in Manchester, plus the video for "Goodbye My Lover" and behind-the-scenes "Making-Of" footage. The 7" vinyl includes the live version of "Where Is My Mind".

Music video.

"Goodbye My Lover" featured a music video that was directed by Sam Brown and was filmed on 28 October 2005 in Los Angeles. In the video Blunt is featured sitting in a darkened room by himself, reflecting on a past relationship. In what appears to be the same room, but in daylight, a young man and woman, the former lovers, share an intimate moment. The video was shot in the former home of Randolph Scott. The young woman in the video was played by Mischa Barton. The young man in the video was played by Matt Dallas.

Chart performance.

In December 2005, "Goodbye My Lover" was released in the United Kingdom. The song became Blunt's second top ten single when it peaked at number nine on the singles chart, and spent a total of 14 weeks in the top 75. Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. It reached number one in Sweden and became Blunt's second number one on the singles chart.  "Goodbye My Lover" was released in Australia in December 2005 and debuted at number eight before ascending the chart to number three, remaining inside the top ten for 16 weeks, a feat rarely reached in recent years.  Due to the favourable reception of Blunt's previous single "You're Beautiful", "Goodbye My Lover" debuted on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 singles chart at number 100, even though it had not been released as a single in the U.S. The single appeared on the chart backed solely on the strength of digital sales after a re-run of an episode of "Saturday Night Live" that featured Blunt performing the song. It later re-entered the "Billboard" Hot 100, again due to digital downloads, as a result of Blunt's performance of the song on "The Oprah Winfrey Show".

"Goodbye My Lover" is a song by the English singer-songwriter James Blunt, written by Blunt and British songwriter Sacha Skarbek, for Blunt's debut album "Back to Bedlam" (2004). The song was produced by Tom Rothrock and Jimmy Hogarth and recorded in the home of actress Carrie Fisher. The single received a positive reception from music critics. It was released as the fourth single in November 2005 and reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, where it became Blunt's second top ten single. It also reached the top ten in Sweden, Australia and France. In the United States, "Goodbye My Lover" had modest success on the "Billboard" singles chart, where it reached number 66 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 due to digital downloads, even though the single was not yet released in the US. The song was formally released in the United States on 7 November 2006.

, quatrième single extrait de l'album "Back to Bedlam", est considéré comme l'un des plus gros succès de James Blunt. Il est sorti le.


Biography.

Martin was born in Saint-Quentin into an upper-middle-class family. Trained as a notary, he followed this profession for some time but having achieved success with an historical romance, "Wolfthurm" (1830), he applied himself to historical research. Martin sat in the "Assemblée Nationale" as deputy for Aisne in 1871, and was elected on 13 June 1878 to seat number 38 of the Académie française, but he left no mark as a politician. Redactor at the "Siècle", he was also mayor of the 16th arrondissement of Paris in 1870, deputy of Paris in 1871, senator in 1876, and one of the founders and the first president of the "Ligue des Patriotes". He died in Paris on 14 December 1883 and, acclaimed as "national historian", was given a public funeral. A laudatory biography soon appeared: Gabriel Hanotaux, "Henri Martin", Paris, 1885.

Writings.

"Histoire de France".

Becoming associated with Paul Lacroix ("Le Bibliophile Jacob"), he planned with him a history of France to consist of excerpts from the chief chroniclers and historians, with original matter filling up gaps in the continuity. In the first volume, which appeared in 1833, "Histoire de France depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'en juillet 1830" the compiler promised to seek "always the dramatic and picturesque side of history, the one that interests the greatest number"; its success encouraged Martin to make the work his own, and his "Histoire de France", in 15 volumes (1833–1836) which spans the space from earliest times to the French Revolution of 1789, was the result. This magnum opus, rewritten and further elaborated during the following 18 years of research (4th ed., 16 vols. and index, 1861–1865) gained for him in 1856 the first prize of the Academy, and in 1869 the grand biennial prize of 20,000 francs. A popular abridgement, "L'Histoire de France Populaire" (7 vols.) was published in 1867. This, together with the continuation, "Histoire de France depuis 1789 jusqu'à nos jours" (History of France from 1789 to the Present Time) (6 vols. 1878-1883), gives a complete history of France, superseding Sismondi's "Histoire des Français" as the #1 French history of the 19th century.  Alas, this monumental work has not withstood the test of time. Martin's romanticized descriptions of Gauls as representing the Druidic key to France's essentialist "primitive tradition" are based on his longstanding close ties with the Saint-Simonian counter-Enlightenment philosopher Jean Reynaud rather than on objective history. However flawed, his popularized accounts gave a great impetus to Celtic linguistic and anthropological studies. His knowledge of the Middle Ages is inadequate, and his criticisms are not discriminating. As a free-thinking liberal republican outside the Roman Catholic Church, his prejudices often biased his judgment on the political and religious history of the "ancien régime". The last six volumes, devoted to the 17th and 18th centuries, are superior to the earlier ones.

Other writings.

In his essay "De la France, de son génie et de ses destinées" (1847) he sought to give the French a sense of their essentially national destiny within the framework of Romantic nationalism. Other minor works included "Daniel Manin" (1860), "La Russie et l'Europe" (1866), "Etudes d'archéologie celtique" (1872), and "Les Napoléon et les frontières de la France" (1874). Martin was distinguished by an extremely hostile attitude towards Russia. One of his main works, "Russia and Europe" (1866), which arose under the influence of racist ideas of the pole-emigrant Francis Dukhinsky, Vice-President of the Paris ethnographic society, describes the Russian ("Muscovites") as prone to despotism barbaric people of non-European (Turan) origin, unjustly appropriated the history of Russia.

Henri Martin (a.k.a. Bon Louis Henri Martin) (20 February 1810 in Saint-Quentin, Aisne – 14 December 1883 in Paris) was a French historian, who was celebrated in his own day but whose modern reputation has been eclipsed by the greater literary and interpretive powers of his contemporary, the equally passionate patriot Jules Michelet, whose works have often been reprinted. After publishing a few novels, Martin devoted his life to the study of the history of France, writing "Histoire de France", a formidable work in 13 volumes (1833-1836). He later brought the history down to 1789 in the 4th edition (19 vols., 1865), and received from the Institut de France 20,000 francs as a prize in 1869. The Avenue Henri-Martin in Paris is named after him.

Henri Martin, né le à Saint-Quentin et mort le à Passy, est un historien, essayiste, romancier et homme politique français.


Synthesis.

