Despite overshadowed by the natural beauties of Norway, the heritage of the rich war history of this Country would really deserve a dedicated trip. Thanks to its geographical location, this Scandinavian Nation had a primary strategic role both in WWII and the Cold War.
Hitler’s Third Reich military forces conquered Norway early in WWII (Spring 1940), gaining an effective stronghold for launching sea and air patrolling missions over the Norwegian Sea and the northern Atlantic. The long coastline stretching from the Skagerrak strait up to North Cape was made impenetrable to enemy invasion, building anew a capillary network of fortifications – the Atlantic Wall. This masterpiece of military engineering was based on an extensive catalog of reinforced concrete standard elements (Regelbau in German), ranging from fortified casemates to radar towers, to observation and target range finding stations, to bunkerized gun batteries, etc. These elements were assembled in larger fortified compounds, placed in key strategic locations along the coast or in the narrow firths reaching to major ports and towns, like Bergen or Trondheim.
Typically run by the Kriegsmarine (Navy) or Luftwaffe (Air Force), these forts may comprise measuring stations, anti-shipping guns, anti-aircraft cannons, plus barracks, services, ammo storages, and even airfields in some cases. They were built not only in Norway, but having been originally planned by the Third Reich to protect the entire coast of conquered continental Europe, they were erected along the shoreline also from Denmark down to France.
As a matter of fact, many of the Norwegian fortresses of the Atlantic Wall rank today among the most massive and well-preserved of the entire line (see here for some highlights).
But the war history of Norway, and of its mighty military infrastructure, didn’t stop with the end of WWII. With the start of the Cold War, Norway became a NATO founding member, and once again of great strategic value. It found itself in close proximity to the USSR, and with a long coastline facing the sea corridor taking from the highly-militarized Murmansk and Kola Peninsula (see here) to the northern Atlantic.
Most of the Atlantic Wall forts, especially anti-shipping and anti-aircraft gun batteries, were obsolete by the 1950s, and were soon deactivated. Some were abandoned or, when retained by the Norwegian military, they were modified to cover new functions.
In a few cases, the original mission of the site by the Third Reich was retained by NATO forces in the Cold War. This is the case of the torpedo battery in Herdla.
The fortress of Herdla was a major strategic fort in the Atlantic Wall, allowing to keep a watch on the entry point to the inner waters leading to the large industrial and military port of Bergen. Thanks to the morphology of the area, featuring a rare spot of flat land nearby a steep and rocky cliff, an airfield was installed by the Third Reich besides a set of bunkers, effectively hidden in the rocks. A land-based torpedo battery, consisting of a range-finding and aiming station and torpedo-firing tubes, was part of the fort.
During the Cold War, it was decided that the torpedo battery could be still a valuable asset, and Herdla was retained by the Norwegian military – by comparison, the airfield, too short for the requirements of the jet-era, was not. Over the years, the torpedo battery was potentiated to keep up-to-date against the technological offensive capabilities of the Eastern Bloc, and to exploit the most modern identification and surveillance techniques.
The torpedo battery was part of a larger naval fort, which controlled also the barrier of sea mines implemented to stop a sea-based intrusion towards Bergen.
As a matter of fact, the area control functions and the offensive capability of Herdla were retained until the early-2000s, when the fortress was deactivated following the end of the Cold War and defense budget cuts.
Luckily however, the often neglected Cold War chapter of warfare history has in Herdla a valuable asset – an accurately preserved fortress regularly open for a visit. A modern visitor center welcomes the more curious travelers, leaving Bergen towards the remoteness of the coast. It retraces the WWII heritage of the Herdla site, thanks to an exhibition centered around an original Focke-Wulf FW190, recently salvaged from the bottom of the sea, and with a special history to tell. Then a visit to the battery, looking like it had just been left by the military staff, is a unique emotion for both the specialized war technology enthusiasts and the general public as well.
The following report and photos is from a visit taken in Summer 2022.
Sights
As outlined in the overview, the Herdla site today is centered on two major highlights. One is the visitor center, with the preserved relic of a unique Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf FW190. The other is the former torpedo battery and Navy area command bunker, Norwegian facilities installed during the Cold War in bunkers dating to the Third Reich era.
Visitor center & Focke-Wulf FW190 exhibition
The relic of a Focke-Wulf FW190 A-3 German fighter from WWII is hosted in a dedicated room, where a scenic lighting makes this impressive exhibit literally shine.
This exemplar of the iconic Third Reich fighter, produced in some thousands examples, and now almost impossible to find especially in Europe, is ‘Gelbe 16’ (which can be translated in ‘Yellow 16’) of 12./JG5, and its history is deeply related to Herdla.
It took off on December 15th, 1943, from the airfield the Luftwaffe had established on the flat area now lying ahead of the visitor center, at the time a very active German airbase.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Following troubles with the engine, it ditched in the cold inner water near the island of Misje, some ten miles south of Herdla, the pilot being able to abandon the doomed aircraft, and being saved by local fishermen – and returned to the Luftwaffe, who had a Norwegian resistance prisoner released in acknowledgment.
The aircraft sank to the bottom of the sea, but its memory was not lost by some of the locals, who clearly remembered the events. The Focke-Wulf remained there for 63 years, but it was finally located and pinpointed by the Norwegian Navy, instigated by local interest, in 2005. After preparatory work – including exploration dives, to assess the condition and to set-up recovery operations – the fairly well-preserved wreck was lifted to the surface on November 1st, 2006, and loaded on a tug. Conservative restoration work then took place in Bergen.
Instrumentation and the machine guns were all recovered, together with many further fragments of equipment. Interestingly, evidence of repaint was found during conservation, retracing some previous assignments. Yet the history of this very exemplar remains difficult to write in its entirety.
Finally, following completion of conservation works, a new home for the aircraft was prepared in Herdla, where a hangar was built anew – and this is where you can see it today.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The aircraft is in an exceptional state of conservation, considering it spent 63 years in sea water. The fuselage, wings and tail are not significantly damaged, with just some paneling having disappeared on tail control surfaces, due to corrosion. The swastika on the vertical stabilizer is still perfectly evident, like other painted details.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The propeller blades are all bent downstream, as typical for an emergency landing carried out without the landing gear and the engine still running. The tail wheel is there with its original tire, the emblem of the German brand ‘Continental’, still in business today, being clearly noticeable.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The instrumentation from the pilot’s control panel has been put on display separately. Also a gyroscope has been found. Everything is only slightly damaged. Similarly, the two machine guns, dismounted prior to lifting the aircraft from the sea, are little damaged, and displayed with some ammo.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Complementing the exhibition are a few other pieces from other wrecks, as well as some quality scale models and dioramas portraying Herdla in the days of Third Reich tenancy.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Torpedo Battery
Access to the torpedo battery, which was built in WWII just above sea level, is from a gate on the land side. From outside, the bunkers in the fortress of Herdla appear especially well-deceived in the rocks of the cliff.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
What is seen today inside, however, dates to the years of Norwegian tenancy. The facility was updated in several instances during the Cold War, the last in the 1990s. Immediately past the gate, you get access to a modern and neat mechanics shop, where a partly dismounted torpedo allows to have a suggestive look inside this marvelous weapon.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Interestingly, Norway inherited and went on operating a significant number of German G7a (TI) torpedoes. This was the standard torpedo employed by the Kriegsmarine since 1934, and with some modifications (‘TI’ standing for ‘first variant’, the later variants bearing other codes), for the full span of WWII.
Propulsion power for this torpedo was from a piston engine, fed by high-pressure vapor obtained by the combustion of Decaline with compressed air stored onboard, mixed in a heater (i.e. a combustion chamber) with fresh water, similarly stored in a tank. The resulting mixture fed a 4-cylinder radial piston engine, driving two counter-rotating propellers. The exhaust in the water produced a distinctive contrail of bubbles, and the presence of a high-frequency moving mechanism had the side-effect of a significant noise emission. The head of the cylinders can be clearly seen in the dismounted exemplar.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Guidance was provided by rudder steering controlled with the help of gyros, whereas depth was controlled via a mechanical depth sensor. The torpedo could stay close to the surface or keep an assigned depth. In WWII the torpedo had no homing device – i.e. it was ‘blind’, thus requiring carefully putting it on a target-intercept trajectory. It could however cover pre-determined trajectories of some sophistication. The set-point selection for guidance and the yaw regulation gyro assembly have been taken out of the torpedo, and can be checked out in detail.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The range could be selected before launching, and was traded off with speed. It could be between 5.500 and 13.200 yards, and the speed ranged between 44 kn and 30 kn correspondingly. The German origin of the torpedo on display is betrayed by the writings in German on some parts.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Leaving the workshop through a gate towards the inner part of the bunker, a roomy supply storage area can be found, with some interesting material including torpedo parts, as well as a torpedo launching cannon.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
This item represents the primary way of launching torpedoes in the early Cold War from land-based batteries or ship decks. This was a technology inherited from WWII, when coastal batteries of the Atlantic Wall ejected torpedoes from slots in the bunker wall, shortly above the surface of the water, employing cannons similar to this one (which dates from the Cold War period), thanks to a burst of compressed air. This cheaper, but less ‘stealthy’ and accurate launching procedure, was replaced by underwater launching tubes only over the years of the Cold War, featuring an increase in the level of sophistication of warfare. Correspondingly, the slots in the side of the torpedo battery bunker facing the water were bricked up, and torpedo cannons were retained mostly for use from the deck of warships.
From the storage room you get access to the core area of the battery. This is through a decontamination lock, with gear for anti-contamination testing, including paper strips for checking contamination from poisonous gas.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The battery features two diesel generators for electric power, employed in case of disconnection from the regional grid.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Less usual – for a military facility – is the presence of two air compressors. Compressed air is relevant for torpedo operation, being employed for the launch burst from the torpedo tube, as well as for propulsion and gyros in the G7a torpedo. The air compressors in Herdla are made by Junkers, solid German technology from 1961!
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
A few bunkerized resting rooms for the staff manning the battery can be found in the same area, besides the power/compressed air supply room and the torpedo room. The resting rooms are minimal as usual, with suspended berths, and much personal military equipment on display – coats, blankets, medical kits, and more technical material.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Finally, the core of the battery is the torpedo room. This is much longer than wider, access is via the short side. In the Third Reich years, the launching slot was on the short side to the opposite end of the room, right above the water. Today, this slot has been bricked up, and there is no window at all.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The torpedoes are aligned on racks along the long sides of the room. The launching system is via two underwater tubes, which are accessed via obliquely mounted hatches, one to each side of the room at the level of the floor. The section of the racks closer to the entrance door is actually a pivoting slide. The slide could be pitched down, thus allowing the torpedo to slip through the hatch in the firing tube. The original launch control console can be found to the right of the access door – in a mint condition, it looks really like it had just been put in standby following a drill!
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Over the years, the stockpile of G7a TI torpedoes was upgraded especially in terms of guidance. The major modification was the adoption of wired control. This is based on a thin electric cable unwinding as the torpedo proceeds along its trajectory, keeping it linked with the launching battery. This upgraded model is called G7a TI mod 1. Control via a steering joystick and trajectory monitoring system could provide manual guidance to the torpedo, thus sharply increasing the chance of target interception. This technology is still in use today. Wire tubes can be found on top of the rudder of torpedoes.
Besides the G7a, Herdla battery received the TP613 torpedo, a weapon developed in Sweden in the early 1980s from previous designs. Exemplars of this torpedo, still in use, are visible in the torpedo room. In terms of mechanics, the piston engine of this torpedo is powered by the reaction of alcohol and Hydrogen-peroxide. In terms of guidance, this torpedo features improved wired communication for guidance and power setting (i.e. changing torpedo speed during the run), as well as passive sonar homing. A dismounted section exposing the engine can be found on display.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The wire tube installation on top of the rudder is featured also on this model, and examples of the wire are on display.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The original guidance console, made by Decca, with a prominent joystick on it, is on display as well!
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Training and proficiency checks are typically carried out without a warhead, but with an instructional head. Distinctively painted in shocking red, and with powerful lights in them – to show their position to simulated targets during training exercises, when needed – these are on display in a number. Since the torpedoes, just like missiles, are very expensive, a way of recovering them after instructional use has been envisioned, in the form of inflating bags coming out of the head, increasing the buoyancy of the emptied torpedo and forcing it to surface when reactants tanks are empty and power is off.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Offensive warheads can be exchanged with dummy ones for training, bolting them to the body of the torpedo, which remains totally unchanged. A warhead with a 600 lbs explosive load, triggered by a proximity pistol, was typically put on G7a torpedoes. The proximity pistol was made of four petals, which on contact with the target were bent towards a conductive metal ring around the nose cone of the torpedo, closing an electric circuit and triggering the explosion.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Leaving the torpedo room and the bunker is via the same way you came in.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Sea Mines & Area Control Center
But your visit is not over. As mentioned, the Herdla coastal battery hosts an area control center, with provision to manage target detection facilities and the minefields in the waters around Bergen.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
This part was built in a facility strongly potentiated with tight doors, typical to the shockwave-proof military construction syllabus of the Cold War. A sequence of roomy vaults carved in the rock hides a number of containerized modules, together with an exhibition of sea mines and related apparatus.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Most notably, an L-type Mk 2 moored mine and a Mk 51 bottom mine are on display, with a understated control panel. The latter is actually a portable controller for triggering the mines. Already before WWII, sea mines were often put on the bottom of the sea in shallow waters, or moored in deeper waters, to control access inner waters, firths, ports, etc. The Germans made extensive use of this technique in Norway, and following WWII this strategy was inherited by Norway to protect its waters from (primarily) Soviet intrusion.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Despite contact mines were still popular in WWII, they have been surpassed and gradually replaced already in that age by proximity mines, based on noise and – especially – magnetic sensors. Today, proximity fuses activated by the magnetic field of ships or submarines passing nearby are standard technology. Onboard electronics allows to distinguish between the magnetic signature (i.e. fingerprint) of different ships, thus avoiding any issue for civilian or friendly traffic, and activating only against enemy shipping. Degaussing techniques – i.e. the ability of military ships to hide their signature – have forced to improve detection technology, which is today extremely sophisticated.
