Flak towers and U bahn pics?

[Simon K]

Does anyone have pics of Berlin scenes from 1942 - 45?
Any pics of the flak towers, major U and S bahn stations, street views from this period?
Cheers
Simon K

[GeneralHaupt]

I'd be very interested to see those too.

[V1Oliver]

Is this what you wanted?





It's not very clear, but if you look closely, you can see flak canons in the towers.

[Adam Carr]

I have *current* photos of all the surviving flak towers, which I took in April-May. If that interests you I will post some here.

[bigger_chief]

The flack tower in background ca. late 1945.

[baldy1926]

i would also be interested in pictures of them.what ones surive by the way

[kstdk]

Hello Adam

It would be appreciated if you would show us your new pictures - thanks:

I have *current* photos of all the surviving flak towers, which I took in April-May. If that interests you I will post some here.

Best regards
Kurt
kstdk

[Adam Carr]

There are two flaktowers standing in Hamburg and five in Vienna, although one of the Vienna ones is in an army base and impossible to see up close since it is surrounded by buildings. One of the Hamburg ones has been converted into apartments, and one of the Vienna ones is an aquarium. The others are just standing derelict in parks. In Berlin the Zoo towers have been demolished, but there is half of one tower standing in Humboldthain. One of the towers in Friedrichshain is still there but is buried under a rubble mountain (trummelberg) so only the very top is visible. I will post some photos this evening.

[Langemann]

Pictures that I took of the Vienna Flaktürme in March of this year can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chowhound1 ... 387541875/

Hope you enjoy.

Langemann

[Adam Carr]

As the Allied bombing offensive against Germany intensified in 1942, the Germans responded by developing new air defence systems for their cities. In Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna, they built massive concrete towers called flaktowers (flaktürme) as platforms for anti-aircraft guns (the German word flak is an abbreviation of FLugAbwehrKanone or air defence gun). The towers were grouped in pairs, each consisting of a G-Tower (Gefechtturm) or Combat Tower, and an L-Tower (Leitturm) or Lead Tower. The G-towers were bigger and were the platforms for the heavier flak guns. The L-towers were usually smaller. There were three pairs of towers in Berlin, three in Vienna and two in Hamburg. Today, 63 years after the war, the flaktowers still loom over Vienna and Hamburg – less so in Berlin since the only surviving tower is in a large park and is partly concealed by trees. They are stark and vivid reminders of the Allied air war against Germany, which killed about 600,000 civilians. It is somehow fitting that the largest and most enduring relics of the Third Reich are these large, ugly and (almost) useless concrete monsters.

In Berlin, there were two towers in the west, in the Tiergarten near the Zoo, known as the Zoo towers. Nothing remains of them. These were the only pair of towers completely demolished after the war – by the British. There were two towers in Friedrichshain park, in the Soviet zone east of the city. After the war the L-Tower was demolished, while the G-Tower was used as a dumping ground for rubble. It is now almost completely buried beneath the Bunkerberg (Bunker Mountain), which is now overgrown with trees. One of the gun platforms can still be seen sticking out of the ground at the top of the mountain.

[Adam Carr]

There were also two towers in Humboldthain park in the northern suburbs, in the French zone. After the war the L-Tower was demolished, and the G-Tower partly so. After three failed attempts to blow up the remaining section of the G-Tower, the French abandoned it, and today it is half buried in the dense woodland of the park.

[Adam Carr]

The Humboldthain G-Tower is accessible to the public, who can climb to the top, where there is an ugly piece of modern sculpture. The underground bomb shelters under the tower are open for guided tours, though not to individual vistors.

[Adam Carr]

In Hamburg, there were two towers at Heiligengeistfeld, to the west of the city. The L-Tower was demolished after the war, but the G-Tower is intact. Since this is a trendy area of Hamburg, the tower has been converted into apartments (at great expense given the thickness of the walls), while the ground floor houses a music school.

[Adam Carr]

The Heiligengeistfeld G-Tower, showing the modern windows.

[Adam Carr]

There were also two towers at Wilhelmsburg, in the dock area south of the city. Again, the L-Tower was demolished, but the G-Tower is intact. Since this is a working-class area, the tower has not been developed, but sits like a massive ruined castle in the middle of the suburb. The underground shelters are used for storage, but the tower itself is empty. The netting is to protect the citizens from bits of falling concrete.