Six months into the job, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, she had progressed to the point of being asked to give a talk, at one of the Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt monthly seminars, on the aerodynamic features of vortex rings. She did this somewhat reluctantly - she was essentially a shy person - but after the talk she approached Küchemann and suggested that the work on vortex rings might have some bearing on the work he was doing, in a different group in Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt, on engine cowlings and jet engine intakes. As a result, they began to work together, Weber not only doing the mathematics but also diversifying into wind tunnel testing and liaison with the workshops. Küchemann meanwhile, in consultation with the manufacturers, developed the research ideas and shaped the direction of their work.

... the English people typically are such a friendly lot to foreigners, certainly the women, … I was an odd one, but they all wanted to be kind to me. ... They were extremely friendly. I have never heard a bad word in all my life.

... issued a joint paper ['Calculation of the velocity distribution at zero lift on the Handley Page crescent wing with suggested modifications to improve this'] assessing the aerodynamics of the proposed crescent-wing design and suggesting modifications to the wing and fuselage to improve its performance at high speeds. In the full aerodynamic development of the aircraft there were further revisions to the wing design, including its integration with the engine air intakes, using the work that Küchemann and Weber had done in Göttingen during the war.

The past decade has witnessed notable advancements in the aeronautical sciences. In particular, the greater variety of engines now in use and the requirements of high-speed flight have given rise to many new problems that have considerably widened the field of aerodynamics as applied to the production of propulsive forces . Thus anew branch of aerodynamics has been developed which we call here the aerodynamics of propulsion. It supplements the much older airfoil theory which is concerned with the production of lifting forces.

In this book an account is given of some of the work done in this field and problems that have arisen. Since it is a first survey, it cannot be expected to be exhaustive, and it necessarily reflects the authors' preferences. But it is hoped that the subjects selected will fill some gaps in the published material at present available and that they are treated in a way which is appropriate and profitable both to designers in aircraft and engine firms and to research workers. This does not mean, however, that detailed working charts will be provided or "recipes" given; the aim is rather to help toward an understanding of the basic processes and flow phenomena which will enable the aerodynamicist to work out problems himself and to perform his part in the design of a propulsion unit, or its installation, if called upon.

It is hoped that the text will also be useful to the student of aeronautics. Just as, hitherto, no serious study of the subject could dispense with a comprehensive treatment of lifting surfaces, so a course in modern aeronautics must also provide a working knowledge of the methods and aerodynamic problems of propulsion. To assist the student and to widen the scope of the book, the treatment assumes no detailed knowledge of general aerodynamics or of higher mathematics, other than differential calculus.

The book is based on several monographs which were written at the suggestion of the British Ministry of Supply in 1945 to 1946 at the former Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt Göttingen under the general editorship of Prof A Betz. We sincerely hope that the influence of our teachers, L Prandtl and A Betz, is still apparent. It was the persistent and friendly encouragement of the British Resident Officer at that time, Dr R M Goody, that persuaded us to undertake the present revision.

One vital element in the success of the Concorde was provided by two émigré German scientists working at the Royal Aircraft Establishment - Johanna Weber, a mathematician ... and Dietrich Küchemann, a fluid dynamicist. What they came up with, in collaboration with Eric Maskell, an Royal Aircraft Establishment dynamicist, was, in the words of the Royal Aircraft Establishment's deputy director of the time, Morien Morgan, "a heresy". It was a slender delta, arrow-shaped wing concept which, for the era of supersonic flight, utilised a separated airflow, challenging what had been seen as basic principles of aircraft design. The thinking, set out in a 1956 paper, became reality with Concorde. Weber, Küchemann and Maskell provided the shape and the sums, others carried their ideas through.

... when the book came out and came to an end, I said no more aerodynamics, because from a human point of view my life had been in too narrow a channel.

Dr Johanna Weber ... whose contribution extends over a lifetime of collaboration with Professor Küchemann.

Later in life, and particularly after she had retired (1975), and more particularly after my parents had died (1976, 1987) I saw her somewhat differently. She had become somewhat more outgoing - she had, for example, taken some courses through the 'University of the Third Age' and she had made friends with some neighbours as well as seeing more of some of the local German friends that she had known but not seen much during her working years [most of these German women / wives didn't work]. We found her to be very caring and generous, warm and gently humorous, and full of thoughtful, sound advice. Thus she became a kind of elder to our family (i.e. to me, my sisters and our children and their children) and a link to our parents' time in Germany [she knew both sets of my grandparents]. Despite her catholic upbringing, she was not religious. Though she vowed to turn her back on aerodynamics when she retired, she, understandably, talked increasingly about her working life in her last years. I think she was very pleased and somehow very grateful for what she had achieved.

Thinking back, I probably gave it up too early but I mean, I didn't expect to live that long.

On the 8th August 2012 one of our residents, Dr Johanna Weber, celebrated her 102nd birthday along with friends and staff at Hill House. ... Everyone at Hill House Nursing Home wished her many happy returns and we hope she enjoyed the day.

Johanna Weber was a mathematician who, over a period of 36 years, in collaboration with her colleague and contemporary, Dietrich Küchemann, laid the foundations for the world-leading position that the UK now enjoys in the aerodynamic design of civil aircraft wings. In turn, this wing design capability has contributed to the rise of Airbus to stand beside Boeing as one of the world's two dominant manufacturers of civil aircraft, with the consequent benefit to the European industry and economy. Many others have played their part in this success but, without the combination of Küchemann's vision and Weber's mathematical prowess, the advances in UK design capability between the 1940s and 1970s would probably not have occurred. Without those advances, the early Airbus aircraft might not have proved commercially successful and the industrial giant that is Airbus might conceivably not have arisen.