Furthermore, for the protection of ports and friendly waters, sea mines are typically controlled and triggered by hand, upon detection and localization of enemy shipping, by means of dedicated detection facilities on land or water. This improves precision and allows more flexible defensive-offensive tactics, since a human chain of command has control on the minefield, instead of a pre-determined computer program.
To trigger the mines, consoles like that on display are employed, where a trigger for each mine allows precise control over the minefield.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The first containerized control center hosts a similar, yet much more modern, dedicated console. Everything in this movable control center is very neat, and really looking like reactivation might take place in just moments! Of interest is also the situation map, covering the area around Herdla and the water inlet to Bergen.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
A nearby container reveals berths and a small living area for stationing staff.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Yet another container hosts a complete situation room covering the area. Similar to the coastal battery in Stevnsfort, Denmark (see here), a careful eye was constantly overlooking the shipping in the area.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
In the same container, a console for steering torpedoes, more modern than that previously seen in the torpedo battery, is on display.
All in all, Herdla is a one-of-a-kind destination, of primary interest for those interested in Cold War military history, enjoyable and easy to visit. Totally recommended for everybody with an interest in history, with much to see and learn for the kids as well.
Getting there & Visiting
Herdla fortress features an official visitor center with a large parking area, and amenities including a small restaurant and a shop. The official website is here. It can be reached about 27 miles north of central Bergen, roughly 45 minutes by car. The address is Herdla Museum, Herdla Fort, 5315 Herdla.
The torpedo battery and control bunker can be visited only on a guided tour. Visiting from abroad, we scheduled an appointment, and were shown around by the very knowledgeable guide Lars Ågren, a retired officer of the Royal Norwegian Navy. He joined the Navy in the late 1970s, in time to gain a substantial, hands-on Cold War experience during the final, high-tech part of that confrontation. He was promoted to tasks in the NATO headquarters in Belgium, later returning to Norway, and totaling more than 37 years in service. He is strongly involved in the management of the Herdla site. Chance is for you to embark on a visit with this guide, or other very competent guides who will satisfy the appetites of more committed war technicians and engineers, being capable of entertaining also the younger public as well.
A visit to the torpedo battery and control center may last about 1 hour. Seasonal changes to opening times may apply, as common in Northern Countries, therefore carefully check the website.
War actions in Scandinavia constitute a crucial stage in the unfolding of WWII events in Europe. The strategic position of the Scandinavian peninsula was not overlooked by strategists in the Third Reich and the USSR, and by the Western Allies. As a matter of fact, the German invasion of Denmark and Norway took place as early as the Spring of 1940, starting just weeks before the invasion of Holland, Belgium and France.
History & Remains – A Quick Summary
For Germany in WWII, the long and impervious coast of Norway constituted an ideal strong point to carry out raids over the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, the northern Atlantic and the Barents Sea, interfering with resupply convoys from Britain and the US. Especially after the start of the war against the USSR in 1941, the polar routes going to Murmansk – the only non-freezing port on the northern coast of the USSR – were within range of German warships and aircraft operating from the north of Norway. Control over Norway and Denmark meant total control on the access to the Baltic Sea, thus protecting the northern coast of Germany from direct attack by the Western Allies, allowing unimpeded action against the Soviet Union on that sea. Of the greatest importance in the northern European territory was also the abundance of raw materials – mainly metals for industrial production – so desperately needed by the Third Reich.
For the Allies, keeping Scandinavia was an objective of great relevance in the early stages of the war, since this territory could be a convenient springboard to launch attacks against the flat and easy coast of Germany. In the rapidly changing complex alliances and diplomatic relationships of the early stage of WWII (1939-40), Norway and Sweden tried to keep out of the war. Finland fought the Winter War against the USSR (itself one of the results of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact, albeit not to the knowledge of the Finns), loosing part of its territory and strengthening its link with Germany for some years to come (see this post). The Third Reich attacked Norway by air and sea in April 1940, and help was sought especially in Britain. King Haakon VII of Norway left for exile in England, and the initial battles of WWII between the Reich and the UK were fought – mainly at sea – in proximity of Norwegian ports.
The Atlantic Wall
Possibly the most impressive military trace of WWII in Europe, the Atlantic Wall – a defense line stretching from France to northern Norway – was designed and built in Denmark and Germany, immediately following the successful push of the Third Reich into these Countries. Actually, those are the Countries where the most relevant remains of this interesting trace of war can be found today. A very ambitious project both in purpose and required resources, the Atlantic Wall never reached completion. Despite that, the geography of Norway, with a coastline featuring only limited access to the inland area, allowed to create an effective barrier against a potential enemy landing. Hundreds of gun batteries, complemented with anti-aircraft artillery and radars, constituted a powerful deterrent against any invasion. As a matter of fact, after the unique episode of the Battle of Narvik in the early stages of WWII, no Allied forces ever landed in Norway from the sea for the rest of the war.
A complete visit to all sites of the Atlantic Wall in Norway is a really immense task, due to the number of installations and their geographical remoteness. However, a few impressive highlights can be found in convenient locations, and can be easily visited by everybody. In this post some of them are presented – the colossal battery ‘Vara’, the southern fortified area of Lista, the forts of Fjell and Tellevik near Bergen, and the massive cannons of Austratt.
War Museums
But other fragments of the rich legacy of WWII in Norway can be retraced also away from the preserved installations of the Atlantic Wall. An interesting page is that of naval warfare deployed by the Navy of the Third Reich – the Kriegsmarine – to counter Allied shipping activities. Names like Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are frequently found in history books as well as in movies or scale model shops, and they are just a few of the mighty vessels linked to the Scandinavian war theater. Dedicated exhibitions can be found in little but impressively rich museums on these topics. In this post, the Tirpitz Museum in Alta, the War Museum of Narvik and the exhibition in the visitor center of North Cape are covered.
Special interest sites
Heroic actions involving the Norwegian resistance organization are proudly remembered all over the Nation. A particularly interesting location being the Rjukan hydroelectric power-plant, which produced heavy water, a key-component in the research leading to the preparation of fissile material. This strategic asset was highly needed by the German nuclear program. On the other hand, its possession by the Third Reich was seen as a clear and present danger by the Allies, who tried to have the plant destroyed in several instances. The Norwegian resistance was clearly much involved in sabotage missions, due to the difficulty in targeting the place through air bombing raids. The power-plant is today a nice museum, covered in this post.
Photographs in this chapter were collected on a visit in August 2022.
Sights
The map below shows the location of the sites mentioned in this chapter. Their listing in the descriptions roughly follows a clockwise sense, starting from the southernmost point of Kristiansand (Vara battery). Red items are in disrepair, whereas blue ones are official tourist destinations.
The Vara battery was built as the core of the strongly fortified area around Kristiansand. Thanks to its position close to the southernmost tip of the Norwegian territory, this port town is still today very busy with passenger and freight traffic from nearby Denmark.
The Third Reich military started to lay sea mines as soon as it gained control of both sides of the Skagerrak strait. The coast around Kristiansand was reinforced with several coastal artillery pieces, and production of a set of special 38 cm caliber guns – called Siegfried -was started by the Krupp ironworks in Essen in 1940. The aim was that of controlling access to the Baltic sea by means of two batteries of long-range naval guns, one to the south in Denmark (Hanstholm, see here), and one to the north in Kristiansand.
The cannons should be capable of revolving by 360 degrees, and special concrete rotundas were prepared for the scope in a location called Møvik, on the southwestern end of the gulf of Kristiansand. The complex morphology of the terrain in this site led to a smaller than desirable area for the battery, where all technical buildings – including ammo storages – had to be built relatively close to one another. These massive constructions alone, built by the same ‘Organisation Todt’ responsible for the implementation of the coastal defense positions all over Europe, make for a remarkable work of engineering, carried out with the help of local builders, working relentlessly around the clock to have these emplacements ready as soon as possible.
In the event, only three of the four Siegfried cannons made their way to the battery in Kristiansand, one being apparently lost when the transport ship carrying it was sunk on the Baltic Sea. Transporting these 110 ton, around 60 ft long barrels by rail from Germany into the narrow valleys of Scandinavia was not an easy task. However, two cannons were test-fired in May 1942, and the third in November the same year.
The battery received the name ‘Vara’, after a high-ranking official killed in Guernsey in 1941.
Battery Vara went through the war without seeing an involvement in any major war action, and was mainly test-fired only. The whole installation, comprising target detection points, analog computers for target aiming, ammo storages – including more than 1.400 shells! – and many other service buildings, was inherited intact by the Norwegian Armed Forces in 1945, similar to many other installations along the coast of the Skagerrak and the North Sea. It was incorporated in the Norwegian coastal artillery between 1946 and 1954, being later placed in reserve having by then become obsolete for Cold War warfare standards. Two cannons were scrapped, whereas one – the only entirely surviving battery Nr. 2 – was luckily kept. The site survived subsequent stages of demolition works over the next decades, but in the early 1990s it was finally re-opened as a museum.
Cannon Nr. 2
Today, the centerpiece of the visit is constituted by a walk around the perfectly preserved building of cannon Nr.2. This bunkerized building is composed of a set of technical rooms, for ammo assembly and storage, as well as for services like Diesel power generators, and an adjoining rotunda, where the big cannon revolved around a pinion, and could be pointed to its target, following instructions from the battery control center. The latter elaborated target data from detection, identification, measuring and range-finding positions scattered around the battery perimeter.
Access to the back of the concrete building is via the original hatch, closed by iron doors. You can see the narrow-gauge railway track leading in. This linked the cannon buildings with the ammo storages around, and allowed to supply the cannon with ammo parts (the explosive cartridge and the shell are not assembled in a single unity for larger cannons, unlike for lighter weapons). The hatch drives you into a long corridor, the backbone of the bunkerized quarters behind the cannon rotunda. Here some shells have been put on the original railway trolley for display.
The cannon building hosted a permanent watch of a few men, which manned it permanently in shifts. A living room with some berths is the only one offering some comfort in the building.
A number of rooms in the bunker are dedicated to the power generator plant. A primary and a back-up generator share the same room. Of special interest are the labels on all machines and mechanisms, proudly made in Germany – in some cases, by brands still existing today.
Electric power was required for the motion of the cannon, besides for smaller appliances like lights and radios. The cannons could make use of the regional grid, but since an unstable supply might have damaged the cannon motors, aiming operations were often carried out on the controlled internal power grid, fed by the generators, and producing an optimal output.
Beside the generator room, the air conditioning plant (not for comfort, but to slightly pressurize the bunker in order to repel and pump-out poisonous or exhaust gas), the Diesel tank and the water tank for cooling the generator can be seen in adjoining rooms.
To the far end of the corridor, a radio room was used to maintain a link with the battery command post, located more than 1 mile away from Vara battery. Actually, by design the electric signals to orient the cannon could be given by the control post, and the radio communication system was there for backup.
On the other side of the corridor with respect to the generator rooms – i.e. towards the cannon rotunda – are four adjoining rooms, used to store the components of the explosive cartridges and shells. The shells and cartridges prepared for firing were moved via a crane to a tray, and from there sent side-wards to the rotunda, where they were loaded on a trolley. The cranes, trays and slots linking these rooms to the rotunda can be found around the area of the bunker closer to the rotunda.
The cranes moved along tracks hanging from the ceiling. These tracks had some switch points, allowing to allow the crane to move across different rooms in the bunker.
Inside these rooms, today you can find much original material of special interest. Specimens of high-explosive (yellow) and armor-piercing (blue) shells are displayed. The weight of the shells was around 800 kg, where the cartridge could feature different weights, roughly from 100 to 200 kg.
The top range of these cannons and shells was around 43 km. Smaller 500 kg shells could alternatively be fired by Siegfried cannons, with a longer range of 55 km. Furthermore, the cannon could be test-fired during drills with smaller caliber shots, by reducing the bore of the cannon. This was a very useful feature, since the estimated loss of barrel metal due to attrition was a staggering 0.25 kg per shot, implying a life of the barrel of only around 250-300 shots, firing with sufficient accuracy. Shooting smaller shells allowed to spare barrel wear and extend the time between overhauls of the cannon.
