Fritz Adam Hermann von Opel (May 4, 1899 – April 8, 1971) was the only son of Wilhelm von Opel and a grandson of Adam Opel, who started the Opel company. Before his father was given a noble title in 1917, he was known as Fritz Adam Hermann Opel. He is best remembered for his work with the Opel RAK, which were the first vehicles powered by rockets that could travel on the ground and in the air with people inside. These demonstrations earned him the nickname "Rocket Fritz" and helped promote his family's car business.

Life and career

Fritz von Opel was born in Rüsselsheim. He studied at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and earned his doctorate from that university. After completing his studies, he became the director of testing for the Opel company and also managed publicity efforts.

Fritz was the grandson of Adam Opel and the son of Wilhelm von Opel. His sister was Elinor von Opel, and his cousin was Georg von Opel. When his father, Wilhelm, was given noble titles in 1917, Fritz and his family members also received noble titles. In 1929, Fritz married Margot Löwenstein, an actress and one of Germany’s first female pilots. After their divorce, he married Emita Herrán Olozaga in 1947. This marriage produced two children: Frederick von Opel, called Rikky (born in 1947), and Marie Christine von Opel, called Putzi (born in 1951 and died in 2006).

Until 1928, Fritz was a partner in the Adam Opel company, which was a family-owned business. In December 1928, the company became a stock corporation, but by March 1929, 80% of its shares were sold to General Motors Corporation in the United States. The Opel family received 120 million Reichsmarks in return. A few years later, Adam Opel AG became fully owned by General Motors. Fritz used part of his wealth to invest in the United States, but it was taken during the war.

Fritz was successful in many types of motorsports. In 1921, he won the first race on Berlin’s AVUS track in an Opel 8/25 hp racing car with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. He averaged 128.84 kilometers per hour and set a lap record of 8 minutes and 14 seconds. In 1923, he won another race on the same track using an Opel 346 cc motorcycle, averaging 87 kilometers per hour. He also competed in motorboat racing. For example, he used a boat called "Opel II," powered by two Maybach engines, to win the "Coupe de France," the "Prize of the French Naval Minister," and the "Trophée de Paris" in 1927. In Germany, he won the "Blue Band of the Rhine," the ADAC regatta on Lake Starnberg, and was named the German Champion at the ADAC Motorboat Championship on Templiner See.

Opel-RAK was a series of rocket-powered cars and planes created by Fritz von Opel with help from Max Valier and Friedrich Wilhelm Sander. These projects helped popularize rocket technology, leading to public interest in rockets. In the 1920s, rocket experiments set speed records for cars, trains, and the first crewed rocket flight on June 11, 1928. In 1928, Fritz tested the Opel RAK.1, a rocket-powered car, and reached a top speed of 75 kilometers per hour (47 miles per hour). Later that year, he drove the Opel RAK.2 on the AVUS track in Berlin, reaching a record speed of 238 kilometers per hour (148 miles per hour) in front of 3,000 spectators and world media. A rocket-powered train called RAK.3 reached a speed of 256 kilometers per hour (159 miles per hour).

The public interest in rockets, called the "Rocket Rumble," influenced a young space enthusiast named Wernher von Braun. After seeing a rocket car demonstration, Wernher built a toy rocket car and caused a disturbance on a busy sidewalk by launching it. He was questioned by the police and sent home to his father for discipline. This event showed Wernher’s strong interest in space travel.

Fritz’s team partnered with the Rhön-Rositten Gesellschaft, a glider society, to build a rocket-powered plane called the "Lippisch Ente" (meaning "duck" in German). The plane was tested by pilot Fritz Stamer, who flew the first rocket plane on June 11, 1928. However, a rocket explosion during the second test destroyed the plane, and the project was abandoned.

Fritz then commissioned a new plane, also called RAK.1, designed by Julius Hatry. On September 17, 1929, the plane was tested and flew 500 meters at 20 meters high, reaching 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) with three solid-fuel rockets. On September 30, 1929, Fritz flew the plane publicly in Frankfurt-am-Main. He claimed it was the first rocket plane, even though earlier tests had already occurred. Historians Frank H. Winter and Walter J. Boyne of the National Air and Space Museum say the RAK.1 is the first dedicated rocket plane.

Key events include:
– March 15, 1928: First rocket-powered car, Opel RAK.1, driven by Max Valier.
– May 23, 1928: Opel RAK.2 driven by Fritz von Opel.
– June 11, 1928: Lippisch Ente, the first rocket glider, piloted by Fritz Stamer.
– September 17, 1929: RAK.1 plane, first dedicated rocket plane, designed by Julius Hatry and piloted by him.
– September 30, 1929: RAK.1 plane piloted by Fritz von Opel in public.
– In 1928, Opel also tested a rocket-powered motorcycle called the Monster.

At the time, the future of the German automobile industry seemed uncertain, and competition from American car imports grew. Fritz and other Opel family members refused to support a plan to merge German car companies proposed by the German Automobile Industry Association, Deutsche Bank, and DANAT-Bank in 1927/28. In October 1928, a purchase agreement was made with General Motors. A stock corporation called "Adam Opel AG" was formed on December 3, 1928, with a capital of 60 million Reichsmarks. In March 1929, Fritz, his father Wilhelm, and his uncle Fritz signed contracts for the Opel family. General Motors initially owned 80% of the shares, worth 48 million Reichsmarks, and later acquired the remaining 20% in October 1931.

After the Opel-RAK collaboration ended, Max Valier continued rocket research. He switched to liquid-fuel rockets and died during a test, becoming the first fatality of the space age. The Opel RAK experiments influenced later space pioneers. The

Weltraumschiff Ifilm featuring Opel RAK pioneers

The 1937 German film Weltraumschiff I startet – Eine technische Fantasie– is a short movie created by Anton Kutter in 1937. It shows an imaginary rocket launch that travels to the Moon and returns to Earth, similar to the Apollo 8 mission. In the film, the director of the Friedrichshafen airship yard announces the first crewed rocket flight to the Moon in front of reporters. He explains the history of rocket technology and details about space travel. Before the rocket takes off, reporters speak with the spaceship commander through video radio. The rocket then flies over a long ski jump into space and safely returns to Earth after orbiting the Moon.

The film includes amazing visual effects and short clips of different RAK vehicles. At 436 feet (approximately 04:47), there is an 11-second clip of igniters being connected to the Rak.2 car. At 447 feet (approximately 04:58), a 2-second clip shows Max Valier sitting in a RAK.2 car labeled "Rückstoss Versuchs Wagen." At 451 feet (approximately 05:00), a 2-second clip shows Fritz von Opel in a RAK.2 car. At 460 feet (approximately 05:06), an 11-second clip shows Fritz von Opel driving the RAK.2 car on May 23, 1928, at the Avus Track in Berlin. At 472 feet (05:14), a 2-second clip shows the Opel RAK.3 rocket car running on railway tracks on June 23, 1928. From 475 feet (05:16 to 05:35), there is an 19-second clip showing the preparation and launch of the Opel RAK.1 rocket glider in September 1928. At 536 feet (05:57 to 06:03), a 6-second clip shows Max Valier sitting and speaking in a RAK.6 car.