I used to subscribe to Aircraft illustrated the photography was spectacular and I’d look forward to a new edition landing on the mat. In 2008 Berlin Tempelhof closed to air traffic it’s short runway in the middle of a built up area and it 70 year infrastructure were not compatible with modern air transport. There was even a special evening where photographers were invited to capture the last day of traffic, Lufthansa flew in the classic Ju 52 they had as part of their historic flight. The pictures the following month were brilliant and captured the romance of air travel in the 1930’s when this airport was a modern wonder.
First used as a parade ground for the Prussian military in the 1880’s the site was selected to show of one of the Wright flyers in 1909. The Wright brothers were on a world tour demonstrating their aircraft. Tempelhof opened as an airport in 1923 aviation was important to the Weimar Republic and seen as a sign of progress and became an important mode of transport. The field also became a site to hold political rallies and major events.
When the national socialist party came to power the propaganda value of aviation was not lost and Tempelhof hosted major events in the promotion of the national socialist ideology.
On the edge of the airfield lay a former Prussian military prison/barracks building that was used to detain people deemed undesirable by the national socialist party the conditions were poor being crammed into small cells poorly nourished and violence and mental anguish used as a matter of course by the guards.
After the national socialists came to power they wanted to project their influence with massive construction projects and as the gateway to the heart of Germany Tempelhof became a focus for this and the architect Ernst Sagabiel was chosen to lead this project several models of the new airfield facility’s were put on display and refined by leading members of the national socialists.
Construction started in 1935 and would continue all the way until 1941. A lot of the buildings you see currently were at least the outer shell constructed by late 1936/37 as Colombia house the political prison block was demolished to make way for its construction.
During the second world war the hangers at Tempelhof were used by slave labour to construct JU 87 dive bombers for the war effort. These poor people were taken from there homes mainly in the east and worked to death in appalling conditions some of them teenagers.
During the downfall of Berlin Tempelhof held out against the invading soviet forces for a remarkably long time, soviet forces bypassing areas of strong resistance and not getting bogged down in siege warfare especially with central Berlin so close the race to get to the Reichstag was an urgent one.
Soviet forces who captured the airfield on April 26th 1945 soon had to hand it over to U.S. forces in July of that year as it was in the U.S. sector of Berlin and soon became a very important U.S airforce base being in the heart of East Germany.
Being in the heart of East Germany the soviet union soon wanted to force the western allies out of Berlin and cited many reasons when they placed it under a blockade in 1948, with only the air corridors open it was down to airborne logistics to keep Berlin supplied with everything from coal for power plants to flour to make bread and a complex operation came into force with aircraft landing seconds apart to keep West Berlin alive. The blockade lasted for just under a year and Tempelhof was key in keeping it supplied. Up until the end of the Cold War Tempelhof was a key U.S. airforce base.
Tempelhof itself was also used as a commercial airport from the 40’s to the early 70’s western airlines of the victorious nations could fly into Berlin, Mainly it was the large flag carriers from these nations. Pan Am, B.E.A and Air France respectively. When the airport reopened to commercial traffic in the 80’s there was a larger variety of airlines but only from these nations as per the original agreement no German airline while East Germany was still in existence. Of course after reunification these rules were torn up and the airport free to operate however it chose until its demise in 2008 .
A large article I know but it’s an interesting subject with lots of history, if this has some how wetted your appetite to learn more there is a book about the airfield and it’s history and I’d like to acknowledge it for some of my information. A broad field Tempelhof airport and its history it’s available in English and German (Duh) from Tempelhof airfield shop.
I would also recommend that you visit the airfield there’s a great tour you can go on that takes you all around the airport buildings and is so interesting and so well presented it’s worth half a day. You can also walk around the airfield as it’s now a park open to the public.
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