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Abstract
Johann (Jan) Böhm (1895–1952) was a Czech German chemist specialising in x-ray analysis of crystals. After gathering experience at elite institutions in Berlin and Freiburg im Breisgau, he was in 1935 appointed the head of the department of physical chemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the German University in Prague. During the war, Böhm was in charge of three merged institutes of physical chemistry (at the German University and the German Technical University). He was active in photochemistry and photography, and, through ‘guests’ – including the famous Czech polarography inventor Heyrovský – participated in war research. After the war, Böhm redefined (with the help of both Czech and Austrian friends) his war activities and acquired the status of an anti-fascist fighter and resistance movement member, meaning that he was not forcefully resettled to Germany. He became active in industrial research, working in Rybitví near Pardubice, and died shortly before he was supposed to transfer into the new Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. Based on a critical archive research, this study aims at identifying the post-war intentional misinformation and later myths about Böhm’s activities. In conclusion, he is presented as a subjectively non-political technocrat and manager who managed to function with fast-changing regimes without feeling any need for a deeper reflection.
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