 These circumstances contributed to the inner and outer turmoil the research unit faced in the wake of Nazi rule and World War II.Arising from the division of Germany and the dissolution of the Prussian academy (hence called German Academy of Sciences at Berlin), the DRW was incorporated into the Heidelberg academy in 1959.Forty years later, the late head of research unit Dr. Heino Speer, initialised the free of charge Internet publication.