The sealed canisters for the explosive cartridges, with original markings in German, can still be seen piled in a room!
More material on display includes a rare example of fire direction computer. Actually, that on display is smaller than the one originally used for the long-range cannons of Vara battery, but it provides a good idea of the level of sophistication of this mechanism. Data like target distance, velocity, orientation, wind speed and direction, etc. were set as input to this analog computer, producing fire direction variables to point the cannon. An incredible masterpiece of engineering and craftsmanship, this type of computer is difficult to find in museums, and allows to appreciate the level of development of warfare back in the 1940s.
Data including range of the target was found with the help of special instrumentation. A stereoscopic range-finder was installed in the battery command post, with an arm of 12 m, which allowed good accuracy for very distant targets – required for the long range of the cannons of Vara battery. Smaller instruments with the same principle are displayed in one of the rooms.
Among the special features of this bunkerized building are the restored, original writings from German times, as well as a one-of-a-kind painting made by a Soviet prisoner of war.
From the bunkerized room, you can get access to the rotunda. Cartridges put on trolleys moved along a circular railway track all around the rotunda. This way, cartridges could be taken to the cannon whatever the direction it was pointing. Once to the base of the cannon turret, the explosive charge and the shell were lifted separately by means of two special elevators, up to the level of the gun shutter.
An impressive feature of the rotunda is the ring cover for the circular railway. In order to protect the railway passage from above, while allowing the cannon to rotate, a roof made of thick metal scales was implemented. When revolving around the pinion, the cannon turret would automatically lift the scales on its passage. The sound of the scales being lifted and released while the cannon body was revolving must have been really an experience!
Here the back of the barrel dominates the relatively large firing chamber. The shutter has been left open, so you can see the sunlight through the barrel.
The shell and explosive charge were received from the two elevators on a special tray, and here they were finally aligned one before the other. Somewhat in contrast to the top-notch technology level of the installation, the cartridge had to be pushed from the back into the barrel by hand. A long wooden stick was used for the task. Actually, it was so long that it protruded from the back of the cannon turret, thus requiring a small hatch to be pierced in the metal armor correspondingly. On one side of the barrel, instrumentation for measuring the pointing direction is still in place.
The position of cannon Nr.1 was prepared unusually close to that of Nr.2. As said, this was due to the limited available area on the uneven coast section where the battery was put in place. However, Nr.1 never received a cannon. Conversely, it was modified later in the war, when experimenting with cannon protection from air-dropped high-yield bombs. The rotunda was capped with a very thick concrete roof, sustained by sidewalls which limited the side-wards rotation of the cannon to 120 degrees.
The rotunda can be walked freely. The central pinion is still in place. Inside, the ceiling is covered in original metal panels. The round corridor for the trolleys can still be seen, but there is no access left to the bunkerized part.
Following the railway around the site is a great way to find what remains today of the original installation. There are two bulky ammo storages. These were reportedly more thickly armored than usual, in view of a higher risk of getting hit, due to the unusual proximity with the cannons – designated targets for the enemy.
Furthermore, other smaller buildings are scattered around, which may have served as storage for lighter weapons.
The positions of cannons Nr. 3 and Nr. 4 have been largely demolished, and access is permanently shut to the bunkerized part. However, you can easily climb to the top level, to get a nice view of the rotunda.
Vara is in the top-five list of the most famous surviving installations of the Atlantic Wall in Europe, and a visit to this destination is in itself a good reason for a detour to Norway for war historians and like-minded people. Due to its proximity to the port of Kristiansand, just minutes apart by car, and the relatively easy-to-reach location in the most populated part of Norway, it is also a top destination for any tourist in the area. As a matter of fact, the place is run as a top-level museum, with great reception capability, and is visited by thousands of visitors per year.
Visiting can be performed on a self-guided basis, with an explanation leaflet which allows to get much from your visit, especially if you are not new to installations of the Atlantic Wall (which are mostly standardized, despite Vara having really oversized guns!). A tour of the main features – cannon Nr.2 and the building of Nr.1 – may take 1 hour at least, for an averagely interested person. For an in-depth visit and a quick tour of the premises including other remains, more than 2 hours are needed. Thanks to the exceptional level of conservation and the explanation of whatever is on display, the visit is not boring and may be very rewarding even for younger people.
Large parking on site, picnic tables and warm reception are available – as usual in Norway! Website with full information here.
Nordberg & Marka Batteries – Farsund
Located in the southwestern corner of the Norwegian territory, about 100 miles south of the port of Stavanger, the municipality of Farsund encompasses a number of small coastal villages, around the landmark represented by the lighthouse of Lista.
Two batteries were set up by the German occupation forces as part of the Atlantic wall, both fully operative by 1942. The northern one is called Nordberg fort, where the southern one, very close to the shore line, is known as Marka fort. Between the two, the Germans installed a full-scale airbase, with a runway of roughly 1.5 km, complemented by hangars and shelters largely standing today. Following the end of WWII and the withdrawal of the German military, all these installations were converted for military use by the Norwegian armed forces, which also developed the original airfield into a more modern airbase by stretching the runway.
Today, Nordberg fort is a museum. The German Navy was in charge of the station, which had as centerpieces three 150 mm cannons, with a range of around 23 km. The cannons have been scrapped (with the exception of a lighter piece of Russian make). However, the firing positions are still there, linked by a semi-interred trench.
You can see also the original control point for the battery, developed by the Norwegians more recently, and the concrete base for a radar antenna originally on site.
Several original buildings for services – canteen, hospital,… – are still there, making for a an interesting opportunity to see how this installation looked like back in the 1940s.
The Marka fort was assembled around six 150 mm guns, located very close to the sea, grouped in two batteries of three firing positions each. A huge bunkerized command post was built in the premises of the fort. Today, after the Norwegian military left at the end of the Cold War, the Marka battery is basically a ghost site, despite being still in a relatively good shape.
The control bunker is especially interesting, since you can access the top level and watch the sea from the very same room and windows originally used by the German Navy troops! The general arrangement of the bunker is similar to other command posts you can find on the Atlantic Wall – especially in Denmark (see here).
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
The positions for the coastal guns can be reached close to the control bunker. They are uncovered round areas, slightly below the level of the ground, framed by a circular reinforced sidewall.
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
More Atlantic Wall remains, like bunkers, foundations for radar stations, or emplacements for lighter guns, can be be found scattered in the area of Farsund – which kept its military site status well after the Germans had left.
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The museum of Nordberg keeps some of the buildings on the respective site open. However, the majority of the site is open 24 hours, and can be walked freely. A visit may take about 1 hour. A convenient parking can be found right ahead of the modern and welcoming visitor center, from where you can effortlessly reach most of the points of interest in this installation. Website with full information here.
The site of Marka – not part of any museum – can be approached at any time with some walking in the rural area along the coast line. A good starting point for an exploration is here, where you can leave your car and move along an easy trail to the command bunker and the gun rotundas about 0.5 miles west.
Fjell Fortress – Bergen
Bergen was a strategic base of the German Navy, which received a fortified submarine deck among the largest, most active and longest lasting in the history of WWII. The complex morphology of the territory around this port town allowed to effectively protect the access by means of a network of nine firing emplacements. One of them – Fjell – was of exceptional power and range.
It was built between 1942-43 diverting one of the batteries of battleship Gneisenau, which had been damaged beyond repair by an air raid while in port at Kiel (Germany). The battery was composed of three 28 cm guns in a single turret. The latter was very compact in design, a real masterpiece of naval engineering, but nonetheless it featured a rather tall substructure, with all that was needed to operate the guns – protruding from the relatively sleek top of the turret, surfacing on the ground.
Placing this special battery in Fjell required carving the rocky coast, creating a cylindrical underground pit, inside coated with concrete, to host the turret. The turret, an assembly of around 1.000 tonnes with the guns on top, was then transported up to this elevated site, and lowered into the pit. The battery was test fired in the mid of 1943. It acted as an effective deterrent, and reportedly never used in combat.
The battery was incorporated in the Norwegian coastal defense after WWII, and sadly scrapped in 1968, since by then obsolete, but not yet considered an historical landmark.
Clearly, the battery was in the middle of an off-limits military area in wartime, where bunkers for several services and for the the troops, at least two radar antennas and many emplacements for lighter defensive weapons were installed to protect the battery from ground and air attacks.
Today, the bunker-pit where the turret used to rest is the centerpiece of a visit to the site. Starting from the visitor center on top, where the guns used to be, you can descend to the base of the cylindrical pit – roughly 30 ft in diameter and 75 in depth! Here you can see the rooms originally employed for storing the explosive cartridges and the shells for the cannons. These were supplied on trolleys and slides, and sent inside the metal turret, to be lifted up to the level of the cannons for firing.
Most of the original German mechanical and electrical systems is still there to see, including wiring, phones, cranes, trolleys, and examples of shells and cartridges.
Back then, you got access to these storage areas from an entrance on the same level (i.e. not from the top of the turret, but from the base). You can see this entrance, as well as the curved corridor leading from the gate to the ammo storage area. Here, examples of sea mines and other war material can be found. The corridor has narrow-gauge railway track, which was used for resupplying the ammo storage from outside.
The corridor is curved, and firing positions are strategically placed to cover it, in order to counter enemy intrusion.
The bunker gives access to the living quarters for the troops. These are well preserved, and feature brick walls to help insulating the inside from the wet rock of the walls and ceilings.
Services, like toilets, sauna, washing machines and more, are original from the German tenancy. Especially the water basins appear very stylish, a good example of German design from the era.
Besides the main turret bunker, as said the Fjell site offers other constructions on a vast area, which can be checked out from the outside – also since the premises are at least formally military grounds still today.
The road reaching the site from the parking, gently climbing uphill, is reportedly the original main access to the Third Reich site. An interesting tank-stopping device can be seen to the lower end of the road – heavy stones on top of light pillars on the sides of the road. The pillars could be blown, and the stones would fall cutting the road, in case of a potential intrusion.
The fort of Fjell, about 15 miles west of central Bergen, is professionally run as a museum. Parking is only possible to the base of the cliff where the turret used to stand. From there, a 0.8 miles road climbs to the entrance. The scenic location and the nice rural area around make for an enjoyable walk. Visiting inside is only possibly on guided tours, offered also in English (an possibly other languages). A small restaurant can be found on top, where an observation deck has been built in place of the battery.
The location of the parking is here. A visit may take around 45 minutes, excluding the time needed to climb uphill and descend to the parking. Website with full information here.
Tellevik Fort – Bergen
The coastal fort of Tellevik, on the eastern head of the Norhordland Bridge, 15 miles north of Bergen, was part of the lighter defense artillery put in place by the German military to defend any access by water to Bergen. The battery was built by order of the Third Reich, profiting from the forced labor of Soviet prisoners of war.
Lighter howitzers were enough to cover the narrow water passages in proximity of the town. The elevation of the emplacement is low, slightly above the water surface.
The battery of Tellevik was centered on two such howitzers, placed on open-top positions. The two guns can be seen still today, on round concrete firing positions. The giant bridge today largely obstructing the field of sight was not there at the time of the German occupation.
A monument to Norwegian seamen victims to sea mines laid by the German to protect the access to Bergen is concurrently located on the site of the Tellevik battery.
Tellevik is an open air memorial, which can be walked freely 24/7. It can be reached by inputting these coordinates to a GPS navigation app.
A visit may take about 15 minutes, a nice detour from exceptionally crowded downtown Bergen.
Austrått Fortress – Austrått
Similar to Bergen, the major port of Trondheim was a strategic base for the German Navy. Protected by a long firth, the port was an ideal base for submarines and warships, to intercept convoys in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. Correspondingly, a number of coastal forts was prepared by the German occupation forces to counter any unauthorized access to the waterways leading to Trondheim.
The most powerful and impressive of these batteries is the Austratt Fort. Similar to the fortress of Fjell near Bergen (see above), Austratt received one of the turrets of the ill-fated battleship Gneisenau, damaged while moored in Kiel, in February 1942. A control and aiming position was put in place a few miles apart along the coast, whereas the battery was surrounded by an off-limits area, stuffed with bunkers for the troops, ammo storage bunkers, and lighter guns for protection against an attack by land.
A major difference between the two ‘sister sites’ of Fjell and Austratt is that in the latter the cannons are still there!
Following the installation of the turret, test fired in September 1943, the fort saw little action, acting as a deterrent, and effectively preventing any serious intrusion by the Allies towards Trondheim from the sea. After the demise of the Third Reich, the fort was taken over by the Norwegian coastal defense, stricken off in 1968, and restored as a museum in the early 1990s.
The cannons are on top of a hill. From the outside, the massive three-barreled turret is really impressive in size!
The barrels can be seen besides the original range-finder – with its impressive arm, granting good measuring accuracy even at a large distance from the target. This item, with its bell-shaped cover, was originally part of the control point, located southwest of the battery, in a location currently very close to an active base of the Norwegian Air Force (Orland).