Tabun was made on an industrial scale by Germany during World War II, based on a process developed by Gerhard Schrader. In the chemical agent factory in Dyhernfurth an der Oder, codenamed "Hochwerk", at least 12,000 metric tons of this agent were manufactured between 1942 and 1945. The manufacturing process consisted of two steps, the first being reaction of gaseous dimethylamine (1) with an excess of phosphoryl chloride (2), yielding dimethylamidophosphoric dichloride (3, codenamed "Produkt 39" or "D 4") and dimethylammonium chloride (4). The dimethylamidophosphoric dichloride thus obtained was purified by vacuum distillation and thereafter transferred to the main tabun production line. Here it was reacted with an excess of sodium cyanide (5), dispersed in dry chlorobenzene, yielding the intermediate dimethylamidophosphoric dicyanide (not depicted in the scheme) and sodium chloride (8); then, absolute ethanol (6) was added, reacting with the dimethylamidophosphoric dicyanide to yield tabun (7) and hydrogen cyanide (9). After the reaction, the mixture (consisting of about 75% chlorobenzene and 25% tabun, along with insoluble salts and the rest of the hydrogen cyanide) was filtered to remove the insoluble salts and vacuum-distilled to remove hydrogen cyanide and excess chlorobenzene, so yielding the technical product, consisting either of 95% tabun with 5% chlorobenzene (Tabun A) or (later in the war) of 80% tabun with 20% chlorobenzene (Tabun B).

Effects of exposure.

The symptoms of exposure include: nervousness/restlessness, miosis (contraction of the pupil), rhinorrhea (runny nose), excessive salivation, dyspnea (difficulty in breathing due to bronchoconstriction/secretions), sweating, bradycardia (slow heartbeat), loss of consciousness, convulsions, flaccid paralysis, loss of bladder and bowel control, apnea (breathing stopped) and lung blisters. The exact symptoms of overexposure are similar to those created by all nerve agents. Tabun is toxic even in minute doses. The number and severity of symptoms which appear vary according to the amount of the agent absorbed and rate of entry of it into the body. Very small skin dosages sometimes cause local sweating and tremors accompanied with characteristically constricted pupils with few other effects. Tabun is about half as toxic as sarin by inhalation, but in very low concentrations it is more irritating to the eyes than sarin. Also, tabun breaks down slowly, which after repeated exposure can lead to build up in the body.  The effects of tabun appear slowly when tabun is absorbed through the skin rather than inhaled. A victim may absorb a lethal dose quickly, although death may be delayed for one to two hours. A person's clothing can release the toxic chemical for up to 30 minutes after exposure. Inhaled lethal dosages kill in one to ten minutes, and liquid absorbed through the eyes kills almost as quickly. However, people who experience mild to moderate exposure to tabun can recover completely, if treated almost as soon as exposure occurs. The LCt50 for tabun is about 400 mg-min/m.  Treatment for suspected tabun poisoning is often three injections of a nerve agent antidote, such as atropine. Pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM Cl) also works as an antidote; however, it must be administered within minutes to a few hours following exposure to be effective.

History.

The beginning of the research in the field of ethyl dialkylaminocyanophosphonate dates back to turn of the 19th century, when a student of German chemistry professor August Michaelis Adolph Schall synthesised diethylamino analog of tabun, defending his PhD thesis "Über die Einwirkung von Phosphoroxybromid auf secundäre aliphatische Amine" at University of Rostock in 1898. However, he incorrectly identified the structure of the substance as an imidoether, and his professor corrected him later in a large article "Ueber die organischen Verbindungen des Phosphors mit dem Stickstoff" which came out in 1903 in "Liebigs Annalen". The high toxicity of the substance (as well as high toxicity of its precursor diethylamidophosphoric dichloride, and dimethylamidophosphoric dichloride) wasn't noticed at the time, most likely due to the low yield of synthethic reactions used.  Tabun became the first nerve agent known after a property of this chemical was discovered by pure accident in January 1936 by the German researcher Gerhard Schrader. Schrader was experimenting with a class of compounds called organophosphates, which kill insects by interrupting their nervous systems, to create a more effective insecticide for IG Farben, a German chemical and pharmaceutical industry conglomerate, at Elberfeld. He discovered that tabun, as well as being a potent insecticide, was enormously toxic to humans.  During World War II, as part of the Grün 3 program, a plant for the manufacture of tabun was established at Dyhernfurth (now Brzeg Dolny, Poland), in 1939. Run by Anorgana, GmbH, the plant began production of the substance in 1942. The reason for the delay was the extreme precautions used by the plant. Intermediate products of tabun were corrosive, and had to be contained in quartz or silver-lined vessels. Tabun itself was also highly toxic, and final reactions were conducted behind double glass walls. Large scale manufacturing of the agent resulted in problems with tabun's degradation over time, and only around 12,500 tons of material were manufactured before the plant was seized by the Soviet Army. The plant initially produced shells and aerial bombs using a 95:5 mix of tabun and chlorobenzene, designated "Variant A", and in the latter half of the war switched to "Variant B", an 80:20 mix of tabun and chlorobenzene designed for easier dispersion. The Soviets dismantled the plant and shipped it to Russia.  During the Nuremberg Trials, Albert Speer, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich, testified that he had planned to kill Adolf Hitler in early 1945 by introducing tabun into the Führerbunker ventilation shaft. He said his efforts were frustrated by the impracticality of tabun and his lack of ready access to a replacement nerve agent, and also by the unexpected construction of a tall chimney that put the air intake out of reach.  The US once considered repurposing captured German stocks of tabun (GA) prior to production of Sarin (GB). Like the other Allied governments, the Soviets soon abandoned tabun (GA) for Sarin (GB) and Soman (GD). Large quantities of the German-manufactured agent were dumped into the sea to neutralize the substance.  Since GA is much easier to produce than the other G-series weapons and the process is comparatively widely understood, countries that develop a nerve agent capability but lack advanced industrial facilities often start by producing GA.  During the Iran–Iraq War of 1980 to 1988, Iraq employed quantities of chemical weapons against Iranian ground forces. Although the most commonly used agents were mustard gas and sarin, tabun and cyclosarin were also used.  Tabun was also used in the 1988 Halabja chemical attack.  Producing or stockpiling tabun was banned by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. The worldwide stockpiles declared under the convention were 2 tonnes, and as of December 2015 these stockpiles had been destroyed.

Tabun or GA is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid with a faint fruity odor. It is classified as a nerve agent because it fatally interferes with normal functioning of the mammalian nervous system. Its production is strictly controlled and stockpiling outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. Tabun is the first of the "G-series" nerve agents along with GB (sarin), GD (soman) and GF (cyclosarin).

Le tabun est un gaz neurotoxique dangereux par inhalation ou contact épidermique, comme le soman et le sarin. Cependant, sa nocivité est moins importante que celle du soman. Il se présente sous la forme d'un liquide incolore ou brun selon son degré de pureté. Son nom IUPAC est le N-diméthylaminocyanophosphite d'éthyle.


History.

