Flak Towers (Flakturm)

[Tychsen]

From After The Battle's "="Berlin Then and Now" - the order for the building of the Berlin Flak towers , only three of those projected were built.
The zig zag lines on the side are to assist guns on the lower platforms to practise traversing and aiming.

According to our good friends at ATB part of the agreement with the Soviets was that all military structures would be demolished - the flak towers came under this agreement and so the British and the French set about blowing them up .

[Crazy Feldgendarme]

Nice one mate, like it.

[Tychsen]

Two pages from the ATB book covering the blowing up of the towers.

[West-Front]

Dokumentation über die Flak Kaserne Ludwigsburg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT4J_liJ ... re=related

Flakturm Wien - outdoor climbing with indoor feeling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs0xIFi2qBY

Flak turm im Berlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEl5N3hg_9s

[West-Front]

Für Luftabwehr und Luftschutz In einigen Luftgefährdeten deutschen Großstätten werden Grossbauten aus Beton und Stahl gebaut, die unter dem Namen "Flaktürme" volkstümlich geworden sind. In ihren Abmessungen, in der Menge des verbauten Materials und ihrer- trotz aller Schwierigkeiten - kurzen Bauzeit sind sie nur mit den U-Boot-Bunkern zu vergleichen. Mit der Errichtung dieser Bauten, die gleichermaßen der aktiven Luftabwehr wie dem Luftschutz der Bevölkerung dienen, hat das von Reichsminister Speer organisatorisch straff zusammengefaßte deutsche Bauschaffen in der Heimat eine seiner bedeutsamen Leistungen während des Krieges vollbracht. Die Planung dieser von Prof. Tamms entworfenen Bauten steuert, in Zusammenarbeit mit der Luftwaffe, das Amt Bau des Reichsministeriums für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion; die bautechnische Durchführung obliegt dem Hauptausschuss Bau beim Reichsminister für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion.

Aufnahmen: Gerlach

[West-Front]

Flakturm in einer Großstadt. Berlin Prop.-Kp. z.b.V. Film-Nr.: 998/8 Bildberichter Sdf. Pilz 16.4.42

[Alex]

anyone been to Wien? got a few there so I have been told.

got some ace pics will I will post in due course, if anyone is interested.

Wien has 6 flak towers, 2, maybe 3, of which are completely intact inside, 1 of which is still used by the military.

Interestingly tried to find the locations of the flaktowers from locals, who did not know. go figure. had to get the locations from google. Then went and visited.

One of them was so huge I came out of a tube station and was looking round a map like an idiot. should have just looked up

[Alex]

im friede der nacht

[West-Front]

Flugzeugabwehr auf dem Falkturm am Zoo in Berlin

[Crazy Feldgendarme]

Niie ones guys, see what you mean about the one in the city Alex its so big you can just not see it.

[Tychsen]

Some size of a building , what would be the cost of taking it down , and apart from which they may not be pleasing to the eye but they have a history behind them and they are important.
Thanks for posting them up.

The flak photos are good ones Cam from point of view of detail not least the range fionding kit and shoulder mount worn by the crew member all of which folds away into the triangular box on his back.
Although heavy when you have it on for a while it sure beats holding it in your hands aftera while that becomes very fatiguing.
The look across at the other tower to see the radar outfit - ( which in some cases depending on the nature of the set was retractable) , also check out the roof top lift fed ammo bunkers one for each gun - the size and nature of the door on each .
Feeding shells from the bunker to the gun would be hard work , running would be the order of the day.
Worth noting that a photograph of a radar set on top of one of the bunkers in Berlin taken in 41 by an american embassy worker and passed to the British provided the first glimpse of Wurzburg Giant
You have to wonder how useful the light flak would have been the bombers would by and large be well out of range of it.

[West-Front]

reichsgebiet.- Flak-Turm mit Vierlings-Flak, Blick von oben auf die Stellung; PK KBK Lw zbV

[Tychsen]

It all has that very new and unused look about it , the wood is fresh no sign of the mark of feet or the traffic of time - no "shutters" on the guns.

[Alex]

here are the Arenberg Flaktuerme in Wien. As far as I know they are complete inside and undemolished, though there are plans for the G tower to become a car park. you know those austrians ... rather amnesiac sometimes.

Arenberg park is very easy to get to. But don't let its name fool you, it is no park, it is what in london would be called a 'green'. the towers there are nestled in amongst some historic buildings and for that reason no demolition work was ever done. One of the two, probably the L tower, is used to house Wien's works of art and culture and is stacked to the roof with priceless relics. Who needs armed guards when you have 10 feet of concrete?

The two are seperated by onlt about 200m (the other two pairs are a bit more spaced apart).

My guess is that there are subterranean structures under these two. Definitely tunnels, probably more than that.

[Crazy Feldgendarme]

So one of these towers is still being used for one of its origional purposes, the storing of art and museum treasures, brilliant.

Dave