Otto Metzger

Otto Metzger was a German-British engineer, and inventor of an impact-extrusion process for forming seamless zinc and brass cans.

Family Otto Metzger was the son of Jewish parents: Ludwig Metzger (18521931) and Gretchen (Guldmann) (18641943). He grew up in Nuremberg, Germany, where he met his wife, Sophie (Josephthal) (18941998).

First World War Otto Metzger had previously served as a reserve officer in the Bavarian Engineers and so, at the outbreak of the First World War, he was immediately conscripted. He served in the Imperial German Army on the Western Front, and rose to the rank of lieutenant, and was awarded Iron Cross medals (1st and 2nd class).

Engineering career in Germany After his early schooling at the Neues Gymnasium in Nuremberg, he continued his studies at the Technische Hochschule (TH) in Munich, and obtained a Diplom-Ingenieur degree in mechanical engineering at the TH in Berlin-Charlottenburg.

Otto Metzger then spent several years travelling and gaining engineering experience both in Germany, and also in Austria, France, Britain, USA and in Mexico.

On his return to Nuremberg in 1912, he took a post with a local metals company, Schmidtmer & Co, first as an engineer, and then becoming a partner. After the First World War, he returned to his previous work; the company (then called Süddeutsche Metallindustrie) was taken over by Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke AG in 1926, and in 1930 became a subsidiary of the conglomerate Metallindustrie AG. Typical products for these patents were seamless cans for zinc-carbon batteries, brass shell casings, and containers for foodstuff and for drinks.

Nazi persecution and emigration Starting in about 1933, the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany intensified.

This reached a climax on 9November 1938, when Jews were attacked in their homes and businesses during the night of Kristallnacht. Otto Metzger was returning from Britain, where he had just concluded a licensing agreement with a British company, Enfield Rolling Mills Ltd, to use his patented impact-extrusion technology. He was arrested by the Gestapo at the German border, on his way home to Nuremberg, and imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp. Meanwhile his wife, having had their home and belongings invaded and smashed by Nazi stormtroopers and having spent the night wandering the streets of Nuremberg, waited in vain for Otto’s return.

Later life in Britain On arrival in Britain in early 1939, Otto Metzger was immediately employed by Enfield Rolling Mills Ltd. He stayed with the company until his retirement in 1958, rising to the position of Managing Director.