The company consists of many ex-Square Co., Ltd. 2D artists. At least two of its founders (Kameoka Shinichi and Kouji Tsuda) had previously worked on the award-winning "Mana" series on the Game Boy and Super NES platforms. The founders left Square due to "differing ideals."  The company's first original creation was the Japan-only "Magical Vacation" for the Game Boy Advance, which was released in 2001. Another popular title developed by Brownie Brown was "Sword of Mana", which was created for and published by Square Enix. Thought to be a new title in the "Seiken Densetsu" series, it was actually an enhanced remake of the first game in the series, "Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden" (known as "Mystic Quest" in Europe and "Final Fantasy Adventure" in North America).  The company has also been credited with the development of "Mother 3" in a collaborative effort with Shigesato Itoi and HAL Laboratory for the Game Boy Advance, and "Magical Starsign" ("Magical Vacation: When the Five Stars Align" in Japan) for the Nintendo DS. Brownie Brown, one of the game's three developers, expressed interest in a Nintendo DS port of "Mother 3" if Nintendo asked them to make it, and that they would like it to be enjoyed by fans abroad.  While the company has only released video games for Nintendo's handheld video game systems up to this point, the company had previously announced a title for the Nintendo GameCube, named "Gofuku", which was scheduled for release in 2005 and was announced alongside "Magical Vacation: When the Five Stars Align".  The company later released "Blue Dragon Plus" for the Nintendo DS, developed alongside Mistwalker, and entered into the downloadable games market in 2009 with "A Kappa's Trail", a DSiWare game. Brownie Brown also worked on the DS title "Livly Garden", based on a browser game from So-net Entertainment, released in Japan on January 28, 2010, and aided in the development of two Level-5 titles, "Professor Layton's London Life", a bonus game included with "Professor Layton and the Last Specter", and "Fantasy Life", for the DS and 3DS respectively.  On February 1, 2013, the company announced on their original official website that, as a result of their recent development cooperation efforts with Nintendo, Brownie Brown had undergone changes in internal structure, which included officially changing the name of their company to 1-Up Studio.

, formerly, is a Japanese video game developer founded on June 30, 2000 in Tokyo, Japan, and owned by Nintendo. On February 1, 2013, the company announced that due to their recent co-development efforts with Nintendo, that they were undergoing a change in internal structure, which included changing the name of their company to 1-Up Studio.

, anciennement est un studio de développement japonais de jeux vidéo fondé le et basé à Tokyo. Brownie Brown est lié à Nintendo par un contrat d'exclusivité. La compagnie est composée d'anciens programmeurs de chez Square ayant déjà travaillé sur la série "Seiken Densetsu".


Biography.

Birth and family.

Princess Anne-Marie was born on 30 August 1946 at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen as the third and last daughter and child of the Crown Prince of Denmark and the Crown Princess, Princess Ingrid of Sweden. Her father was the eldest son of the King and the Queen, Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and her mother was the only daughter of the Crown Prince of Sweden and his British-born first wife, daughter of the Duke of Connaught, Princess Margaret of Connaught.  The princess was baptised on 9 October 1946 in the Holmen Church in Copenhagen. Her godparents are the King of Denmark and Queen of Denmark (paternal grandparents); Crown Prince of Sweden (maternal grandfather, Prince Bertil of Sweden (maternal uncle), the King of Norway (paternal grand-uncle), Prince George of Greece and Denmark, the Crown Princess of Norway (father's first cousin), Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, Princess Dagmar of Denmark (paternal grand-aunt) and the Crown Princess of the Netherlands.  At her birth, Princess Anne-Marie had two elder sisters: Princess Margrethe, the present Queen of Denmark, and Princess Benedikte, who later married Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and lives in Germany.

Early life.

Princess Anne-Marie and her sisters grew up in apartments at Frederick IX's Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagen and in Fredensborg Palace in North Zealand. She spent summer holidays with the royal family in her parent's summer residence at Gråsten Palace in Southern Jutland. On 20 April 1947, King Christian X died and Anne-Marie's father ascended the throne as King Frederick IX.  At the time of her father's accession to the throne, only males could ascend the throne of Denmark. As Anne-Marie's parents had no sons, it was assumed that her uncle Prince Knud would one day assume the throne. The popularity of Frederick IX and his daughters and the more prominent role of women in Danish life paved the way for a new Act of Succession in 1953 which permitted female succession to the throne following the principle of male-preference primogeniture, where a female can ascend to the throne if she has no brothers. Anne-Marie's eldest sister Margrethe therefore became heir presumptive, and Princess Benedikte and Princess Anne-Marie became second and third in the line of succession.  Anne-Marie was educated at N. Zahle's School, a private school in Copenhagen, from 1952 to 1961. In 1961 she attended the Chatelard School for Girls, an English boarding school outside Montreux in Switzerland. In 1963 and 1964 she attended the Institut Le Mesnil, a Swiss finishing school also in Montreux.

Marriage.

In 1959, at the age of thirteen, Anne-Marie first met her future husband, her third cousin Constantine, Crown Prince of Greece, who accompanied his parents, King Paul and Queen Frederica, on a state visit to Denmark. They met a second time in Denmark in 1961, when Constantine declared to his parents his intention to marry Anne-Marie. They met again in Athens in May 1962 at the marriage of Constantine's sister Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark to Prince Juan Carlos of Spain at which Anne-Marie was a bridesmaid: and again in 1963 at the centenary celebrations of the Greek monarchy.  On 6 March 1964, King Paul died, and Constantine succeeded him as King of the Hellenes. In July 1964, the announcement of the engagement of Constantine and Anne-Marie raised the polite protests of the Left in Denmark. Anne-Marie and Constantine were married on 18 September 1964 (two weeks after Anne-Marie's 18th birthday) in the Metropolis, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Athens. The bride wore a Jørgen Bender design. Prior to the wedding, Anne-Marie converted from Lutheranism to the Greek Orthodox Church. Also, in view of the fact that she was marrying a foreign ruler, consent to the marriage was given on the condition that Anne-Marie renounced her succession rights to the Danish throne for herself and her descendants.  Anne-Marie and her husband Constantine are third cousins: they share King Christian IX of Denmark as patrilineal great-great-grandfather. They also share Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother. They have five children: Princess Alexia, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos.  As Queen of Greece, Anne-Marie spent much of her time working for a charitable foundation known as "Her Majesty's Fund" which provided assistance to people in rural areas of Greece.

Issue.

Constantine and Anne-Marie have five children and nine grandchildren.

Exile.

In April 1967, Anne-Marie’s husband King Constantine had been compelled, after a military coup, to swear into office a military junta. In December 1967, the King attempted to shake off the unelected authoritarian regime and tried to stage a counter-coup with the help of certain like-minded people. The counter-"coup" failed and Anne-Marie and her family had to flee to Italy. In the aftermath, Anne-Marie miscarried a child. The family lived for two months in the Greek embassy in Rome and then for the next five years in a house in a suburb of Rome.  In 1973, Anne-Marie moved with her family to England. They lived first in Chobham in Surrey. Later they moved to the London suburb of Hampstead. The Greek government seized their former private home of Tatoi. It was only after a successful appeal to the European Court of Human Rights that the Greek government were forced to pay compensation for the property. King Constantine used the money obtained to establish the Anna-Maria Foundation.

Current activities.