Despite access to the the firing chamber being possible through a hatch to the back of the turret, the tour follows the way a shell would travel from storage to firing. Hence you start your tour from an entrance to the side of the hill, at the same level of the bottom of the cylindrical tower supporting the guns. This metal tower was taken from the Gneisenau together with the cannons, and put in a pit carved in the rock for the purpose in Austratt.
Access through the side of the hill is protected by a smaller gun. Once inside, you find yourself in a curvy corridor, with a narrow-gauge railway track for the trolleys needed to carry the shells and cartridges inside. A firing position behind an embrassure points against the entrance, for further protection of the site against an intrusion.
The bunker in Austratt – but the same happened to many installations of the Atlantic Wall in Norway – was plagued with severe humidity problems. Immediately besides the entrance, a room with a water basin is fed by natural water dripping from the ceiling and from the rocky walls around.
Original machines for tooling, put in place for maintenance purposes back in the Third Reich years, are still there and working. Similarly, a primary and a backup Diesel generators supplying the fort are still in place, with all ancillary plants, like big Diesel and water tanks for cooling. This is original machinery too, as witnessed by the tags of the mechanical components, all made in Germany.
Living quarters were at the bottom level too. Trying to supply some comfort, the rocky walls were covered with bricks and wood, especially against humidity. These rooms have been partly refurbished with a good resemblance to the original ones. They include the kitchen and some of the sleeping quarters for the troops. However, since humidity was really extreme, troops spent limited time here especially for sleeping, and provisional barracks were built outside of the installation instead.
Hygienic services were reportedly extremely advanced compared to Norwegian standards of the time. Fully working toilets, lavatories and showers were taken as a blueprint by the Norwegian Army after the war. The electric water heater put in place in the Austratt battery was apparently among the first installed in the whole Country – it can still be seen.
Explosive cartridges, fuses and shells arriving from the bunker entry you have walked through at the beginning of your tour would be eventually lifted upstairs. Shells, either high-yield explosive or armor-piercing, would be stored in a chamber featuring cranes hanging from the ceiling, used to put the shells on trolleys. These trolleys transported the shells to the lower level of the turret. The chamber where the shells were stored is physically separated by the turret by means of a concrete wall.
Tight compartments are often found in war bunkers of the Atlantic Wall, and this can be explained by the fact that the deadliest effect of an enemy shot (either a cannon shell from a warship, or an air-dropped bomb) would be that of an overpressure wave (shockwave), capable of killing many in just moments. Overpressure effects can be effectively reduced by putting physical obstacles on the way the shockwave would travel – walls, tight doors, etc. – or by forcing it into smaller passages, like hatches or smaller doors and windows. Therefore, bunkers like Austratt are built in rather small rooms, connected only through narrow hatches and doors.
Again in the storage chamber for the shells, extensive writing in German can be found on many of the mechanisms and electric plants. Everything is original and exceptionally well conserved, just like the Germans had just left!
The lowest level of the turret, where the shells would arrive from the storage chamber to be loaded on elevators going to the upper levels, is a masterpiece of engineering. The technical problem here was that of connecting the slides from the storage chamber, which are anchored to the ground, to the receiving slides on the turret, which could pivot around 360 degrees. The designer of the turret solved the issue by placing an intermediate ring, revolving independently, and capable of connecting the fixed slides from the storage chamber to the revolving platform on the turret. The extremely compact size of the overall design, originally prepared for fitting into a warship, and the elegance and precision of the mechanism resemble those of a pocket watch from the 1920s more than a cannon!
On the turret, you can see three elevators for the three barrels, which were therefore fed independently.
Going upstairs, you meet the storage room for the explosive cartridges. These used to be stored in sealed canisters on display, original from the time. This storage room is placed to the side of the corresponding level in the turret, in a similar fashion to the shells storage below.
Climbing up one more level inside the turret, you reach a platform with the motors for moving the battery around its vertical axis, and for lifting or lowering the three monster barrels. The motion involved high-pressure mechanisms, rather complex and requiring many valves and extensive piping.
To the back of each of the barrels, you can see a large empty volume for recoil. The battery rested on a ball bearing – one of the pretty sizable metal balls is on display.
Finally, the firing chamber can be found on the top level in the turret. Here the shells and cartridges were received, aligned and loaded from the back into the barrels by a pushing mechanical arm. Three independent mechanisms were put in place for the scope in the firing chamber.
You can exit the turret from the hatch to the back of the turret, concluding your tour. In the video below you can see a portrait of the battery from the air, made with a drone.
All in all, similar to the Vara battery (see above), Austratt is in an exceptional state of conservation in the Norwegian and European panorama of artillery engineering from WWII, and a visit may be super-interesting for any public.
Visiting
Despite being relatively close to Trondheim on a map, as usual in Norway, Austratt is a more than two hours drive from the town, and reaching requires taking at least one ferry. However, as noted, this location is a pinnacle in the Atlantic Wall, and surely deserves a visit for technicians and non-technical public as well, and of course for the kids.
Access to the exterior is possible at any time, but visiting inside is only possible on guided tours. The guide is very knowledgeable and makes the visit interesting also for a technically-minded public. The visit inside may take around 1 hour, more if you make questions and show some interest. Convenient parking by the gate of the fort, easy access to the area around the battery. Moving inside can be requiring for non-fit people.
As pointed out in the introduction to this chapter, Norway is rich of memorials from WWII. Even close to some of the attractions in this wonderful Country which are must-see stops for other reasons, features recalling memories from war actions are offered to a curious eye.
Two notable examples are the visitor center of the Arctic Circle along the E6, as well as that of North Cape.
Scandinavia has been a bloody and extremely active theater of war all along WWII, and Norway was directly involved in significant war actions since the first year of the conflict. As a matter of fact, most of the impressive line of fortifications constituting the Atlantic Wall was erected by deploying forced laborers, typically prisoners of war from the Eastern Front, primarily including Russians, other people from the USSR, and Balkan prisoners.
Soviet troops attacked the northernmost German-occupied region from the North, together with the Finns, after the latter negotiated a separate peace with the USSR in late 1944. The retreating Germans opposed a fierce resistance, and it was in this latest stage of the war that most physical damage to towns and installations was caused in Norway, since German troops were ordered to burn up all positions they had to leave.
These facts explain the many Soviet monuments and war cemeteries scattered especially in the northern part of Norway still today – commemorating Soviet soldiers fallen either in war actions or as prisoners of war in the harsh conditions of northern Norway.
One such monument, albeit overlooked, is prominently placed besides the visitor center of the Arctic Circle.
Soviet Memorial – Arctic Circle Visitor Center – WWII – Norway
Soviet Memorial – Arctic Circle Visitor Center – WWII – Norway
Soviet Memorial – Arctic Circle Visitor Center – WWII – Norway
The interest of Germany for Norway was primarily for its strategic position, which became an asset of special value after the start of the war against the USSR in mid-1941. The convoys feeding vital material to the USSR from Britain and the US had to go to Murmansk (see here) and the Kola Peninsula, i.e. over the Barents Sea. This was conveniently controlled by the German occupants, operating from the Norwegian coast.
In the visitor center of North Cape some panels are dedicated to this topic, showing an impression of the structure and routes followed by Allied convoys going to the USSR.
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Detailed panels with maps and pictures recall the last battle of the German battleship Scharnhorst, which was confronted by the group of the British battleship HMS Duke of York, in an epic battle relatively close to North Cape. The massive German battleship, deployed to Norway with Tirpitz (a sister ship of the famous Bismarck) to block the resupply traffic to the USSR, was hit several times and finally sunk in the freezing last days of 1943. The battle was posthumously named ‘Battle of North Cape’. A detailed scaled model of the German battleship is similarly on display in the visitor center.
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The visitor center of the Arctic Circle on the road E6, with a small Soviet monument, can be found here. The monument is open 24/7.
The visitor center of North Cape is… at North Cape! The inside can be accessed during opening times, and the tables with information on WWII convoys and battles are on an underground mezzanine. Website with full information here.
War Museum – Narvik
The port town of Narvik was founded in the 19th century as a commercial base for exporting iron ore from Sweden. A small town by the sea, surrounded by steep-climbing mountains, and in a remote location well north of the Arctic Circle, Narvik was turned for about two months into a though theater of war for the Germans, following their occupation of Norway.
It was here that the British started a battle to stop the German push to the north, as soon as the 10th of April 1940, basically at the same time as the Germans had reached the town during their conquering campaign.
What resulted was a complex, multi-stage operation, lasting until early June 1940.
At first, the British fleet mounted a naval attack, carried out with a flotilla of five destroyers. This force clashed with the local German complement of ten destroyers. The British operation met with mixed success, and was finally repelled by the German navy operating in the narrow waters around Narvik, at the price of two destroyers on each side – plus several cargo ships destroyed in the battle. Three days later, on the 13th of April, a new force, composed of the British battleship HMS Warspite and 9 destroyers, launched another assault, resulting in the complete loss of the German destroyers fleet in the region – German warships were either sunk or scuttled.
The Germans however kept control of the town. A mixed force of British, Polish and French troops, together with the Norwegians, started an operation to conquer the town by land. The operation was successful, and the German troops had to retreat along the coast, away from Narvik. However, the start of the Battle of France – the invasion of France by the Third Reich – on the 10th of May, 1940, resulted in a rapid loss of priority of Narvik as a strategic target for the Allies. It was decided in Britain to withdraw from Norway, and to evacuate all previously landed military forces from Narvik. The town fell under German control on June 8th, basically concluding the conquer of Norway by the Third Reich.
The Allied landings around Narvik in 1940 where the first on the European continent in WWII, carried out without the participation of the US, more than three years before operations in southern Italy or Normandy.
The town of Narvik is still today an active commercial port of primary relevance in the region. The heritage of war actions is preserved in a purpose-installed museum, modernly designed and easy to visit.
On a first floor, the naval operations around Narvik are described by means of technological 3D board with virtual projections – very nice and lively. Around the board, memorabilia from the British and German warships taking part to the operations back in the Spring of 1940 have been put on display.
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
They include an original Nazi eagle from one of the ships. Since the campaign around Narvik included also air and land operations, war traces including parts of aircraft, guns, mortars, machine guns, first-aid kits and many uniforms are also on display.
Uniforms are from the many corps which took part to those actions – they are British, German, Polish and even French.
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
On a second floor, you are offered displays of artifacts retracing other aspects of WWII in Norway. These include land mines – put in place by the Germans along the coast, similar to Denmark, to impede Allied landings – an Enigma coding machine, Third Reich memorabilia, a section of the Tirpitz armored hull, radio machinery supplied to the resistance, as well as personal items belonging to former prisoners of war.
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
Finally, on the last floor heavier weapons are put on display, including torpedoes, light armored vehicles and more, even for post-WWII times.
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The battle of Narvik is one of the best known from WWII in Norway, and the little museum in the town center duly retraces its timeline, through an elegant exhibition, sufficiently rich to satisfy even the most exigent experts, but not so extensive to be boring for the general public. A really well designed museum, surely worth a visit, which may last from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on your level of interest.
The location is right besides the town hall, and can be found here. Parking opportunities on the street nearby. Website with information here.
Tirpitz Museum – Alta
The German battleship Tirpitz was laid down as the only sister ship to the well-known Bismark. Eventually, she underwent developments which made her the heaviest battleship built in Europe. Her actions were concentrated along a limited time frame, between January 1942 and November 1944, when she was finally sunk by British Lancaster bombers, making use of Tallboy high-yield bombs.
She spent her operative life along the coasts of Norway, where she constituted an effective deterrent against a sea-launched Allied invasion, and was employed tactically against resupply convoys going to the USSR.
Tirpitz was a strategic target for the Allies, which tried to get rid of her by no less than seven war operations, meeting with limited success until the last one.
With an armor more than 30 cm thick, Tirpitz was marginally maneuverable especially at lower speed, but the hull was very difficult to penetrate, and the four turrets and eight 38 cm barrels, plus twelve side-shooting 15 cm barrels, complemented by many more defensive weapons, made it a dangerous asset against land and sea targets.
The ship capsized and sunk in shallow water in the bay of Tromso, and following the end of the war, she was largely dismantled. Original pieces of the ship could be collected, as well as some personal belongings from the crew. Some more were taken out from the water over the years.
The museum in Alta is dedicated to the memory of the ship, and offers an extremely rich collection of items connected with Tirpitz. Furthermore, by means of memorabilia items, it retraces the history of the war years in the northernmost region of Norway – Finnmark. The reason for installing the Tirpitz Museum in Kåfjord, near Alta, is bound to the fact that the battleship was based here for a period, as witnessed by some historical pictures. The museum has a rich guestbook, which includes top-ranking military staff from several Countries.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
The small museum is home to some of the finest and largest scales models portraying Tirpitz. The level of detail and the accuracy of the reconstruction is really stunning.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Some smaller diorama models portray scenes from the life onboard, or details of special interest. An unusual one portrays the capsized hull of the ship, following the sinking!
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Besides the scale models, original instrumentation, shells, wooden slabs from the deck, and more parts of the ship are put on display.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
A room is dedicated to the operations carried out against the battleship. The ship was reportedly attacked several times without substantial damage. One of the attacks was carried out by the British, recurring to mini-submarines. Among the artifacts on display are the decorations to the men involved in these operations.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Extremely interesting artifacts in the museum include material from the crew, taken away after the sinking over the years – sometimes found in the area as recently as the year 2000.
