13 April 2016 – Berlino
This year the Daily Air Force Transfer took me to the heart of Germany, in its capital, Berlin.
The Luftwaffe museum drew my attention for several years now. The aircraft on display, for most of the modern era and with different specimens from behind the Iron Curtain, thanks to the legacy of the GDR, in fact, they had the effect of Ulysses's sirens.
Already this winter I had interrogated the network, looking for a return flight from Milan at a favorable price, and I had found it in December. A quick reflection on the year-end weather in northern Germany and the consideration that most of the aircraft were outdoors, but he had made me give up.
But spring has come, the thought peeped out again and the search was successful again. Launched the idea among friends, I immediately found it 2 fools who joined together and, after a few days, another crazy person joined the initial trio.
The car rental preceded departure by a few days, and so on, the 13 April, early in the morning, we found ourselves at the entrance to the Terminal 2 of Milan Malpensa, destination Berlin Schonefeld. The Easyjet flight was on time and at 09:00 we set our feet in Germany.
The time to formalize a few documents and the nose of a white FIAT 500X was already in the direction of the museum, located on the old Gatow airport, now disused, that we reached around 10:00, just in time for the opening.
Admission to the museum is free and an employee at the entrance explains to us, in a very broken English, the tour to do inside. We immediately rushed to canonize the planes exposed outside. The exhibition is organized by homogeneous areas of specialties. Then, scouts first, then the fighter-bombers (including some combat helicopters), then the pure fighters and then the two-seater trainers. All airplanes of the second postwar period, from the 1950s to the 1970s approximately, of both the eastern and western blocs. Dal T 33 al RF4E Phantom, Dal MiG 15 al MiG 23, passing from F 104G, Its 22 and I 24. The head does not know which way to turn.
The machines are in very different storage conditions: some recently restored, others with obvious signs of time spent outdoors. We head towards the garage where the most modern planes are located, but first let's go through the anti-aircraft missile sample, also in this case divided between western and eastern specimens. On the one hand, Roland, Hawk and Nike Hercules and on the other SA-2 Guideline and SA-3 Goa take us to the entrance of the large hangar. Inside the show: F 4F Pantom, Tornado, TF 104G Starfighter e MiG 29 above all but, Also here, you don't know where to look. The gem, dietro il Phantom è una “nuke” B 61, un po’ conciata ma dall’aspetto comunque molto inquietante.
We retrace the road in the midst of the AA and missiles, after photographing target trawlers and maritime reconnaissance aircraft, we come near the control tower, where a perfect C 47 in the colors of the Royal Australian Air Force, reminds us that Gatow was the busiest airport in the famous Berlin airlift which took place between June of 1948 and September '49.
We continue to the hangar dedicated to the First and Second World Wars, but first we stop under an F 104 in ZELL configuration, with rocket for vertical take-off, tips e tanks e, above all, another B 61 to the ventral pylon. Alongside the '104 a Pershing missile reminds us that, during the cold war, the conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact has reached very high levels.
Unfortunately, the only disappointment of the visit awaits us in the last hangar. The planes of the Second World War are very few: a Bf 108, one Yak 11, a DFS assault glider 230 and a beautiful Me 163: nothing else. Frankly I was expecting something more. Comunque il Komet è un gran bel vedere e il boccone è un po’ meno amaro.
The last pieces, outdoors, are a couple of Mi's 8, a Transall, a Noratlass, un An 26 and a rare Hunting Percival Pembroke and, towards the exit, a bomber Il 28 and a Hansa Jet in ECM configuration.
Overall a great museum, visited on a beautiful day. Moreover, with the return flight in the evening, we also managed to visit the city, with a stop at the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstage a nice walk on the 17 June street.
To you photos