In 1980 Anne-Marie and Constantine founded Hellenic College of London, a bilingual school where her own children were educated. The school closed in 2005.  The government of Greece did not permit Anne-Marie to return to Greece until 1981 when she was allowed to enter Greek territory for several hours to attend the funeral of her mother-in-law, Queen Frederika. She and her family paid a private visit to Greece in 1993. Since 2003 – when the property dispute between her husband Constantine and the government of Greece concluded – Anne-Marie has visited Greece numerous times.  In 2003 Anne-Marie and her husband established the Anna-Maria Foundation with the money reimbursed to them by the government of Greece for the appropriation of their private property. The foundation provides aid to victims of natural disasters, including earthquakes and floods, in Greece. Anne-Marie serves as president of the foundation.  On 21 May 2004 Anne-Marie was peripherally involved in a dispute in Madrid between former Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Italy and his cousin and dynastic rival Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta. At a "soirée" held at the Zarzuela Palace during the wedding celebrations of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, Amedeo approached Vittorio who reportedly punched him twice in the face, causing him to stumble backward down the steps. The quick intervention of Anne-Marie, who propped him up, prevented Amedeo from falling to the ground. She discreetly assisted him indoors while stanching his bleeding facial wounds until first aid was administered. Upon learning of the incident Spain's King Juan Carlos, a cousin of both men, reportedly declared that "never again" would an opportunity to abuse his hospitality be afforded the competing pretenders.  On 14 August 2004 Anne-Marie and her husband Constantine visited their former home in Athens, the former Royal Palace that is now the Presidential Palace, for the first time since 1967. They were received by then-President of Greece Costis Stephanopoulos along with other members of the International Olympic Committee (of which Constantine is an honorary member). In December 2004 Constantine, Anne-Marie and their children were again invited to pay a personal private visit by President Stephanopoulos.

Titles, styles, honours, and arms.

She has been the titular Queen of the Hellenes since 1974. This title is not recognized under the terms of the republican Constitution of Greece.

Arms and monogram.

The coats of arms of Queen Anne-Marie combine the 1936-1973 royal coat of arms of Greece and the 1948-1972 coat of arms of Denmark which was current at the time of her marriage in 1964. The Danish coat of arms is almost identical with the dynastic arms inescutcheon in the Greek coat of arms, which equals the Danish coat of arms of 1819-1903. The only difference is that the Greek arms also include Iceland's white stockfish on red in the lower dexter corner.

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, RE (, born Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark on 30 August 1946) is the wife of King Constantine II, who reigned from 1964 until 1973.

Anne-Marie de Danemark (en danois :'; en / '), princesse de Danemark et, par son mariage, reine des Hellènes, est née le à Copenhague, au Danemark. Troisième fille du roi Frédéric IX de Danemark et épouse du roi Constantin II de Grèce, elle est reine des Hellènes de 1964 à 1973.


Plot.

Liliom Zadowski is a barker at Madame Muscat's carousel. A rival barker named Hollinger tries to get Liliom in trouble by telling the jealous Mme. Muscat, who is having an affair with Liliom, that Liliom flirts with his customers behind her back. When Mme. Muscat insults Liliom's female customers Julie and Marie, Liliom comes to their defense, which leads to Mme. Muscat firing Liliom. Liliom makes a date with Julie and Marie and leaves the carousel. When he meets the girls later, Liliom tells them that he intends to only take one of them out, which leads to Liliom going only with Julie. Julie is infatuated with Liliom and they move in together in a run-down trailer. Julie works in a photo studio while Liliom loafs, drinks and gets into violent arguments with Julie.  Mme. Muscat later tries to bring Liliom back to the carousel by offering him a substantial raise. Liliom considers it but denies the offer finding that Julie is expecting a child. Liliom's criminal friend Alfred suggests that the two rob the local payroll clerk, and insists that Liliom bring a knife, as Alfred will also do. Desperate to find money for the child, Liliom agrees. The robbery attempt is foiled and Liliom finds himself cornered by the police. Rather than be arrested, Liliom stabs himself with the kitchen knife he brought with him to commit the robbery. An unconscious Liliom is brought home on a stretcher. Near death, he repents and tells Julie that he must face the judgment of God. He then dies.  Liliom's soul rises from his body when he is visited by two uniformed agents who identify themselves as God's Police. They take Liliom to Heaven where he is taken to an area for suicides. There, Liliom is questioned by an officious commissioner who looks exactly like a police commissioner that Lilom reported to once while alive. When Liliom refuses to explain to the clerk why he beat Julie, he is first shown a silent film of one of his arguments with her, then again with a soundtrack of his thoughts. He realizes that he beat Julie because he hated himself so much for his cruelty and selfishness. The Commissioner sentences Liliom to sixteen years in Purgatory, so that he will be cleansed of his pride and violence. Afterwards, he will be allowed one day back on Earth to visit his child, and his behavior on that day will determine where he shall spend eternity.  Sixteen years pass and Liliom is allowed to visit his daughter, who is named Louise in the play, but whose name is not mentioned in this film version. One of the angels reminds Liliom to bring his daughter something beautiful, and Liliom surreptitiously steals a star on his way down to Earth. Liliom approaches Louise and tells her that he knew her father many years ago, and that he was a violent brute. This disgusts Louise, who throws Liliom's gift of a star into the gutter. Liliom follows the sobbing Louise home, where she demands to be alone. Liliom slaps her hand out of frustration before disappearing.  As Liliom returns to Heaven, the angels watch as the scales of justice tip toward the devil's side, and the devil begins to inscribe Liliom's name on his tablet. In Heaven, the commissioner is furious at Liliom for breaking the heart of a child, and Liliom responds that one can only love him as he is. Just then the angel-typist excitedly points to a scene happening down on Earth. Louise is then seen telling her mother that Liliom's slap felt like a kiss, and asks if it is possible to receive a slap that does not hurt at all. Julie says yes and the two embrace with tears in their eyes. It is Liliom's love for his daughter which has miraculously made the slap feel exactly like a kiss. The scales of justice tip toward the heavenly side and Liliom's name is slowly removed from the devil's tablet.

Production.

After being fired by Universum Film AG (UFA), producer Erich Pommer moved to France in April 1933 where he started the Fox-Europa film studio based at the Joinville Studios in Paris. Pommer's studio began work on their first two films: the detective film "On a volé un Homme" and an adaptation of Ferenc Molnár's "Liliom". Pommer had two directors to work with: Max Ophüls and Fritz Lang. Pommer gave the "Liliom" story to Lang, which Ophüls later felt was a mistake, stating that "Lang would have certainly made a remarkable detective film, and as for me, I probably would have probably succeeded in making a good romantic comedy". The screenplay for "Liliom" was written by Robert Liebmann. Liebmann was fired from Universum Film AG, his former studio in Germany after they purged the company of all Jewish staff. Liebmann fled to France where he was worked on adapting on the screenplay for "Liliom".  Production on "Liliom" began in late 1933. Lang was not completely fluent in French, and was assisted by Gilbert Mandelik in learning French filmmaking translations to help the production on the film. The French cast included Charles Boyer, who worked with Pommer on several French-language versions of German films. Madeleine Ozeray, who was part of Boyer's stage company, played Julie. The technical crew of "Liliom" included cinematographer Rudolph Maté who worked with Pommer as a second-unit photographer in Berlin. Composer Franz Waxman made his debut as a composer with "Liliom". Waxman previously worked with Pommer behind the scenes in "The Blue Angel".  During production, Lang zealously took to the project, annotating the screenplay with his own notes and ignoring advice from others. Screenwriter Bernard Zimmer suggested scenes that did get filmed, but were later cut during post-production by Lang. After production ended in early 1934, Lang spent 48 hours without sleep to finish editing "Liliom" before the film was to be shown to the producers.

