This is the newest email I got from a buddy - pretty interesting stuff! NO more info yet... Fully armed Nazi bomber planes 'buried below East Berlin airport' (EXCERPT) ALLAN HALL IN BERLIN AN AIRPORT used by hundreds of thousands of tourists and business travellers each year could be sitting on top of thousands of live bombs. Papers among thousands of files captured from the Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, claim tons of live Second World War munitions were buried in concrete bunkers beneath the runways of Schoenefeld airport in East Berlin. It is now the main destination for discount airlines, such as Ryanair, and numerous charter companies. Not only did the commissars intern munitions beneath the runways, but also entire Nazi fighter planes, all fuelled and fully bombed-up, according to the Stasi. The captured files of Interflug, the former East German government airline and the airport authority of the DDR, are now being examined to see if the Stasi claim is true. Experts believe it entirely feasible that, in the aftermath of the Second World War, with Berlin littered with millions of tons of unexploded ordnance, the Soviets could well have pressured local officials to move to clear the airfield as swiftly as possible. "They would have stuffed them anywhere they could - there was simply too much stuff to blow up all at once," said Karl-Heinz Eckhardt, a Berlin historian. "There was a warren of massive Nazi bunkers beneath the site of the present airport that would have suited their purposes."
That'd be very interesting to unearth ac from bunkers or underground hangers of sorts. The AC Collectors would go hog wild on trying to buy the AC.
German or Soviet munitions ? Remember that the rest of the Allies, chiefly US and the British were not allowed into Berlin until July of 45, so what is really hiding there ? There were no active fighter or bomber airfields in Berlin as they would have been prime targets by the RAF and US heavies during 43-45...
That reminds me of what my roommate I.e. Sarge, said he saw somw of when he was stationed in Deutschland. I can get some details later tonight if anyone is interested. He said he saw many many wooden crates with German signes and large painted German eagles on them. It was somewhere that was also partly flooded but--for the most part--most of the stuff was unharmed. He said he saw truck after truck after truck--being loaded with these crates and taken elsewhere. He wasn't told where these things were going and didn't know what was in the crates except that these crates were all very large crates. What he witnessed happened before 1980. And if im not mistaken--this was at an old airfield or complex of somekind.
Before we all get too excited I'd take stories of 'perfectly preserved aircraft' with a pinch of salt. There have been so many of these stories - like the bizarre 'six Lancasters at Elsham Wolds' over here a some years ago - that they seem to rival the Loch Ness Monster. I remember a few years ago another East German bunker was excavated to reveal a 'perfect' FW190, unfortunately falling concrete had rendered it as flat as a pancake. Possibly the best that we can hope for is as-yet-undiscovered stores of parts, engines, etc.
But happily--the one in which spawned the "Glacier Girl" Twin engined Mustang)) is true. Also--there are six more of those machines in the same area that this one was dug from. But yeah--I agree with you--I've heard several of these stories as well. The latest two were true as they were both well documented with pictures. In two different countries and at different times-- TWO STUG III's were unearthed--one in Russia and the other inRumania or Latvia--I forget which. Anyway, the second one listed was in remarkably great shape--you easily could se all the markins--vehicle number etc. This one was believed to had been abandoned because of no petrol. Gun and everything is in working condition.
You can link into photos of the Stug via Sommecourt's website.... ( Luckily AFV's are a little more durable than aircraft ! )
Evidently this "find" is now going through other web-site/forums. Now I see it is broadcasted through a Scottish news-paper with the poster asking the same qustion....."cand this be true ?"
Martin--in fact--thats where I saw this second one listed at--on Sommecourts site. Thanks for reminding me. The other was on a site I found on a German forum and showed about 20 or so pics of a STUG III from the moment they uncovered the top of it--through the getting it out of the hole it was in and also nearby--they had found an early war German light tank--you could see all its markings as well--had the early war balkan cross prominently on its turret sides and also on the front. I'm glad that they are durable. Now ifd the possibly several thousands of other armored vehicles could be found--would make for many a nice display at many museums.
well back to the original topic. Just received a e-mail from Berlin and a friedn just mentioned in brief that the rumor strted some years ago with a full investigation of the rooms and cellars. According to the investigation written in the Brandenburge Märkische Allgemeine the cellars are either empty or full of ground-water and further efforts are in=place to clean up the enviromental mess that has been caused over the years....uk !
seems this is getting a bit of coverage in German now. One of my favorite German forums and it is being idsproven right now.... www.luftarchiv.de/forum/read.php?f=1&i=3347&t=3347 ~E der Altenwolf
The Berlin water-table - that's a good point. Hitler's bunker was checked out a few years back and the water was, I believe, up to the ceilings and took several days to pump out. Any 'relics' were just a soggy mass of corroded metal and pulp...
I don't think the bunker Sarge was in was in Berlin--tho he was stationed there for awhile. I do know that he was at a facility of some sort and it was somewhere in or near Bavaria. I didn't get a chance to ask him anything last night as he was already at work when I got there.
Carl, a couple of things as my hands are blown again......rats ! the scotsman article gives some explanation of the findings back in 1993 preproted by the Soviets that they had ordered German-Berlin officials and the populace to remove or move a/c and the like to supposed safer location(s) and this in effect was held as truth with shops, restaurants popping up all over the place. Upon furtherance of the texts and scanning of the underground surfaces some water leakage occured where it needed full examination and of course full eplanation. Now the riddles reamin. what was there sitting decaying in the rotten sewer-aqueducts of underground Berlin. Templehof was the only existing a/f still in some useage during March/April of 45 as it was small and apparently of no real bombing value by the Allies. The Soviets blew the crap out of it and we can remember the smnall flight(s) by Hanna Reitsch and the Luftwaffe commandur Griem? to Hitler's bedside, trying to avoid the craters already pockmarking the area. Obviously some activity did exist here for small a/c travel and maybe even some single engine fighters but all of the day fighter geschwader that I am familiar with were stationed to the north and south of Berlin during the final months as the soviets came roaring in. As to your firend Sarge, he may have been stationed at Neubiberg or Gross-Mehring which are both close to München or even at Reim itslef whcih is on the southeast corner of the big city and was used as a transport and short term A/F, especially by the clourful Würger staffel as protection for the Me 262's of Galland's JV 44. Now for the other thread about organizations. I thought you had received a mail from someone with the addys adressed from August 2003. The booklet/phamplet from the vets orgs makes much more sense to me now. sorry for the confusion friend ! ~E
I didn't get a chance to talk to Sarge lastnight. He was running a bit late for work and couldn't talk. I'll try talking this evening if he is up early enough to have the time for it. Night shift bites....... I know he was in the Berlin area--but I don't know the lengths of time. He also was in Bad Tolz and other places like that as well. No problem on the new vets addy thing. Anyway--i'll have more posted there today.