These include typewriters, cutlery with swastika emblems, musical instruments, sport suits with prominent Third Reich insignia, and many personal belongings.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
In one case, the cabinet or wallet of a crewman revealed cash and stamps from the time.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Among the countless items in this exhibition are original material – including radio stations – employed by the resistance movements in Norway, as well as light weapons, uniforms and decorations of the Soviet troops who operated in the Finnmark region, helping in repelling the Germans in the last stages of WWII.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
On the outside, the anchor and parts of the armor of Tirpitz can be seen, together with an official memorial stone.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The museum is located some five miles from Alta, in the small settlement of Kåfjord. It is hosted in a single, small wooden building – possibly a former canteen – to be found here, with a small parking nearby. A website with full visiting information is here.
Visiting the museum may take from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on your level of interest.
Vemork Hydroelectric Power Plant & Heavy Water Facility – Rjukan
The nuclear program of the Third Reich is still today a matter for researchers, since – mysteriously enough – most documentation disappeared by the end of the war. Among the ascertained facts were the excellence of nuclear scientist in Germany at the time on the one hand, and the total lack of adequate quantities of raw material, or plants for processing it, to actually build real nuclear weapons on the other.
The latter is witnessed by the great strategic value attributed to the plant in Rjukan, hidden in a scenic deep valley in the region of Telemark, in southern Norway, about three hours by car from Oslo. A hydroelectric plant there – the exact name is Vemork power-plant – was employed to produce heavy water through a dedicated electrolysis separation process, which requires huge amounts of energy. Heavy water is a key component for the production of Plutonium – in turn required for atomic weapons – in heavy-water reactors.
Also the Norwegians understood the value of the plant. As soon as the winds of war started blowing from Germany in early 1940, heavy water then in storage was taken away to France, and later to Britain following the invasion of France by the Third Reich.
After Norway had been occupied by the Reich, the plant was at the center of three sabotage operations. Extremely risky and partly ending in disaster, these operations were carried out both by Norwegian and British staff, parachuted from Britain.
It took until 1944 to mortally hit the plant, well protected by its own natural setting. Two dedicated bombing raids carried out by US bombers damaged the plant beyond repair – at least in the late war scenario, when the Third Reich reaction capacity was weakening every day. The final act in the Norwegian heavy water saga was the sinking of the small boat – named Hydro – loaded with the reserve of heavy water from Vemork, having just started its trip to Germany on Lake Tinn.
The plant was again in business in the years after the war, and remained operative until the early 1990s, involved in production of various chemicals.
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Today, it is a much visited museum. Actually, the most impressive part of the plant is that of the hydroelectric turbines. Aligned in a single immense hangar, these now silent giant machinery send glimpses of the original, fashionable early-1900 industrial style.
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Some of the turbines and generator assemblies – manufactured by AEG, as witnessed by the labels – are really huge.
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
A suspended platform allows to capture with a bird’s eye the entire hall. Here you can see also completely analog control panels, again in a very elegant style from the era.
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The museum in Vemork can be reached in less than 3 hours driving from central Oslo. The power-plant can be approached walking from the parking (here) over a suspended bridge crossing the deep valley. The area is very scenic. The highlight of the show is the hall with the power turbines. A visit may take from a few minutes to more than 1 hour for more interested subjects.
A website with full information can be found here.
Many traces of the communist dictatorship can be found in today’s modern and thriving Hungary. The most visited ones, like Memento Park or Terror Haza in capital city Budapest, tell about the inhumane and pervasive aspect of propaganda and political repression. However, the history of this country in the second half of the 20th century is closely bound to the Soviet-backed communist seizure of power, and this has left traces also elsewhere, especially in terms of military leftovers. As a matter of fact, the Soviet Red Army was directly present in Hungary, to keep the status quo and to to be closer to the border with the West in case of an attack – and this of course left traces.
You can find a significant deal of material concerning more urbex-connected destinations in Hungary in another post.
In this one, you will find a mainly pictorial portrait of some of the best known attractions related to the Cold War period in Hungary, as well as some well accessible but less known ones, especially considering the general public visiting from abroad. As usual on this website, a good share of these sites is aviation-themed!
The Iron Curtain Museum has been created soon after the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989 on the sight of a former small sector of the state border between communist Hungary and free Austria.
The site is mainly the result of the effort of a man, Sandor Gojak, a former border guard in the 1960s, who dedicated this permanent exhibition to those who attempted escaping the repressive communist regime in Hungary towards Austria and the West – both those who succeeded and those who did not, hence facing arrest or losing their lives due to the minefields prepared along the border line.
The site features three examples of the border line placed in the area over the years. They are look less impenetrable than those created between Eastern and Western Germany (see this post), yet they were similarly deadly in scope and facts.
The first is basically a simple line of barbed wire with wooden poles, and it was put in place soon after WWII. Mines were placed in close vicinity to the line. After wooden poles started to rot around the mid-1950s, mines were removed, a dangerous job which cost the health of some border guards, who were severely injured due to accidental explosions.
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
For a short while at that time, the border was free of mines, and about 300’000 people managed to leave the ‘paradise of workers’!
Soon after the anti-communist uprising in 1956, suffocated with violence by the Soviets, the border was further fortified with concrete poles, and the mine strip was increased in width.
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Only at the end of the 1960s the mines were removed, after multiple accidents involving Austrian citizens, when the mines slipped into a creek near the border due to a flood, injuring many who touched them incautiously. This time the border security system was strongly potentiated, with the adoption of an electrified system for the immediate detection of proximity, linked to signal collection centers dislocated along the line. This system had been implemented by the USSR on the Pakistani border. Something similar can be found also on the border between Czechoslovakia and West Germany (see here).
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
The exhibition is completed by an example of a wooden turret, as well as a more modern fence – a specimen of the one put in place in 2015 between today’s Hungary and neighbor Serbia and Croatia, when a wave of migrants from the Middle East swept the Balkans.
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
The museum is full of vivid testimonies, thanks to the many historical pictures and artifacts on display, and to the fact that the founder is actually the man who runs the museum! – he is totally available to answer your questions.
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Iron Curtain Museum Vasfuggony Felsocsatar Szombathely Hungary Austria Border
Getting there and visiting
The museum can be reached here: 47.20376801287036, 16.429799972912328, on the border between Hungary and Austria, not far from Szombathely. The coordinates point to a convenient parking. The site is operated as an open-air museum, with opening times and an entrance fee. Moderate climbing is required, as the museum area is on the slope of a nice hill. Only cash accepted. Visiting may take about 45 minutes. Website here.
Military Park, Zanka
This small military park is a nice and cared for exhibition of Soviet-made weapons, located ahead of a resort which used to be an exclusive destination for vacation on the coast of Lake Balaton.
You can find here a couple of Mil helicopters – including the legendary Mil-24 in all its ‘beauty’! – in the colors of the Hungarian Air Force.
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
There is a MiG-21, also formerly of the Hungarian Air Force, a T-64 tank, a howitzer, a military snow blower, an amphibious truck and more light trailers.
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Perhaps the most striking sight in this collection is the surface-to-air missile (SAM) SA-2, aka S-75 Dvina in the Soviet codification. A rather basic but powerful – and successful – missile from the 1950s, sold by the Soviets to many satellite Countries and clients over the world.
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
Military Park Soviet Weapons Zanka Balaton Haditechnikai Hungary
A revolving antenna can be seen on top of a truck. This is an example of the target acquisition antenna for the SA-2 system, code-named Spoon Rest by NATO, and known as P18 in Soviet codification. This radar system had a range of approximately 170 miles, and was an improvement of the previous P12 design. The launch site of SA-2 SAMs was always complemented by a set of antennas, including a Spoon Rest system. Actually, P18 could be coupled with the launch system of more advanced SAMs too.
All items in the collection here are pretty well preserved, making the visit an enjoyable stop along the exploration of the Balaton coastline.
Getting there and moving around
The park can be found here: 46.881838498667996, 17.7098619193198. The site can be visited in 10-30 minutes depending on your level of interest. This is an open-air museum, with ticket and opening times. Website (referral) with some information here.
Komarom Monostor Fort & Soviet Weapons Collection
An incredible, perfectly preserved military fort from the years of the Austrian Empire, Monostor Fort in Komarom can be found on the Danube, marking the border with Slovakia. At the time of construction, the two nations were united in the Austrian Empire, and the fort was erected between 1850-71 as a part of a defense line extending also north in today’s Slovakia.
Despite being extremely interesting for its articulated and complex construction – a brilliant example of military engineering from the time – the fort saw no action in its intended purpose. It was used for training for most of its life, then briefly as a prisoner’s camp in the years of Hitler’s administration, and finally as an immense weapons storage during the Cold War years, when it saw tenancy by the Soviets.
Today, the fort is open as a museum, duly centered on the interesting original construction from the 19th century.
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
One cellar has been left as it was in Soviet times, when weapons of all sorts were stored here, moved by means of a dedicated short-gauge railway.
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
In a corner of the immense apron, you can find a small collection of Soviet weapons, mainly anti-tank and anti-aircraft cannons. There are also a couple of truck-transported antennas, including a very effective early warning Flat Face radar, aka P19 Danube according to the soviet classification, as well as a PRW-9 Thin Skin target altitude detection radar. Similar platforms are still in use today, and can be coupled with modern SAM launching systems.
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Komarom Fort Soviet Weapons Hungary
Getting there and moving around
The fort is a major attraction in the area. It features a large parking ahead of the entrance, address: 2900 Komárom Duna-part 1. Visiting is on a self-guided basis, with a short paper guide in English distributed at the entrance, and the visit will be extremely interesting for anybody interested in history, military engineering, etc. – not only Cold-War-minded subjects.
Visiting may take 1.5 hours, due to the size of the fort. The place is also used as a venue for theater performances and concerts, so timetables may vary. Some info in English can be found on this website.
Papa Airbase
Papa is today an active base of the Air Force, hence it cannot be accessed. However, with a short adventure drive along an unpaved road, you may reach a part of the former premises of the base – from Soviet times – now lying outside the perimeter.
There you can find a pretty unique array of old abandoned aircraft of Soviet make, in the colors of the Hungarian Air Force.
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
They are MiG-21 of many types, and also massive Sukhoi Su-22.
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
The state of conservation is not so bad – you can find airframes in worse condition in some museums – but some aircraft are missing some parts, possibly due to spare recycling, or vandalism, even though the place is really secluded, and the proximity with privately owned land and a military base is not ideal for vandals and idiot spoilers.
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
Of course, a few more years without any attention to these birds and little will remain of this improvised fleet. Hopefully, at least a share of this mighty force will find a due place in some museum or collection over the next years.
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Sukhoi Su-22 MiG-21
By the way, the former military area where these planes are sitting was perhaps a place for SAMs, put for protection of the base in the Cold War years.
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Papa Airbase Hungary Soviet Abandoned Airplanes Blast Deflector Weapons Shelter
Getting there and moving around
This is the only item on this post which is not a museum. It’s hard to tell whether these aircraft are lying on private land or not. However, to reach this strange flock of aircraft, you can move with a standard city car to this crossroads: 47.33966571405878, 17.550239693088113.
From here, you need to take north, until you reach this other waypoint: 47.35812676567956, 17.530436267329513. At some point along this path, the road turns unpaved, but the condition is generally manageable. On the latter waypoint you need to turn sharp left. You may notice old concrete posts, from the original soviet fence of the base.
You will finally land here: 47.35812676567956, 17.530436267329513, where you find an asphalted road, in the middle of a former peripheral area of the base. Driving towards the base along this road, you will find the aircraft here: 47.3541655146187, 17.514827811942904.
Visiting is not a long business, cause you should not move around the aircraft, as they are likely on the border of a private lot (fenced). Totally recommended for Cold War aircraft enthusiasts however.
Komo-Sky 51 Air Museum, Dunavarsany
This wonderful military exhibition is the based on the collection of a Hungarian military pilot, Zoltán Néhai Komócsi, nicknamed ‘Komo’, from which came the name of the museum. Unfortunately, the man passed away years ago in a crash. The collection was publicly put on display only more recently.
Items on display include military aircraft and helicopters, military trucks, trucks from the firefighting squad, engines, and more! Some of the exhibit can be boarded, and reportedly some vehicles are still operative.
Most of the exhibits are in very good condition, a few are still awaiting light refurbishment. An old Mil-2 helicopter can be boarded, revealing an old-fashioned cockpit, made more exotic by the Russian inscriptions.
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Also an attack Mil-8 helicopter in Hungarian colors can be checked inside. A Mil-24 is undergoing restoration (as of 2020).
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
The ‘MiG alley’ includes MiG-15, 21 – in various versions – and 23, all in very good condition, refurbished for display.
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Also some trucks can be boarded, revealing once more the excellent state of preservation, as well as abundant Russian signs.
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
To the far end of the collection, an Antonov An-2 utility biplane, an ubiquitous workhorse of the Soviet empire, can be boarded up to the cockpit.