Release.

"Liliom" premiered in France on April 27, 1934. The French Catholic clergy protested "Liliom" on its initial release due to Lang's conception of heaven to be too much against that of the church. The original playwright, Ferenc Molnár, denounced the film because he did not receive screen credit on the poster. "Liliom" was not a commercial success and did not receive a wide release in the United States. It was shown in New York in 1935.

Reception.

"Liliom" received generally negative reception on its initial release. Jean Faynard of "Candide" described the film as "false, stiff and badly situated". In "Action Française", François Vinneuil wrote "the result is a heterogeneous spectacle... this French-Jewish-Hungarian collaboration doesn't create a breathable atmosphere". Jean Vidal of "Pour Vous" wrote that "A pace that's rather too slow spoils the movement of the film". A review in "Le Journal" criticized the visual effects in the film as he felt that emphasis on them detracted from the other film elements. Despite the film's reception, "Liliom" was one of Lang's favourite directorial efforts. In 1974, Lang stated that ""Liliom", I always liked very much... Today, I almost like "Liliom" best of all".

Home video.

"Liliom" was released on a Region 1 DVD by Kino International on March 30, 2004. In 2006, "Liliom" was included on the 50th Anniversary Edition DVD of "Carousel".  Notes

See also.

Bibliography

Liliom is a 1934 French fantasy film directed by Fritz Lang based on the 1909 Hungarian stage play of the same name by Ferenc Molnár. The film stars Charles Boyer as Liliom, a carousel barker who is fired from his job after defending the chambermaid Julie (Madeleine Ozeray) from the jealousy of Mme. Muscat, the carousel owner who is infatuated with Liliom. He moves in with Julie and they begin an affair. When Liliom discovers he's about to become a father, he finds he needs money and participates in a robbery which goes awry. Rather than allow himself to be arrested, Liliom kills himself and his soul is transported to a waiting room of Heaven. A heavenly commissioner determines that Liliom will not be admitted into Heaven, only Purgatory, until he returns to earth to do one good deed.

Liliom est un film français, réalisé par Fritz Lang en 1934 et dont les acteurs principaux sont Charles Boyer et Madeleine Ozeray.


History.

Archaeological findings in the Kopačina cave between Supetar and Donji Humac have been dated to the 12th millennium BC. These are some of the oldest traces of human habitation in Croatia. The findings show that the cave has been inhabited until the 3rd millennium BC (although not continuously). Some of the artefacts have originated in the Dalmatian hinterland, showing that Brač was part of a trade network with the mainland. In the Bronze Age and Iron Age, numerous villages existed.  In the 4th century BC Greek colonisation spread over many Adriatic islands and along the coast, but none of them on Brač. Nevertheless, Greeks visited the island and also traded with the Illyrian inhabitants. The Greek name of the island was "Elaphousa", apparently derived from "elaphos" "stag". Based on this, it has been speculated that the original name of the island may have been derived from Messapic "*brentos" "stag". Polybius and Plinius record the name of the island as "Brattia".  Brač lay on the crossroads of several trade routes from Salona (today Solin) to Issa (today Vis) and the Po River. Greek artifacts were found in the bay of Vičja near Ložišća on the estate of the Rakela-Bugre brothers. Many of the objects belonging to this still unexamined site are now on display in the Archeological Museum of Split. Dalmatia fell under Roman rule in AD 9. Salona became the capital of the new province and, probably because of its proximity to Salona, significant population centers were present on the island in the Roman period. Signs of Roman habitation are still widespread, but they usually are limited to single Roman villas, cisterns, and especially early quarries between Škrip and Splitska. Splitska also became the most important harbour to carry stone to Salona and the whole of Dalmatia. Diocletian's Palace, which later became Split, was largely built with limestone that was quarried on Brač. Also agriculture, especially wine and olives, began in the same era.  After the destruction of Salona by Avars and Slavs, Brač became a refuge. Tradition has it that Škrip was founded by refugee Salonans, but the town is actually much older than that.  In 872, the island was sacked by Saracen raiders.  From 1268 to 1357 the island recognised the supremacy of the Republic of Venice, and after that they bowed to the Kingdom of Hungary. In the summer of 1390, together with the whole region, they accepted the rule of the Bosnian King Tvrtko Kotromanić, who died the next year. Soon after his death, Hungary claimed the island again. In this whole period, they kept their basic autonomy and old structures - the island was never rich or strategically interesting enough to justify serious intervention. Local nobility administered and ruled Brač and the seat of the council was Nerežišća in the island's center. The leader was selected from the noble families. Only in 1420 did the Venetian Republic reclaim the island, finally sending a representative to assume rule over it.  The Black Death hit Brač from 1434-1436. For 1405, Hranković mentions in his chronicles that Brač has a population of 6,000 - but after the pandemic, only 2,000 people were still living on the island. The population recovered in the following years quickly, with many people moving in from the main land and the population also spreading from the inner parts of the island to the coast, where some of the old pre-Croatian settlements were resettled again. During this time, the Bosnian realm fell to the Ottoman Empire and many refugees settled on the islands, especially on Brač. Many towns were founded in that time and the population began moving from the interior of the island to its coast: to Bol, Milna, Postira, Povlja, Pučišća, Splitska, Sumartin, Supetar i Sutivan. Venice ruled for more than four centuries, until 1797, when the Habsburg Monarchy annexed most of its territory in a deal with Napoleonic France. The official language was Latin. During the Napoleonic Wars, Brač was conquered by the French Empire for a short time in 1806. In 1807, Prince-Bishop Petar I Njegoš of Montenegro managed to seize Brač with the help of the Russian navy, however already at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 the island was returned to the Austrian Empire. In 1827, the administrative center of Brač moved from Nerežišća to Supetar. Brač was incorporated into the Austrian crownland of Dalmatia from and became a part of Cisleithania of the Monarchy of Austria-Hungary from 1867. After the fall of Austria-Hungary 1918, Brač became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, or Yugoslavia since 1929. In 1939 an autonomous Croatian Banate was created that included the island. The population of the island drastically decreased in the beginning of the 20th century due to heavy emigration, mostly to Latin America, especially Argentina and Chile, and to New Zealand and Australia. The emigration continued during the whole century, only later generations preferring to move to European countries, especially Germany. Among others, the Chilean writer Antonio Skármeta is descended from such immigrants.  In 1941 Italian forces occupied the island. In the mountainous regions of the island, native rebels fought a quite effective guerrilla war, but the occupiers answered harshly with arrests and executions. After the Italian capitulation in 1943, German troops occupied the island on January 12 and 13 of 1944, but in July they were defeated and the island was freed. As part of Croatia it became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, until Croatia gained its independence in 1991, receiving recognition in 1992. The Croatian War of Independence was barely fought on the island (there was a brief bombing of Milna), but the aftermath of the war, especially the loss in tourism, was disastrous for the island. Only now is the island regenerating from the decade-long drainage of its most important revenue.

