Ch5 last night,'Hitlers Secret Bunkers Revealed'

So far as I know, Hitler’s bunker itself is still under an anonymous piece of waste land.

Rochus Misch, the telephonist in Downfall, still lives in Berlin. Recently got himself into trouble by suggesting that some sort of marker be put up over the spot. Focus for the revisionists, etc etc.

The most surprising thing to me about these flak Towers is when they were built. I don’t know when exactly but I remember seeing a photo of the Giant Wurzburg radar on top of one of them (taken with a long-range lens from the US Embassy, so presumably before the US declared war on Germany after Pearl Harbor in December 1941).

So assuming that the tower was completed and radar installed in December 1941 when was planning and construction started?

So much for the “No enemy aircraft will fly over the Reich” speech by Hermann ‘Meyer’!

‘Am 10. September 1940 wurde auf persönlichen Befehl Hitlers mit der Planung von Flaktürmen begonnen, die den Berliner Innenstadtbereich gegen Bombenangriffe schützen sollten. Im Tiergarten und im Volkspark Friedrichshain wurden die Türme I und II errichtet, den Flakturm Humboldthain betonierte man von Oktober 1941 bis April 1942.’

They started planning 10th September 1940 and the construction period was October 1941 till April 1942.

http://berliner-unterwelten.de/flakturm-humboldthain.50.0.html

The most surprising thing to me about these flak Towers is when they were built. I don’t know when exactly but I remember seeing a photo of the Giant Wurzburg radar on top of one of them (taken with a long-range lens from the US Embassy, so presumably before the US declared war on Germany after Pearl Harbor in December 1941).

So assuming that the tower was completed and radar installed in December 1941 when was planning and construction started?

So much for the “No enemy aircraft will fly over the Reich” speech by Hermann ‘Meyer’!

Berlin Flak Towers

If these structures were as much of a threat to allied bombers as the programme suggested, I’m surprised that 617 squadron wasn’t instructed to go after them with Tallboys…

The ‘After the battle’ Berlin then and now book is a fascinating read, most of the bunkers are covered extensively.

I was in Hamburg in ’91 waiting to get on the ferry back to blighty, I had several hours to kill, so wandered up Chaussis strasse alongside heiligengeistfeld towards the flakturm and wandered around the base a little,not realising back then quite what it was…I think it was occupied, either as flats, or for ‘asilants’ not sure. One of the Berlin flakturm received direct bomb hits… the bomb actually bouncing off. 😮

It would have taken a pretty big bomb to have done significant damage to one of those towers: they were pretty solid affairs.

Best wishes
Steve P

The ones that size are all still around because they are beyond demolition. Even the Russians couldn’t destroy them in East Berlin postwar:eek:

They obviously only showed a portion of the sketch (shown bottom right) in the programme.

All fascinating stuff – while his plans for a thousand year reich didn’t come to fruition, some of his buildings have certainly outlived him…

In the “Secret Bunker” programme it stated that the ‘design’ was loosely sketched by Hitler himself. Mind you, it just looked like a four turreted castle in his sketch.

Sketch by AH (1940)
http://berliner-unterwelten.de/geschichte-der-berliner-flaktuerme.63.0.html#

There was an article about these towers a while back that stated they couldn’t demolish the things without leveling several acres around them when it went *bang*

Looking at those interesting photographs, considering the amount of damage that Hamburg suffered during the war, I’m surprised that one of what must have been one of the prime targets appears to have survived unscathed.

It would have taken a pretty big bomb to have done significant damage to one of those towers: they were pretty solid affairs.

Best wishes
Steve P

Looking at those interesting photographs, considering the amount of damage that Hamburg suffered during the war, I’m surprised that one of what must have been one of the prime targets appears to have survived unscathed.
Presumably it must have been heavily camouflaged in some way and not been detected for what it was, though I find that hard to believe.
I’m surprised that apart from the 3 similar flak towers built in Berlin, that more were’nt built elsewhere in the country, perhaps they were planned but resources were diverted elsewhere, ie the Atlantic Wall and the follies of La Coupole and the V3 launch site in Northern France.
If you ever go on a booze jolly to Calais, take a short trip along the motorway to St Omer and visit La Coupole, it shows you what the Organisation Todt were capable of, slave labour to the extreme unfortunately, how many died to build this thing doesn’t bare thinking about, and all for nothing, and given the circumstances of the war at the time, it was obvious that the Allies would be able to destroy the thing, so what was the point in sacrificing so many lives for a theory, it doesn’t bare thinking about.