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
You can sit in the pilot’s seat, getting a nice view from the cockpit of this bird.
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Three deployable radar antennas can be seen on their trailers – apparently a not complete P80 Back Net system from the 1960s is the largest one.
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Finally, a MiG-21 in the colors of the Hungarian national flag can be boarded. This is extremely interesting, as it provides a look in the cockpit of this high-performance and successful fighter/interceptor from the Cold War years, when ‘high-performance’ implied ‘high-complexity’ analog cockpits!
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Komo-Sky 51 Base – Aviation Collection Budapest – Soviet Aircraft – Hungary
Getting there and moving around
The museum can be found at these coordinates, 47.292057190313706, 19.029565655926707, corresponding to a convenient parking. The site is about 30 minutes driving south of central Budapest. It is an open-air museum, with timetables and ticket. Information on their website (in Hungarian). Time required for visiting may range between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours for an interested subject, taking all the pictures.
Komo-Sky Bunker, Dunavarsany
A recent addition by the current managers of the Komo-Sky 51 Air Museum is this fully refurbished Soviet bunker, once used for air traffic control. The place is actually in the vicinity of the former Soviet airbase of Tokol, one of the largest in Hungary in its heyday (see this post).
Today the bunker has been partly restored in look, with some rooms changed into ambiances for interactive experiences, including shooting!
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Some rooms host interesting collections of artifacts from the everyday life of communist Hungary.
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Military memorabilia from the Red Army, with conspicuous Russian writings, are scattered everywhere.
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
A room of special interest hosts a collection of militaria from the Eastern Bloc, with artifacts ranging from weapons to flight suits, military decorations to aircraft parts. Really something for everybody!
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Komo-Sky Air Control Cold War Soviet Bunker Tokol Budapest Hungary
Getting there and moving around
The bunker is a recent (as of 2020) addition to the Komo-Sky 51 Air Museum. No dedicated website available at the time of writing. The place can be reached at the coordinates 47.297663350792774, 19.0351554512774, about 3 minutes driving north of the Air Museum. I visited by invitation of the owner, hence I don’t know about the actual timetable. A website of a hotel nearby – actually on the very same lot of the bunker – is here, with some information on the bunker in Hungarian.
Museum of Military History, House of Terror, Memento Park, Houses of Parliament – Budapest
Budapest is rightly famous for a history spanning many centuries, for its art collections, incredible architectures, thermal baths and many other enjoyable features. However, having been the capital of a communist country in the Eastern Bloc, it also hosted a ‘state security service’, i.e. an agency of the government attempting to control the minds of Hungarian citizens, and keeping everybody’s behavior under strict surveillance. The palace chosen as the seat for this service is named ‘House of Terror’ (‘Terror Haza’ in the local idiom). Here many were kept under arrest, interrogated, and in some instances secretly murdered in the basement.
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
Terror Haza KGB Headquarters Budapest Hungary
The place is among the most visited museums in Hungary, and can be found right in the city center. Comprehensibly, no photo is allowed in the most sensitive areas of this sad building. Website here.
Another place of Cold War interest, making for a rather popular touristic attraction, is Memento Park. In this small park about 15 minutes driving south of the city center most of the statues and monuments once adorning the capital’s downtown have been collected and put on display.
Some from older times, celebrating the friendship of the Soviet and Hungarian peoples, are unbearably rhetoric.
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Others are more artistically interesting, in the context of official artistic currents authorized by the Communist Party.
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Lenin is of course a favorite subject.
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
By the entrance, Marx, Engels and Lenin are kind of ‘gate guardians’.
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
In front of the entrance, you can find a reproduction of the base of a statue of Stalin put in place at some point and surviving in pictures, and later dismantled after the death of Stalin. In the basement of the same construction, you can find a weird set of official busts of Lenin and Stalin, as well as a once popular image of Lenin as a child.
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Memento Park Communist Statues and Monuments Budapest Hungary
Close by, a small deposit of statues still waiting to be put on display can be found. Website here.
A less visited museum covering the military history of Hungary over the ages, but especially the 19th and 20th centuries, can be found right in the old district of Buda. The display is rather classical and didactic, but for more military-minded people, or those interested in the recent history of Hungary, it is for sure worth a stop when visiting uptown. Website here.
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Museum of Military History Budapest Hungary
Finally, in the gorgeous building of the Houses of Parliament, you can find interesting info about the changes implemented to the architecture of the building during the communist period.
Parliament Budapest Hungary
Parliament Budapest Hungary
Parliament Budapest Hungary
A unique artifact is the big red star once standing on top of the building, emulating the famous ruby stars placed on top of the towers of the Kremlin in Moscow. Website here.
Secrets of a Soviet Airbase, Berekfurdo
This museum is located in the small town of Berekfurdo, in the eastern region of Hungary, just a few minutes from the former airbase of Kunmadaras, which used to be operated by the Soviets in the Cold War era (see this post for the nuclear storage bunker to be found there).
Unfortunately, I could not visit the museum – it is open only rarely, on a very limited timetable. However, in the courtyard you can easily spot a Mil-24 attack helicopter, as well as a MiG-21. Both have been vividly and freshly refurbished – ready for take-off!
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Secret of a Soviet Airbase Kunmadaras Berekfurdo Hungary
Getting there and moving around
The website of the museum provides good information, and the folks there appear pretty reactive in case you are writing to get more info. It is really a pity they have a timetable so limited. The place can be reached at these coordinates: 47.38366735314769, 20.84155882970934. The museum is made of a small hangar and an outside apron. Considering the size, I guess visiting might take about 1 hour.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum, Szolnok
This is probably the ‘official’ aviation museum in Hungary, at least concerning the military field. It is clearly a well-financed endeavor, with a remarkable collection of aircraft from various ages, helicopters, engines and missiles. Most of the aircraft are preserved outside in an open-air exhibition, the oldest ones having found a place inside a modern and well-designed building. Everything on display has been recently refurbished, hence the collection looks fresh and well cared for.
Two aircraft will likely capture your attention in the main hall, namely a Spitfire in the colors of a Polish squadron fighting with the RAF, facing a Bf 109 in German Luftwaffe colors. The two opponents are displayed besides one another, allowing also for a configuration and size comparison.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
Not far is the wreck of an Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, built in huge numbers by the USSR over the years of the Great Patriotic War.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
Interesting specimens in the inside hangar include a Messerschmitt Me-108 trainer, some Soviet trainers, classic Kamov and Mil helicopters.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
A Soviet H-29L semi-active laser homing air-to-ground missile for the Sukhoi Su-22, which the Hungarian Air Force owned and operated, is on display.
A very interesting old analog approach simulator is also presented. It is made of a cabin mock-up and a large model of an airport, with cameras mounted on moving trolleys, likely projecting a magnified image of the ‘terrain’ in the cabin.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
You can board a MiG-21, and see the mysterious content of the noses of some fighter aircraft – typically radar antennas of various levels of sophistication.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
An array of engines, from WWII up to our days, are on display on the first floor.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
Outside you can find a sample list of virtually all popular MiG models, from MiG-15 to MiG-29.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
A colorful example of a MiG-21 will sure capture your eye, similarly to a set of Mil-24 attack helicopters, wrapped in incredible liveries!
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
A MiG-21 has been placed in an enclave resembling an aircraft shelter, an example of the care adopted in designing this top-tier museum. An SA-2 Guideline is on display by the entrance, visible also from the parking.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
To the far end of the external apron, you can find a ‘MiG alley’ with several fighters from that design bureau. Also there is a massive Sukhoi Su-22, and two Lockheed F-104 Starfighter – from Turkey and Germany respectively.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
The SAM part is rather interesting. You can see at least two SA-2 (aka S-75 Dvina, according to Soviet nomenclature), on trolleys or on the launch pad, with a distinctive flame deflector.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
A P37 Bar Lock early warning and target acquisition radar has been put on top of a mound. This type of radar constituted the first line of border defense of many countries of the Eastern Bloc, against intrusion from the West. It featured a range of approximately 250 miles.
Another radar antenna is the P15 Flat Face low-altitude target acquisition radar. With a range of about 75 miles, this scanner operated typically with the SA-3 Goa anti-aircraft system (aka S-125 Pechora in Soviet nomenclature).
The latter is on display on a movable launcher as well as on a four missile rack, prominently placed on top of a rampart, somehow resembling its typical launching position. A battery of more missiles on the same launching rack is typical of this highly successful missile, sold to many Countries, and easier to operate than its older cousin, the SA-2.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
Inside another smaller hangar – apparently a former railway depot – you can find the console for the control of the SA-2 system, together with another example of this SAM.
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
RepTar Szolnok Aviation Museum Hungary
Getting there and moving around
Really an unmissable sight for aviation enthusiasts, military-minded people or the whole family as well! This very nice collection can be found in Szolnok. Address: Szolnok, Indóház u. 4-6, 5000 Hungary. Large parking ahead, restaurant and gift shop. Website here. You may easily spend a whole morning here, but if you are in a hurry, you can have a quick look in about 1 hour.
Emlekpont, Hódmezővásárhely
A rather unusual collection of soviet ‘authorized’ art can be found in this recently renovated building, which also hosts temporary exhibitions. The central part of the display is basically a single room on two floors, with paintings from the Cold War era.
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
A huge statue of a Soviet soldier takes the full height of the room! Some paintings refer to the 1956 uprising, clearly on the side of the rebels, hence they might be from a post-1989 time.
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Emlekpont Communist Soviet Art Gallery Hungary
Surely worth a stop for those with an interest in Soviet art, like you can find only in Tretjakowsky Gallery in Moscow!
Getting there and moving around
This little museum can be found in Hódmezővásárhely, Andrássy út 34, 6800 Hungary, a few minutes driving from university town Szeged, close to the border with Serbia and Romania. Visiting may take about 30 minutes, more if you know Hungarian. Website here.
Pinter Works Military Park, Kecel
A one-of-a-kind exhibition, this place is hidden deep in the countryside between Balaton and the Serbian border, but it is really worth a detour for anybody interested in Soviet weapons from the Cold War era. It is likely one of the largest displays of heavy military gear you may find in Europe!
The sample list covers anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank guns, field artillery, self-propelled cannons and tanks.
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
But you also get special function trucks, moving bridges, transport, trailers, portable radar equipment.
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Also SAMs are represented, including the SA-2 Guideline (S-75 Dvina), SA-4 Ganef (2K11 Krug) and the more conspicuous SA-5 Gammon (S-200 Vega). Some of the SAMs feature also transport cartridges on purpose-assembled trucks – some of them on tracks! – which are displayed side by side with field rocket launchers.
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
The huge Square Pair radar, used in conjunction with the modern SA-5 Gammon, makes for a really rare and impressive sight – it is tall like a multi-storey building, but it is on a trailer, implying it can be moved. There are two on display!
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Also rather rare is the ST-68U Tin Shield early warning border patrolling radar, still in use today, with its movable trailer.
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Even SCUDs surface-to-surface theater missiles can be found. One is located on board its movable launch-pad, similar to what you can see in Bucharest (see here).
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Some of the trailers are open, so you can get a view of the inside – with all equipment apparently in place, including radar scopes and huge consoles, resembling an old-fashioned science fiction!
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Finally, a series of fighter aircraft, including several MiG and Sukhoi models, are on display.
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Curiously enough, a SAAB 35 Draken from Sweden found its way to here, whereas a T-72 and a T-34 make for gate guardians, together with an Antonov An-24.
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Finally, what looks like a monster-size ballistic missile encapsulated in a canister completes the show…
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
Soviet Military Gear Weapons Huge Collection Pinter Works Kecel Hungary
All in all, as said this is really an impressive collection, both as an ensemble, and for some of the pieces in it. The origin of the collection is rather mysterious – nobody spoke anything except Hungarian there, but if I got it right through much gesticulation, the place is owned by somebody residing in Dallas area, TX. The military park sits in the premises of a metal-recycling company, so maybe there is some connection between the two, even though it does not look like they are fueling recycling with the items on display. Actually, the military park is well maintained and presented as a very nice open-air museum.
Getting there and moving around
The museum is located at the address Kecel, Rákóczi Ferenc u. 177, 6237 Hungary. The website is here, with accurate visiting info. Please note they accept only cash. Visiting may easily take 2 hours for an interested subject, taking all the pictures. For a quick overview, you may spend 30-40 minutes on site.
Taszar Airbase Museum, Taszar
Another unique museum, somewhat far from the major touristic paths in Hungary, can be found on the premises of the currently (as of 2020) inactive military airbase of Taszar, in southwest Hungary. This airbase was operated by the Hungarian Air Force over the years of the Cold War, with training and fighter units flying MiGs of many sorts over the years. Curiously, the base was lent to the US in the 1990s, and was used for attacks over Serbia and more support functions during the Balkan crisis in the late 1990s, and up to the early 2000s. After the American troops left, the base was shut down, and is now waiting for a novel use.
The museum is located in the building of the US chapel, itself in the middle of the now deserted living area of the base.