Economy.

The economy of Brač is based mostly on tourism, but fishing and agriculture (especially wine and olives) are very important too, as is its precious white stone which was used in building Diocletian's Palace in Split and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Very widespread is also the claim that it was used in the White House in Washington, D.C. Historically, Brač was famous for goats; even Pliny comments that from the island of Brattia (the Latin name for the island) comes excellent cheese, wine and olive oil.

Administration and settlements.

The island is administratively divided into one city and seven municipalities, including the twenty-two settlements. Population numbers are given per 2011 census. The island is part of the Split-Dalmatia County, but is not represented there as a whole, only through its city and municipalities.  The division into eight municipalities and cities happened after the reorganization of Croatia following Croatian independence in 1991. Before that, Brač was a single municipality ("općina") in Yugoslavia with Supetar as the seat of the municipality. Still today, many of the administrative duties for the other seven municipalities are delegated to the city of Supetar.  Historically, Nerežišća used to be the administrative and governmental center of the island, and only in 1827 was this role given to Supetar by the Austro-Hungarian administration. The island was divided into 21 cadastral communities by the Austro-Hungarian administration - corresponding to the currently existing settlements besides Ložišća, which was a part of Bobovišća. These cadastral communities were mostly preexisting administrative units and not introduced by the Austro-Hungarians.  Other places of interest are the Blaca hermitage and Drakonjina špilja.

Brač (; local Chakavian: "Broč", ;, ; ) is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of, making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide. The island's tallest peak, Vidova gora, or Mount St. Vid, stands at 780 m, making it the highest island point of the Adriatic islands. The island has a population of 13,956, living in numerous settlements, ranging from the main town Supetar, with more than 3,300 inhabitants, to Murvica, where less than two dozen people live. Brač Airport on Brač is the largest airport of all islands surrounding Split.

L'île de Brač (prononcé, en italien, ") est une île de la mer Adriatique située en Croatie au large de la côte dalmate. D'une superficie de, c'est la troisième plus grande île de l'Adriatique (après Krk et Cres) et la plus grande de la côte dalmate. Elle possède un aéroport, l'aéroport de Brač.


Design and development.

Background.

During the 1950s, rapid advances in the field of jet propulsion, particularly in terms of increased thrust and compact engine units, had contributed to an increased belief in the technical viability of vertical takeoff/landing (VTOL) aircraft, particularly within Western Europe and the United States. During 1950s and 1960s, multiple programmes in Britain, France, and the United States were initiated; likewise, aviation companies inside West Germany were keen not to be left out of this emerging technology. Shortly after 1957, the year in which the post-Second World War ban upon West Germany operating and developing combat aircraft was lifted, German aviation firms Dornier Flugzeugwerke, Heinkel, and Messerschmitt, having also been allowed to resume their own activities that same year, received an official request from the German Federal Government that urged them to perform investigative work on the topic of VTOL aircraft and to produce concept designs.  As such, multiple companies commenced work on their own conceptual designs for VTOL-capable interceptor aircraft; in order for these designs to be operationally relevant and viable, it was recognised that it would be necessary for the flight performance to equal that of conventional interceptors of the era, such as the contemporary Lockheed F-104G Starfighter. Over time, two separate and distinct requirements emerged, one calling for a VTOL-capable successor to the F-104G interceptor while the other sought a VTOL successor to the Italian Fiat G.91 ground-attack fighter. According to aerospace publication Flight International, this call for a Fiat G.91 replacement, which came under a NATO requirement, known as NBMR-3, was a crucial trigger and greatly influenced the development programme that would lead to the VAK 191B.  In conjunction with these requirements being on offer, Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) championed for the merger of the competing companies; it deliberately withheld the issuing of a development contract in order to incentivise companies to undertake such activities. As such, during September 1961, a new German aircraft company, known as Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW), was formed as joint venture between Focke-Wulf and Weser-Flugzeugbau, to develop its own VTOL strike aircraft. Initially, Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat was also a participating company in VFW, however, Italy later chose to withdraw from the joint development agreement with Germany during 1967. Despite this decision, Fiat remained as a major sub-contractor for the venture, being responsible for the production of various structural elements such as wings, tailplanes and some of the fuselage.

Concept and definition.

The VAK 191B was similar in concept to the British Harrier Jump Jet, but was designed for a supersonic dash capability (Mach number 1.2–1.4) at medium to high altitudes. It was judged that having a single engine would create too much drag, but the two lift engines were dead weight in cruise, and the small cruise engine gave a poor thrust to weight ratio. The VAK 191B had been provided with relatively small and highly loaded wings. By contrast, the Harrier possessed a significantly higher thrust-to-weight ratio, it was effective as a dogfighter, and had larger wings which were put to good use when performing rolling short takeoffs.  The choice of lift/propulsion system was an obvious critical element of the aircraft's design. According to Flight International, there were several options available in the field of vectored thrust propulsion during its development, these being the twin-nozzle Rolls-Royce/MAN Turbo RB153 and the four-nozzle Bristol Siddeley BS.94 engines. Ultimately, VFW's design team decided to adopt the Rolls-Royce/MAN Turbo RB.193-12 engine to provide both lift and cruise, which was augmented by a pair of Rolls-Royce vertical lift engines. In practice, this arrangement meant during vertical hover, all of the lifting thrust could either be generated by the propulsion engine, or entirely produced by the two lift engines, or some combination thereof; analysis determined that the optimum thrust-generation configuration would be a 50–50 split between both engine types.  During mid-1963, the in-development aircraft received its design designation of "VAK 191B". Reportedly, the initials in this designation stood for "Vertikalstartendes Aufklärungs-und Kampfflugzeug" (in English: vertical take-off and landing fighter aircraft), the numbers were to indicate its role as a successor to the Fiat G.91, while the "B" suffix was to show that the aircraft was the second of the four designs to be studied for this purpose. The rate of progress on the programme was noticeably slow; ten years passed between its inception and the first prototype performing its maiden flight on 10 September 1971. The slow progression can be viewed as a natural result of specification changes, such as a revised operational requirement that called for the aircraft to possess greater manoeuvrability issued during 1965.

Scaling-back and termination.

