Otto Meister

1892-1959
Painter
husband of Paula Meister

 

From 1911 to 1913 he worked as a stage designer in Düsseldorf and Berlin. At the same time he attended the Düsseldorf Academy from 1911 to 1912

Otto Meister was born in Dresden on October 26, 1892. In 1907 he attended the Dresden School of Applied Arts and in 1908 he completed an internship at the painting halls of the Saxon Court Theater. From 1911 to 1913 he worked as a stage designer in Düsseldorf and Berlin. At the same time he attended the Düsseldorf Academy from 1911 to 1912, the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts from 1912 to 1913 and the Dresden Art Academy from 1913 to 1914. In 1914 he took part in the First World War. 

Between 1921 and 1928 he continued his studies at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden with Robert Sterl. In 1921 he received the Rome Prize. In 1934 he was banned from exhibiting, and in 1942 he worked as a war painter for a squadron of visual artists. After the war he repeatedly took part in exhibitions in Nuremberg. In 1945 he settled in Erlangen, where he became a lecturer in painting at the adult education center in 1946. In 1950 he was a founding member of the Kunstverein Erlangen. Otto Meister died in Erlangen in 1959.

The photo is part of a bundle of factory photographs. The inventory of masters also contains personal details, diaries, sketchbooks, manuscripts, correspondence and newspaper articles covering a total period from 1919 to 1987.

  • English

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Fortification of Leros


Among the islands of the Dodecanese, Leros, due to its geographical position in the eastern Mediterranean and its special morphology, was chosen for the creation of Italy's main air and naval base in the Dodecanese.

The purpose was purely strategic: the fortification of Leros and the creation of a large military base ensured the Italians control of an area of ​​vital interest to the Great Powers. This Base, according to the planning, would have facilities for the Navy, the Air Force and the Army, as well as the necessary workshops of private companies manufacturing military equipment.

The main construction projects of the Italians in Leros, for the fortification and defense of the island, were carried out as early as 1923 and were completed at the end of the 1930s.

Among these are:

  • "Gianni Rossetti" Seaplane Base in the area of ​​Lepida 
  • Submarine Base in the adjacent area of ​​Aghios Georgios
  • New town of Portolago (nowadays Lakki), created in order to cover the housing needs created by the construction of the Aeronautical Base
  • Centro Radio Lero – the installation of the Italian telecommunications center in the area of ​​Aghios Nikolaos in Lakki
  • The headquarters of FAM - DICAT, the “FAM -  Fronte A Mare” - Coastal Defense Command and the “DICAT - Difesa Contraerea Territoriale” -  Anti-Aircraft Land Defense Command on Mount Patella, with the unique installation of the Aerophone and the Acoustic - Parabolic Wall

Along with the other defense installations of Leros, the fortification of the island with artillery began already in the mid-1920s, initially mainly for naval defense. Gradually, until the middle and mainly at the end of the 1930s, 103 guns of caliber from 76mm to 152mm were installed on almost all the heights of Leros, most of them from decommissioned battleships and cruisers of the Italian Navy from WW I, composing a network of 25 batteries, responsible for the defense of the island, both from the sea and from the air. Along with the construction of the gun emplacements, other military facilities were developed in each artillery barracks, such as material and ammunition storages, shelters, barracks and logistics buildings, as well as various other facilities. The defense network of Leros is considered a model of interwar fortification architecture (1918 – 1939).

Especially since 1936, when military zones were officially created on the island, fenced with barbed wire, the mountains and heights of Leros acquired a purely military character. The granting of compensation stops, since the cutting of the bushes was first prohibited by decree, and thus the fields were turned into forest land, and by extension they are considered the property of the Italian State. Thus, livestock breeders and farmers, losing their properties, are forced to resort to day labor, since there is indeed a lack of labor force, due to the excessive number of projects in progress. For the construction of the defense and public works of Leros, artisans are transferred from Italy, with a daily wage of 40-50 italian lire, while the Greeks receive 6-10 italian lire.

The outbreak of World War II led to the expansion and improvement, on a large scale, of military installations, but this was opposed to economic criteria and above all the lack of availability of means and the difficulties in maritime transportations. The serious shortcomings of the hasty Italian military preparation led to the dispersion of the scarce available means in many areas, all of them of high importance and therefore did not allow the care imposed on any of them.

Thus, in the Dodecanese, although the level of preparation could be described as satisfactory, in relation to infrastructure and logistics facilities, the field of armaments, and especially that of Artillery, lagged far behind, since the Dodecanese had been sent almost exclusively old-style and dissimilar weapons caliber, which did not allow the organization of defense to develop to a sufficient and satisfactory degree, which will have a huge impact on the events of September - November 1943.

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