This museum is the display of a collection of artifacts, put together over many years by a former officer of the Hungarian Air Force, Sandor Kontsagh, who is the owner and who personally runs the place – you are likely to meet him, if you are going to pay a visit! An extremely kind and knowledgeable person, more than available to spend his time showing his collection in detail.
The most massive items on display include several aircraft parts, ranging from canopies, to entire cockpit panels, to parts of the innermost plants onboard Soviet-made fighters, including their electronics. What multiplies the value of this assortment is the fact that every single piece has its own history, as you will be told by Mr. Kontsagh.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
The original survival kit from an early MiG, similar to a soviet flight suit from the 1950s, are among the many invaluable collection items.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Also the machine guns and cannon of a MiG-15 can be found – compare the size to the cap of my wide lens!
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
The panel of a MiG-15 has been refurbished, linking it to electric power to light the electro-optical gunsight – hi-tec from the early Cold War.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Photography is of special relevance to the owner of the museum – he was tasked with technical photography functions during his career, and he has a real thing for this activity. Cameras usually mounted on the gunsight of fighter jets are part of the collection – for the first time, I could carefully look inside what always appears as a bulky black box impeding the pilot’s view on most aircraft from the Cold War period!
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Some of the cameras are accompanied by the their original technical registry, showing annotations from the 1950s – incredible.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Of special interest are also the cathode ray tubes to be found for instance on MiG-21. You would not suspect they are so long, looking at their flat appearance, besides other goggles on the panel of that fighter.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Interesting historical pictures are many. Among them, some are from decoy aircraft – inflatables – to fool enemy analysts watching satellite pictures taken above military bases. Others are from visits of president Clinton and princess Diana to Taszar. You can also find an aerial view of the base from Cold War times.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
In an adjoining room you can find a collection of radio equipment, with very interesting pieces made in the USSR. These include an original wire recorder.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Maps, trophies and models complete this room, together with a unique collection of cameras, from different countries and makes.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Another room hosts mainly uniforms – including the one belonging to Mr. Kontsagh – and flight suits. Also arresting parachute canister of a MiG-21 is on display.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
A corner of the main hall is dedicated to memorabilia from the US tenancy period. These include original uniforms, pictures, papers and even meals, proudly prepared in SC for American troops. By comparison, Hungarian packed meals, also on display, are much heavier!
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
More memorabilia include training progress registries from pilot’s training – in Russian – as well as textbooks from the training group operating on the base.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
All in all, I would say this museum alone is a good reason for a trip to this area!
On the outside, you find yourself in the setting of the old Taszar base, with some gate guardians of Soviet make, and an incredible mural on what was likely an academy building.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Access to the airport is interdicted, as the base is inactive but not abandoned.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
Getting there and moving around
When I visited in August 2020, the place was not even pinpointed on Google Maps, but later things have rapidly changed, so you can spot this as an attraction on Google Maps to the west of the airport in Taszar (‘Katonai repulo muzeum’ is the name you find). However, here are the coordinates 46.377887110631455, 17.89899149846632, which take you to a former living area of Taszar airbase, where you can enter with your car. The place is not abandoned, even though most buildings are now unused. The aura is a bit strange, for you have the sensation of intruding into a governmental property – but soon you realize this part of the base is not any more off-limits.
When I visited there was no info about opening timetables whatsoever available in advance, so we just popped up there, finding a closed door with a telephone number. We called and the man – Mr. Kontsagh – told us to wait a few minutes, and came in by foot, opening the place just for us.
I attach the phone number, in case you want to call in advance.
Taszar Airbase Museum Katonai Repulo Hungary
There is no website as of 2020, but the place is totally worth the effort of planning a visit anyway! You might spend a time ranging from 30 minutes to some hours, especially if you are interested in the topic of the museum, or you are simply into military aviation with a technical mind, and also have questions for the knowledgeable owner, who will answer in detail. In case you don’t know Hungarian, understanding a little German and a technical preparation will allow you to take much out of your visit (little English spoken, unfortunately, but this is not strange in this part of the world).
Between the end of WWII and the collapse of the USSR in the early Nineties, Germany was caught in the middle of the confrontation between the West and the Soviet bloc. An unnatural and heavily guarded new border was established between the two adversaries, which crossed the extensive territory of todays Germany. Thanks to the presence of American, British and French military forces over the western territory of the Country, and of the Red Army to the east, with the start of the Cold War the German ‘inner border’ became a modern line of the front for this new type of confrontation (see this post).
All armies stationed there benefited from substantial resources poured by the respective governments in the setup of permanent military detachments and infrastructures. The aim for the nations involved was that of having on the spot a credible force, capable of effectively fighting an enemy army – as well as hitting the populations of neighbor Countries – in case a new war was started in Europe. In the end, an open war was never fought, yet for decades it was deemed possible, and in some crisis moments even likely (see this post).
This chapter presents pictures from five Cold-War-themed sites in southwest Germany. Photographs were taken in April 2018, and in the summer of 2020 and 2021.
With the end of the game for the communist empire and following German reunification, Russian forces withdrew from all bases in Germany – as well as from many other Countries in Europe – and so did the foreign NATO allies, with a very few exceptions. Most former military bases and military infrastructures fell in a state of disrepair, and by the years the majority were either completely wiped out or converted into something else. Nonetheless, especially in the less crowded territories of the former communist East Germany, visible traces remain from the period, in the form of – sometimes immense – abandoned airports and military bases (see this post and links therein).
Comparatively less traces of the once substantial presence of NATO forces are to be found in todays western ‘Länder’ – i.e. administrative regions – which used to be part of West Germany. Yet something of interest for Cold War ‘archaeologists’ can be found also here.
A long chain of anti-aircraft missile batteries was implemented based on the Nike missile system designed in the US, and implemented by the US Army as well as other NATO armies in West Germany. The defensive line was established in the 1950s and updated over the years, running almost parallel to the border with the communist DDR, but located pretty far from it and well within the territory of West Germany. It stretched from the North Sea to the Bodensee, on the border with Switzerland. There are some very extensive references on the web providing a complete description of the Nike defensive barrier both in the US and abroad, a very rich one here (the link should point directly to the German section).
In this chapter you can find some pictures from an exploration of an abandoned Nike Hercules site next to the town of Wurmberg, just out of Pforzheim, between Stuttgart and the French border. It used to be run directly by the US Army.
Intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) were part of the tactical plans of both the US and the Soviets in Europe. The Pershing platform, based on the homonym theater-level nuclear missile, was deployed in Germany, and placed in the inventory of both the US Army and the West German Luftwaffe. The missile was updated in several instances in the decades of the Cold War, until it was banned by the INF treaty in 1988, agreed upon by the administrations of Gorbachev and Reagan.
Among the strongpoints of the Pershing missile deployment in Europe, a huge warhead deposit was built close to the town of Waldstetten, next to Schwäbisch Gmund in southern Germany. In this chapter you will find photographs from an exploration of this mysterious site.
Furthermore, a nice collection of aircraft from both sides of the Iron Curtain can be found in the southwestern corner of the Country, next to the town of Villingen-Schwenningen – one of the few air museums in this part of Germany. Similarly, the large collections of the military museum in Stammheim, next to the town of Schweinfurt in northwestern Bavaria, and once close to the ‘Inner Border’ with the GDR, has on display substantial specimens from the Cold War era.
Finally, a special feature presented in this chapter is a group of pictures from the former airbase in Giebelstadt, south of Würzburg, Bavaria. Today a privately owned general aviation airport, this former military airbase gained a special historical significance when it was selected for the departure of secret overflights of the communist territory beyond the Iron Curtain, performed with the Lockheed U-2 in the late Fifties, by decision of president Eisenhower.
Nike Missile Battery – Wurmberg
The site in Wurmberg, east of Pforzheim, was actually Battery ‘Delta’ – i.e. the fourth – of the four missile forces managed by the the 3rd Battalion of the 71st Air Defense Artillery (ADA) regiment.
Typical Nike missile batteries were composed of two geographically separated areas. The largest was the ‘Launch area’, with missile storage facilities – sometimes reinforced underground bunkers, sometimes more usual ‘soft’ hangars – and launch pads. The other was the ‘Integrated Fire Control area’ or ‘IFC’, where all antennas and electronic equipment for target detection and missile guidance were placed. Due to the limited speed of motion of the missile guidance antennas, the distance between the launch site and the IFC had to be greater than a threshold, while the elevation of the IFC had to be somewhat above the the launch pads. These technological constraints led the choice of the sites suitable for the installation of the Nike batteries.
The site was deactivated in the Eighties, and both areas were sanitized in more instances, basically demolishing any buildings. The ‘final stage’ of the operation is likely to be underway at the time of my visit, as you can see from the pictures, where piles of gravel and moved land can be spotted all around the launch site.
Surprisingly, a feature that has come to our days virtually without any alteration is the external fence of the launch site, which runs all around the launch area and is still particularly impenetrable. Also the rounds of barbed wire on top are still there.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The exploration of the launch area is pretty straightforward. It is rectangular, basically flat and aligned along an east-western direction. Close to the eastern end, you meet a flat area with a concrete pavement – now partly demolished – and a curved road nearby. This is where the missiles and warheads were assembled. Nike missiles could mount nuclear warheads, but apparently this was a rarely adopted option.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The next notable item to the west is a water basin, still in a very good shape. There used to be a water system all around the base. Remains of demolished buildings can be spotted around here too.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
A mystery electric cable comes out of the ground on a spot. It is noteworthy that the launch area and IFC were connected by an underground cable, but I don’t think this is the one you see in the pics.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
This battery had three launch sectors, bearing the little imaginative names of ‘Alpha’, ‘Bravo’ and ‘Charlie’. You can find them in a sequence, walking towards the west end of the site.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The pads of the Alpha sector, while now greatly damaged by the demolition work, are still in place with their metal covers.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
There were three launch pads on each sector. The area of each sector appears unnecessarily large, but actually the missile storage hangar used to stay beyond the launch pads, occupying about half the area of each sector. Today these soft constructions have disappeared.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
To the west of each sector there is a small bunker, intended for the protection of the troops working around the launch pads, in case of an attack to the battery. These bunkers are not very damaged, so they constitute a very interesting part of the site today.
The protection bunkers have two exits on the two opposite sides – so the Alpha bunker connects the Alpha and Bravo sectors, the Bravo bunker the Bravo and Charlie sectors, while the Charlie bunker connects the Charlie sector to the logistic storage area to the west end of the launch site.
The Alpha bunker is well conserved – except for some spoiling by some idiot writer. There is no camouflage paint coat outside, just some plain green paint, and the walls inside are painted in a bright crimson color. The bunker has two opposite entrances, and two corresponding corridors leading to two massive tight doors, which give access to a central protected room, insulated from the outside.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Writings in English are still there in the central room of bunker Alpha.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The launch sectors Bravo and Charlie are more damaged than Alpha.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The Bravo bunker is camouflaged, and differently from Alpha the walls inside are painted in water green. It is possible to notice how the central room was separated from the rest of the structure for blast insulation, similar to other missile sites (see this post). There is a wide slot at the level of the doors.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Further writings in English and some original linoleum pavement are still perfectly visible.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The Charlie bunker is different from the other two. The facade is wider, it is coated in a camo paint, and bears the name ‘Charlie’ above the eastern door. Inside it is very dark, possibly as a result of a fire. In the insulated room it is possible to see an original air conditioning system.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The three launch sectors are connected to the south by a wide road, from where you can appreciate the extension and state of conservation of the original fence.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
The IFC area is located just north of the small town of Wurmberg, on top of a hill. Unfortunately, the former military site has been wiped out and a nothing less than a waste disposal facility has taken its place! Anyway, from this vantage point you can clearly see the launch area, roughly two miles to the west.
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Nike Missile Battery Delta Battery 3/71 ADA Pforzheim Wumberg Germany Abandoned Military Base
Getting there and moving around
Getting to the launch area is very easy. Leave the highway N.8 close to Pforzheim (the exit is 45b Pforzheim-Süd) and take for Pforzheim on Wurmberger Strasse. Take the very first road to the right and park your car there. You will see a gate open since ages and an almost unmaintained road taking straight north and climbing gently uphill. This road will take you to the official gate of the launch area in 0.4 miles. Getting in is probably prohibited, but the area is pretty remote and secluded, and I didn’t see a person around during all my stay.
The site is geographically compact, so touring may take about 2 to 2.5 hours taking all pictures, if you have planned your movements in advance. A tripod is strictly necessary for taking decent pictures inside the very dark bunkers.
The IFC area can be reached going to Wurmberg, leaving the same exit but taking the direction opposite to Pforzheim. You will soon reach central Wurmberg. Cimb along Gollmerstrasse, then along Oschelbronnerstrasse. Where the village ends and the road stops climbing you will see a field to your left and a waste disposal facility to your right – this used to be the area occupied by the IFC area. Looking west you can see the launch area and the taller buildings of Pforzheim further in the distance.