Even prior to the first flight of the type, the programme had been heavily affected by political changes. Amongst these were the effective irrelevance of the original NBRM-3 requirement and the decreasing importance of the strike mission as a result of a German government decision to abandon the nuclear role, a divergence of opinion between partner countries, the withdrawal of the Italian government from participation during August 1967, and a growing awareness of the programme's escalating costs. At one stage, the Italian government had agreed to take on 40 per cent of the programme's development costs, thus their departure meant that a substantial amount of funding was lost for the venture.  The emergence of a new German/American "Advanced Vertical Strike" (AVS) programme also played a role in diminishing the type's perceived value; the prospective aircraft which was on offer from the Americans via a cooperative venture with Germany had somewhat eclipsed the VAK 191B in the eyes of the German Air Force and served to effectively undermine support for the programme. Finally, during 1968, officials at VFW decided that the VAK 191B should be reclassified as an experimental programme, and that the resultant aircraft should principally function only as technology demonstrators instead. The initial programme had called for the construction of three single-seater and three two-seater aircraft; however, amid escalating costs, this intended test batch was first converted to become six single-seat aircraft, and was later on cut down to only involve three single-seat aircraft following Italy's withdrawal.  During April 1969, the first prototype was rolled out at VFW's facility in Bremen, and was later displayed at that year's Hanover Air Show. Over the course of the following 17 months, it went through a flight-qualification programme, during which some issues were discovered, most of these associated with the hydraulic system. During February 1971, trials commenced using the cruise engine for the first time. The first hovering flight performed by the VAK 191B was conducted at Bremen on 20 September 1971.  A total of three VAK 191B aircraft were flown in the flight test program, which was conducted between 1970 and 1975, during which a total of 91 flights were performed. The first transition from vertical flight to horizontal and vice versa was achieved on 26 October 1972 in Munich. At one stage, the prototypes were used for testing some of the concepts that were then being considered for the European MRCA programme (which led to the Panavia Tornado strike fighter), including the use of fly-by-wire technology. According to Flight International, the VAK 191B was well-suited to this purpose due to its modern flight-control system and its general characteristics.

The VFW VAK 191B is an experimental German vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) strike fighter of the early 1970s. VAK was the abbreviation for "Vertikalstartendes Aufklärungs- und Kampfflugzeug" (Vertical Take-off Reconnaissance and Strike Aircraft). Designed and built by the Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW), it was developed with the purpose of eventually serving as a replacement for the Italian Fiat G.91 then in service with the German Air Force. Operationally, it was intended to have been armed with nuclear weapons as a deterrent against aggression from the Soviet Union and, in the event of a major war breaking out, to survive the first wave of attacks by deploying to dispersed locations, rather than conventional airfields, and to retaliate against targets behind enemy lines.

Le VFW-Fokker VAK 191B est un projet d'avion d'attaque et de reconnaissance de type ADAV réalisé au début des années 1970 par la société VFW-Fokker, destiné initialement à succéder au Fiat G.91. Ce projet n'a finalement jamais donné lieu à une production en série.


History.

Early years.

Blohm & Voss was founded on 5 April 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss (or Voß) as a general partnership, to build steel-hulled ships. It established a shipyard on the island of Kuhwerder, near the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, covering with of water frontage and three building berths, two suitable for ships of up to length. The company name was shown with the ampersand, as B&V, until 1955.  Shipbuilding was at that time dominated by the British, with even German customers preferring to buy from them. Initial business was confined to ship repairs, although B&V managed to build and later sell the three-masted barque "National". Eventually the first new-build order arrived for the small cargo paddle-steamer "Burg", and the business took off. By 1882, the company had gained a reputation for quality and punctuality and was prospering.  Initially, their products were steel-hulled sailing ships designed for long sea voyages. At that time steamships had a relatively short range, while many of the advantages of steel construction still applied to sailing ships as much as to steam. The company built its first steamship in 1900, while still continuing to build sailing ships until the late 1930s.

The Nazi era, 1933–1945.

When Hermann Blohm died, his two sons Rudolf and Walther took over. Ernst Voss left soon afterwards. By this time the company was in financial crisis, so the Blohm brothers diversified into aircraft, setting up the Hamburger Flugzeugbau (see below) in the summer of 1933.  With the rise of the Nazi Party to power in 1933, Germany began to rearm and both companies became increasingly involved in the programme. The shipyard built both civilian craft and warships for the government, including the battleship, before manufacturing U-boats in quantity.  In 1944 a subcamp of Neuengamme concentration camp was set up at the company's shipyard in Hamburg-Steinwerder. It supplied labour to the company from July 1944 to April 1945. A memorial stands on the site of the camp and the company continues to pay an undisclosed amount to the Fund for Compensation of Forced Laborers.  Steinwerder was badly damaged during the bombing of Hamburg in World War II and at the end of it, shipbuilding was forbidden.

Hamburger Flugzeugbau.

In 1933 Blohm & Voss was suffering a financial crisis from lack of work. Its owners, brothers Rudolf and Walther Blohm, decided to diversify into aircraft manufacture, believing that there would soon be a market for all-metal, long-range flying boats, especially with the German state airline Deutsche Luft Hansa. They also felt that their experience with all-metal marine construction would prove an advantage. They formed the Hamburger Flugzeugbau that summer.  Most of the aircraft built by HFB/B&V would in fact be other companies' designs and major subassemblies, contracted under license, including tens of thousands of aircraft each for Dornier, Heinkel, Junkers and Messerschmitt. Alongside its volume manufacturing the company also maintained its own design office and workshops which continued to develop and build new types throughout the company's life. The first planes it produced were designated with the official RLM company code "Ha".  The aircraft produced by Hamburger Flugzeugbau were still commonly associated with Blohm & Voss and this was causing confusion, so in September 1937 Hamburger Flugzeugbau was renamed "Abteilung Flugzeugbau der Schiffswerft Blohm & Voss" and the RLM changed its company code to "BV".  Its most significant designs were flying boats, mainly used by the Luftwaffe for maritime patrol and reconnaissance. Most numerous was the BV 138 "Seedrache" (initiated as the Ha 138), a twin-boom trimotor, while the BV 222 "Wiking" was much larger. Largest of all was the BV 238 prototype, the largest aircraft built by any of the Axis forces. Other notable types include the asymmetric BV 141, which was built in moderate numbers but did not enter production.  At the end of the war, aircraft production was shut down. Hamburger Flugzeugbau GmBH (HFB) re-emerged in 1956, still under the ownership of Walther Blohm but no longer connected to B+V. It underwent various further changes of ownership and company name, eventually becoming part of Airbus.

Postwar.

