Tempelhof Airport During World War II
During the II World War, because of the feared bombings of the airport, all German civil aviation was stopped in Tempelhof in 2. September 1939, however it was quickly restarted in November. Alltogether, Tempelhof wasn't really bombed during II WW, because the Allied Forces saw an opportunity to use the terminal after the war. Also, Luftwaffe didn't really treat Tempelhof as a military airfield. Mostly there were planes assembled there, using work of forced labourers, who lived in miserable conditions in barracks north of the terminal. A lot of them were east european workers, who were forced to wear patches1. The planes were being manufactured in a series of underground tunnels, including the railroad tunnel. Then the airplanes have been
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sent directly to the runways or transported by train.2 But this was not the end of the atrocities in the area of Tempelhof. Between 1942 and 1945, labor camp has been run by Protestant church. It has been located next to the cemetery in Neukölln, next to the south-eastern edge of Tempelhof. It comprised of barracks in two parallel rows and was surrounded by barbed wire fence. Around 200 east european workers (they were forced to wear a patch reading “Ost”), mostly from Ukraine and Russia, (also some German workers) were forced to work there and live in horrible conditions. Their task was to dig graves in the cemeteries around the city.3 Soviets took over Tempelhof in April 1945.
They accidentally blew up parts of the lowest underground level of the terminal (the explosion ignited the celuloid inside) and the fire could have only been stopped using the water supply of the terminal, which was fully independent when it comes to water and electricity. In the first weeks after the war, Berliners were looking for food everywhere, and that included raiding whole terminal for anything that could be sold. Following the Yalta Agreement, the terminal was turned over to the USA Army. In august 1945 Potsdam Agreement formally divided Berlin. Tempelhof Airport has played a huge role in West Berlin right after the II WW. In 1948 Berlin Blockade started, when Soviet forces blocked all the car and water traffic to the West Berlin. The only access was left by three air corridors. One of them from Hamburg, another from Frankfurt and the last one – from Bückeburg. There were two options left for Wester forces – either abandoning the city (which could last only for a month without new food), basically giving it up, or – supplying 2,5 million people only from air. And they chose the latter. Berlin Airlift, as it was called, started in June 1948. Because of rapidly expanding requirements of the airlift, the new 1800 meters asphalt runways have been built in september
1948.
sent directly to the runways or transported by train.2 But this was not the end of the atrocities in the area of Tempelhof. Between 1942 and 1945, labor camp has been run by Protestant church. It has been located next to the cemetery in Neukölln, next to the south-eastern edge of Tempelhof. It comprised of barracks in two parallel rows and was surrounded by barbed wire fence. Around 200 east european workers (they were forced to wear a patch reading “Ost”), mostly from Ukraine and Russia, (also some German workers) were forced to work there and live in horrible conditions. Their task was to dig graves in the cemeteries around the city.3 Soviets took over Tempelhof in April 1945.
They accidentally blew up parts of the lowest underground level of the terminal (the explosion ignited the celuloid inside) and the fire could have only been stopped using the water supply of the terminal, which was fully independent when it comes to water and electricity. In the first weeks after the war, Berliners were looking for food everywhere, and that included raiding whole terminal for anything that could be sold. Following the Yalta Agreement, the terminal was turned over to the USA Army. In august 1945 Potsdam Agreement formally divided Berlin. Tempelhof Airport has played a huge role in West Berlin right after the II WW. In 1948 Berlin Blockade started, when Soviet forces blocked all the car and water traffic to the West Berlin. The only access was left by three air corridors. One of them from Hamburg, another from Frankfurt and the last one – from Bückeburg. There were two options left for Wester forces – either abandoning the city (which could last only for a month without new food), basically giving it up, or – supplying 2,5 million people only from air. And they chose the latter. Berlin Airlift, as it was called, started in June 1948. Because of rapidly expanding requirements of the airlift, the new 1800 meters asphalt runways have been built in september
1948.