Pershing Warhead Storage Bunkers – Waldstetten
The site in Waldstetten is basically an array of warhead storage bunkers, built between 1954 and 1958 by the US Army. In 1972 these bunkers became a part of a Quick Reaction Alert site, managed by the 1st Battalion of the 41st Field Artillery Regiment, tasked with supplying the nearby storage site of the Pershing missile in Mutlangen, just north of Schwäbisch Gmund. The site saw major action in 1982, when 36 Pershing II missiles were installed in Mutlangen as an answer to the deployment by the USSR of an updated version of the excellent SS-20 Saber IRBM system.
During the Eighties the 1st Bn 41st FA was reformed more than once, until it became 2nd Bn 9th FA in 1986, only to be disbanded in 1991, following the dismantlement of the Pershing system as a consequence of the INF Treaty between the US and USSR.
It should be mentioned that whether the nuclear warheads of the Pershing missile ever made their way to this storage site is a matter of discussion. As a matter of fact, the missiles were in the nearby Mutlangen site, and their installation triggered well documented protests by the usual pacifist folks, who encountered difficulties in understanding the moves of the Reagan administration, which helped with successfully putting an end to the Cold War and to many communist dictatorships in Europe. What the bunkers in the Waldstetten site were used for is not totally evident, and it should be recalled they were built in the Fifties, before the deployment of the Pershing system.
Of the 28 bunkers originally built, 25 exist today while three have been demolished in a landslide. The site is located in the trees along two broad circular roads, once service roads. Today it is in the heart of a natural preserve, and the roads are used by MTBs and hikers, whereas the Mutlangen site has been converted into a solar power plant.
The local administration has prepared a placard with a map and a short history of the place (in German only), which I spotted only by the first bunker you meet climbing uphill along the road approaching the site from north. You can see the placard in the pics below, with the corresponding map. The position indicated with ‘Standort’ on the map is where the placard is. I suggest starting you exploration from there.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
About half of the bunkers can be accessed. Except a few, they are basically indistinguishable.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Inside they are empty and very basic in shape, with just one large storage room. Other bunkers are inaccessible, and some have been converted into bat shelters.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
A notable bunker is 870 (see the map in the pic), which bears on the front facade graffiti from US troops, probably veterans visiting the place in recent times after it was closed up. Today it is a bat shelter.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
In 869 you can find some naive paintings, including one portraying a truck probably dating from the years of operation.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
A mystery bunker is 856, which is very different from all others. It has two small entrances, apparently for humans only, and a group of small chambers ahead of the larger storage area. This has no wide entrances, suggesting it was not used for warheads nor anything similar, and a blind room to the back. Unfortunately, this bunker is also covered in indecent graffiti.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Another interesting sight, especially visible to the west of the bunker area, is the original fence of the storage site, with a number of aligned concrete posts and traces of barbed wire. The line of the fence is shown also on the map.
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Quick Reaction Alert QRA Nuclear Atomic Weapons Pershing Warhead Storage Waldstetten Schwabisch Gmund US 41st Field Artillery Germany Abandoned Bunker
Getting there and moving around
The storage bunkers are located on top of a hill, and some climbing is required to reach the bunker area. The place is not fenced, and there are multiple access points from all directions. I personally parked at the end of Dreifaltigkeitsstrasse in Waldstetten and accessed the site from the west. After touring it, I came back passing by the placard mentioned above. The road is steeper on that side of the hill, but starting from the placard may ease your exploration.
Please note that the on most part of the site the cell phone coverage was very weak, with no access to internet data. I strongly suggest downloading your maps before being on site.
The place is secluded and the bunkers are much overlooked by the locals, who keep on the main track and just cross the area – you will probably move around undisturbed if you walk in and around the bunkers.
Due to some amount of mild hiking required, a complete tour of all bunkers may take about 3 hours, including time for pictures.
The first is a single hangar, stacked with smaller aircraft and a helicopter, plus memorabilia and parts of aircraft of diverse proveniences and ages, including German machines from WWII, and later from both sides of the Iron Curtain.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
The main part is a grassy apron with an open air collection. Here you can see aircraft of American make in the colors of the West German Luftwaffe, including an F-86 Sabre and F-104 Starfighter.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
British aircraft are represented by an English Electric Canberra and a DeHavilland Vampire of the Swiss Air Force.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Other models from western Countries include an Italian Fiat G-91 reconnaissance aircraft and a German Dornier Alpha Jet trainer.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Models from the Soviet world include an Antonov An-2 biplane, which can also be boarded, and a Yakovlev Yak-18, bearing a post-Soviet Russian flag and registration markings.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Probably the star of the show, a well restored Polish-built MiG-15 is presented in the markings of the Red Army.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
The third part of the museum is a series of restoration hangars, where a number of aircraft are being restored, whereas some replicas are being assembled, possibly partly from original parts. These include a Messerschmitt Me-262 Schwalbe, and a Dornier Do-335 Pfiel, of which only one original exemplar exists in Washingtong, DC – definitely a rare sight.
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum Air Museum Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Getting there and moving around
The museum, located on the side of a local touristic airport, is easily reachable in Spittelbronner Weg 78, 78056 Villingen-Schwenningen, just on the eastern border of the beautiful Schwarzwald region. Website with full information here.
Military History Museum, Stammheim am Main
Heading to Berlin or the former GDR? Looking for traces of the Cold War open for a visit?
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The museum in Stammheim, northwestern Bavaria, stands out as one of the largest and best preserved military collections in Germany, especially concerning the two World Wars and the Cold War. The museum is composed of a set of large adjoining hangars, and an open-air part. The hangars are rich in dioramas, built around real weapons (both heavy and light), tanks, as well as rigs, uniforms and dresses from the corresponding ages.
The first hangar is centered on WWII. Here a large central diorama represents a scene from the advance of US forces on German territory. A group of civilians reacts welcoming the American forces with white flags, whereas some armed civilian guards and some German soldiers keep a more cautious attitude.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Among the original US vehicles is a light tank, starring in the movie ‘The Monuments Men’ besides actor George Clooney. A German Goliath self-propelled drone-tank is on display in this scene.
Two house facades imitating traditional German architecture complete this central diorama.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
In the same hall, more dioramas show for instance a German anti-aircraft battery, with a four-barrel gun and a searchlight. Range-finding rigs are also on display.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
To the far end of the same hall, a Soviet T-34 and a Sherman can be found, besides self-propelled cannons and more vehicles set in smaller scenes.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
In a lateral passage, scenes from the African theater of WWII are displayed. These include vehicles and weapons with a distinctive desert camo coat. Another diorama displays a school in Germany from the same period, with young men involved in light anti-aircraft defense.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Scenes from pre-WWII and from WWI are presented in yet another, smaller hall. Field artillery pieces from WWI are clearly discernible from more modern ones. A field kitchenette from the time is also on display.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Classical display cases feature many interesting items, including military uniforms from WWI and WWII, military decorations, air navigation charts and flight instruments.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The Cold War is covered in the last two hangars. Here field guns, mortars and armored vehicles mainly from the Federal Republic and from the German Democratic Republic – some of them still working – are put on display, side by side.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The exhibition in this part is complimented by numerous flags and smaller pieces of military material, including communication gear, water mines, transport vehicles, a military Trabant.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Part of the show is an ex-DDR early MiG-21. This can be climbed (not boarded), providing a nice view of the ensemble.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The museum is close to Schweinfurt, geographically next to the border with the former GDR. A reconstruction of the Inner Border impenetrable fence (see this post), with original signs and plaques, is duly on display.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The outside part of the museum displays a few heavy armored vehicles from WWI, WWII and the Cold War. They include a rusty, US-made M26 Pershing tank from WWII, a Federal Germany Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled battery from the Cold War, and more.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Visible from a distance are a set of US-made surface-to-air missiles, distinctive silhouettes from the Cold War age. These include a Nike Hercules surface to air missile. Surface-to-surface platforms include a venerable and pretty rare Matador early cruise missile. This grandparent of modern cruise missiles features a distinctive swept-back wing, and a booster underneath the fuselage to the back.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
The nose cone of a Pershing (possibly) is on display, together with a rare Lance missile, a surface-to-surface missile from the 1960s-70s, in the inventory of the Federal Republic in those years. The plaque on the launcher witnesses the Canadian origin of the single-missile wheeled rack, built by Orenda.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Behind the missiles, aircraft on display are a Soviet designed Antonov An-2 biplane, and a US designed Republic F-84 Thunderstreak, in the colors of the Luftwaffe of Federal Germany.
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
Military Museum Stammheim Schweinfurt Bayern Germany
All in all, this wonderful collection has much to offer for everybody with an interest in the military history of Germany since WWI to the Cold War era. The museum sets up reunions of enthusiasts, and special days with tank movements and live displays.
Getting there and moving around
The Stammheim am Main museum is located 7 miles south of Schweinfurt, a major center in the area, and about 12 miles northeast of beautiful Würzburg. It can be conveniently reached when traveling between the two, right on the bank of the Main river. The exact location is along the intercity road SW1, on the crossing with Maintalstrasse in the village of Kolitzheim. Parking right ahead of the entrance. Small restaurant on site. Since the museum is stuffed with tons of interesting items, even though compact in size, visiting may easily take more than 2 hours for an interested subject.
Former US Airbase, Giebelstadt
The now sleepy general aviation airfield in Giebelstadt has been a rather active military airbase for many decades. A Luftwaffe fighter base in WWII, it was among the first airbases to host the new Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter. In 1945 it fell in the hands of American forces, who intermittently used it for various temporary deployments and flight operations over the immediate post-WWII years. The early Cold War era and the 1950s were a new period of intensive use. The runway was lengthened, and more modern facilities for stationing troops and aircraft were built anew, in place of older and damaged German ones from the Nazi era. Powerful, cutting-edge radar installations were put in place, due to the proximity with the East German border. With the transition to fast jets, the proximity of the airfield to the border was actually too much, so that interceptors could not scramble in time from Giebelstadt, in case of an enemy attack from beyond the Iron Curtain. However, this would be an advantage for reconnaissance missions, launched during the Eisenhower administration, starting in 1956.
Giebelstadt was one of the few bases for the balloons of Project Genetrix. That was a first, partly successful attempt to gather intelligence through unmanned overflights of the USSR. In the same years, Giebelstadt was intended as the main operative base for the CIA Lockheed U-2s, to be used for a more risky – since manned – but much more effective way to collect photo and signal intelligence.
The actual deployment started in 1956, with some delay due to the need to prepare the airfield for operation of the one-of-a-kind Lockheed U-2. The latter flew in the meanwhile from Wiesbaden, where the headquarter of US military in Germany was at that time. This was not much liked by the US intelligence community, since the latter city was more crowded than the small country village of Giebelstadt, and this exposed highly secretive U-2 operations to a higher risk of espionage.
Missions carried out by the U-2 were of basically two types. The first was relatively risky ELINT missions along the border with the USSR, where defenses were stimulated without entering the enemy airspace, to obtain precious information on the reaction capability and the enemy anti-aircraft barrier, including the position of radar sites, etc. The second mission type was high-risk ELINT/PHOTINT missions, or ‘overflights’, where Soviet airspace was actually penetrated. In the latter case, the U-2 made use of its superior altitude and range performance to carry out long missions above the defenses of the USSR. As known, the development of high-performing SAMs, reaching up to the cruising altitude of the U-2 meant it was not invulnerable any more after 1960. This put an end to overflights. However, a total of 24 mostly successful overflight missions were carried out between 1956 and 1960, each of them specifically studied and approved with the direct involvement of president Eisenhower.
Besides missions along the border, or over satellite countries of the Eastern Bloc (still considered a high risk, but not as high as a direct overflight of the USSR), a single overflight of the USSR was actually flown from Giebelstadt. This was mission No. 2040, flown on October 13th, 1957, with Hervey S. Stockman at the controls. A report from this mission can be found on a CIA document here.
Following the end of the U-2-based intelligence missions, Giebelstadt was ceded to the US Army in the years of Kennedy. The Army used it as a huge base for helicopter operations well into the third millennium – the base was deactivated and returned to Federal Germany only in 2006.
Today, the now private airport can be barely neared without triggering security service. However, even a quick look along the fence will reveal clear traces of the US military tenancy. From hangars to fences, to softer constructions north of the airfield, everything is much US military standard.
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
The runway – huge for todays single-prop and glider activities! – can be seen clearly from the south and from the eastern end.
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Antenna arrays and a now oversize control tower are other witnesses of the past military activity.
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Giebelstadt Airbase US U-2 CIA USAF Würzburg Bayern Germany
Getting there and moving around
Giebelstadt airport can be conveniently reached along road N.19, about 8 miles south of Würzburg. Unfortunately, despite the road passing right besides the airport, there are very few options for stopping close to the fence with a car on this fast road, and similarly on the road going along the southern fence of the airport, taking east to Mönchsmühle nearby. However, the eastern runway head can be approached from the latter. Just turn north towards the base in the vicinity of the general aviation hangars in the southeastern corner of the airport. The road is a dead end, and you will likely trigger some inspection by people inside the fence, so not much to worry about if you stay outside.
Another part which can be toured is the former administrative part/barracks to the northeast. This can be entered driving along the northern side of the airport. This area has been taken over by private companies, and you might trigger some inspection by the respective security agencies. They are rather friendly though, so again, not much to worry about if you take picture staying in your car.