After the Second World War, the British continued to demolish the shipyards of Steinwerder. B&V, unable to restart shipbuilding work, all but ceased to exist for several years.  In 1950 B&V created a new subsidiary company, Steinwerder Industrie AG, to manufacture machinery and boilers on the site. Its shipyard fortunes began to revive in 1952 when the new company was allowed to restart ship repair work and the City of Hamburg subsequently guaranteed it credit. By 1953 some 900 workers were back in employment. The building of new ships would later also be allowed again. During this period of resurrection the level of investment required meant that B&V moved out of private hands and became a publicly quoted company, 50% owned by Phoenix-Rheinrohr AG, itself soon to be consolidated into the Thyssen Group. Even so, B&V would never regain its former size. In 1966 it took over neighbouring shipbuilder H. C. Stülcken Sohn.  For many of its new warships, B&V developed a modular approach to the equipment fit which they called Mehrzweck-Kombination (multipurpose-combination) or MEKO, which was intended to reduce costs and ease maintenance. Several classes of MEKO ship have been built, some in significant numbers. They have been sold both to the German Navy and for export.  During the postwar years, B+V built oil rigs and developed a market for other offshore products such as support ships and pipelines. The company has also built ships for numerous commercial customers, including luxury yachts. "Eclipse", built for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, is in length making it the second longest private yacht in the world. B+V still administers the Elbe 17 dry dock at Hamburg.  When Thyssen AG and Krupp merged in 1999, B+V became a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.  In December 2001 Blohm+Voss, Nordseewerke and Friedrich Lurssen Werft were awarded the contract to build the first five K130 s. The first of them, "Braunschweig", was built at Blohm+Voss, launched in April 2006 and commissioned in April 2008. Several problems with the equipment fit delayed commissioning, and the last was commissioned in 2013.  In 2011 ThyssenKrupp agreed the sale of the Blohm+Voss civil shipbuilding division to British investment company STAR Capital Partners. The military division remained with ThyssenKrupp.  In October 2016, regulatory approval was given for Lürssen to acquire Blohm+Voss from STAR Capital Partners. In April 2017 the company announced that it would be laying off about 300 employees.  In September 2017, the German Navy commissioned the construction of five more K130 corvettes by a consortium of North German shipyards including ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Blohm+Voss, and the German Naval Yards in Kiel. The Lürssen Group, which would be the main contractor in the production of the vessels, distributed its work between the two sites at Wolgast and B+V Hamburg. The contract is worth around 2 billion euros. In April 2018 the German government announced the detailed worksharing arrangements under which the ships would be built.  The German government also intends to build four new MKS 180 ships. Lürssen submitted a joint proposal with ThyssenKrupp, but in March 2018 it was turned down. Prior to this, ThyssenKrupp and Lürssen had been awarded a contract to build four s and delivered questionable built ships, that the German navy returned the ships to the builder in December 2017 for refit. There had been similar problems with the first set of K130 s delivered by the companies.  Prior to being acquired, Blohm+Voss had allied with the Damen Group to also submit a proposal to build the MKS 180, which beginning of 2020 was selected by the German Navy (BaaiBW).  Due the decision to award the MKS180 contract to Damen Shipyards, ThyssenKrupp wants to sell its military naval systems yards in Hamburg, Kiel and at Emden.  On July 25, 2019 Peter Lürßen has presented the further development in yard in addition the €20 million invested. The Dock 10 is planned to be covered by a 200 m long and 50 m high roof, which can also fit medium cruise ships at a total of €15 million, due a new yacht construction, probably a 146 m long replace of project Sassi.

Ships built.

Blohm & Voss was established in the days of sail and, although it built ships with steel hulls from the very first, it did not produce a significant steamship until 1900. Of the many hundreds of ships built by B+V, notable examples include:

Warships.

Modern warships.

Ships built using the MEKO system are listed at MEKO.  Other modern warships designed and built by B&V include:

Blohm+Voss (B+V), also written historically as Blohm & Voss, Blohm und Voß etc., is a German shipbuilding and engineering company. Founded in Hamburg in 1877 to specialise in steel-hulled ships, its most famous product is the World War II battleship "Bismarck".

Blohm & Voss est une société de construction navale allemande, créée en 1877 et située à Hambourg. Le logo de l'entreprise est un rectangle bleu foncé simple avec des coins arrondis portant les lettres blanches « Blohm + Voss ». Jusqu'en 1955, le nom de la société a été représenté avec l'esperluette.


Background.

In late January 1968 the VC launched the Tet Offensive attacking U.S. and South Vietnamese positions across South Vietnam.  Saigon was the main focal point of the offensive, but a total takeover of the capital was not intended or feasible. They rather had six main targets in the city which 35 battalions of VC were to attack and capture: the ARVN Joint General Staff compound near Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the Independence Palace, the U.S. embassy, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, the Long Binh Naval Headquarters and the National Radio Station. Because it was Tết (the Vietnamese New Year), the sound of firecrackers exploding masked that of gunfire, giving an element of surprise to the Vietcong attacks.

Battle.

The Vietcong launched 35 battalions at Saigon. Sapper Battalions and the local forces attacked the Presidential Palace, the National Radio Station, the U.S. Embassy, and other principal targets.  The VC 5th Division launched an attack on the military bases at Long Binh and Biên Hòa Air Base. The North Vietnamese 7th Division launched an attack on the U.S. 1st Infantry Division and the ARVN 5th Division at Lai Khê. The VC 9th Division attacked the U.S. 25th Infantry Division base at Củ Chi Base Camp.

Adams photograph.

The fighting in Saigon produced one of the Vietnam War's most famous images, photographer Eddie Adams' image of the summary execution of a VC prisoner on February 1, 1968. Nguyễn Văn Lém was captured by South Vietnamese national police, who identified him as the captain of a VC assassination and revenge platoon, and accused him of murdering the families of police officers. He was brought before Brigadier General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, the chief of the National Police, who briefly questioned him. Loan then drew his sidearm and shot the prisoner. Nguyễn's motives may have been personal; he had been told by a subordinate that the suspect had killed his six godchildren and a police major who was Loan's aide-de-camp and one of his closest friends, including the major's family as well.  Present at the shooting were Adams and an NBC television news crew. The photograph appeared on front pages around the world and won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography, a World Press Photo award as well as seven other awards. The NBC film was played on the Huntley-Brinkley Report and elsewhere, in some cases the silent film embellished with the sound effect of a gunshot. General Westmoreland later wrote, "The photograph and film shocked the world, an isolated incident of cruelty in a broadly cruel war, but a psychological blow against the South Vietnamese nonetheless".

Aftermath.

By early February, the Communist high command realized that none of their military objectives were being met, and they halted any further attacks on fortified positions. Sporadic fighting continued in Saigon until March 8. Some sections of the city were left badly damaged by the combat and U.S. retaliatory air and artillery strikes in particular. The Chinese district of Cholon suffered especially, with perhaps hundreds of civilians killed in the American counterattacks.  As cited in the Spector book on page xvi, "From January to July 1968 the overall rate of men killed in action in Vietnam would reach an all time high and would exceed the rate for the Korean War and the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters during World War II. This was truly the bloodiest phase of the Vietnam War as well as the most neglected one."  The Vietcong attacked targets in and around Saigon with much success during the May Offensive from 5 to 30 May 1968.

The First Battle of Saigon, fought during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War, was the coordinated attack by communist forces, including both the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong (VC), against Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam.

La bataille de Saigon se déroule en 1968 avec de multiples combats dans la métropole économique et capitale de la République du Việt Nam. Avec la bataille de Khe Sanh et la bataille de Huế, la Bataille de Saigon constitue une des trois batailles majeures de l'offensive du Tết. Khe Sanh a été un leurre pour attirer l'attention et les forces militaires loin de l'objectif principal qui était de provoquer un soulèvement général.