Martin,
Thanks for the translation. Looks like it is the same as the three that were in Berlin then. Friedrich Tamms was the architect? In the “Secret Bunker” programme it stated that the ‘design’ was loosely sketched by Hitler himself. Mind you, it just looked like a four turreted castle in his sketch.
The battering the remains of one in Berlin took as the Russians advanced through the city (and round the Flakturme) shows how solid they were.

Can we have a translation please, my once reasonable understanding of the German language has dissapeared along with the brain cells that learnt it.
Judging by the sash windows, I suspect it may be flats, or possibly offices, it looks to be in use to me, or perhaps the pykies that seem to lurk below it use the place to grow ‘Lucky white heather’.
Are there any other similar flak towers in existance any where else in Germany, was the loveable Albert Speer responsible for designing these things.
Sorry, he was the man that got away, there’s even a pan global architects company operating under the Speer name, they should be ashamed of themselves.

Shortly:
Flakturm places: Berlin, Hamburg, Wien
Hamburg IV
Architect: Friedrich Tamms
Built by: “Organization Todt” (OT)
Had it’s own powerstation, water supply and a hospital
Weapon: 4 x 12,8cm-Zwillingsflak (twin-anti aircraft artillery)
Measurement: surface 75 x 75 meter, height 39 meter (same as cellar)
walls 3,5 meter
ceiling 5,0 meter
shelter for 18.000 people (but sometimes up to 30.000)
‘Each Flakbunker usually consisted of two building, a “G-Stand: and a “L-Stand”. “G-Stand” was the Gefechtsstand, the bunker with the armament. “L-Stand” was the Leitstand, used for the control of the Flak. The “L-Stand” was usually equipped with a radar (for example a “Würzburg Riese”).’
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/7087/uk011.htm
past war use: civil living quarters, media centre and disco
There were four Flaktürme No.I built: one in Hamburg and three in Berlin

Martin

I have the programme on my HD recorder – will have to watch again but that looks identical to the Berlin flak towers.
It looks like the ammo lift ‘caps’ are still in situ – you can certainly see where the AAA gun bases are.

I often see clips of strafing attacks on flak towers when viewing RAF gun camera footage though those resemble water towers.

Interesting topic…

, the scene however, where the evil Frau Goebbels kills her children is quite upsetting for those of us with siblings.
Unfortunately once again Albert Speer is portrayed as a ‘nice’ man, he gets away with it every time.

.

I fast forwarded that bit……. but stunning movie as you said,,,

Can we have a translation please, my once reasonable understanding of the German language has dissapeared along with the brain cells that learnt it.
Judging by the sash windows, I suspect it may be flats, or possibly offices, it looks to be in use to me, or perhaps the pykies that seem to lurk below it use the place to grow ‘Lucky white heather’.
Are there any other similar flak towers in existance any where else in Germany, was the loveable Albert Speer responsible for designing these things.
Sorry, he was the man that got away, there’s even a pan global architects company operating under the Speer name, they should be ashamed of themselves.

That looks pretty identical to the ones in Berlin – is it occupied or just standing empty?

Thought that it’s still occupied.

Flakturm IV Hamburg, Feldstrasse 66, images from 2003
http://www.7grad.org/Exkursionen/Irgendwo/Hamburg/Flakturm/flakturm.html

That looks pretty identical to the ones in Berlin – is it occupied or just standing empty?

I missed it too – thanks for the HU RAFMillom.

Roger Smith.

Flakturm IV Hamburg, Feldstrasse 66, images from 2003
http://www.7grad.org/Exkursionen/Irgendwo/Hamburg/Flakturm/flakturm.html