German Secret Flight Test Centres

[dppintr]

The Peenemunde area was highly involved in the production of the V2 rocket, which ultimately led to the Saturn V rocket that was designed under the direction of Wernher von Braun and Arthur Rudolph. Von Braun's design was based in part on his work on the Aggregate series of rockets in Peenemunde during World War II. Peenemunde-West was also used for testing experimental aircraft such as the Heinkel He 176 and the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-powered fighter. The museum at Peenemunde is dedicated to the history of the Peenemunde Army Research Centre and the Luftwaffe test site, especially the rockets and missiles developed there.

Rechlin-Larz airport was once part of the Third Reich era's Luftwaffe main testing ground, or Erprobungsstelle for new aircraft designs. The site was found in the isolated area south of the Muritzsee. The airfield was officially opened on 29 August 1918. Many of the Luftwaffe's new plane models were test flown at the Rechlin facilities. After several Allied bombing runs on the airfields in 1944, testing of late-war planes was shifted just southwards to Larz. The Aviation Technical Museum Rechlin now stands on the grounds of the former Gruppe Nord which once served as the heart of the Test Centre.

A trip report with pictures can be found here

[BlackheathBloke]

Nice, pity you didn't head past Prora up at Rugen to take some pics from the air.

[Dave W]

Excellent. That's a tempting idea for a trip, plus Texel and the other islands.

[Flyin'Dutch']

Very good and interesting.

Peenemunde has now been mentioned a few times this year.

Time to dust off the German Northern Sectional!

[Pete S]

Time to dust off the German Northern Sectional!

Or hit the appropriate SD tit on iPad.......

[alfabravo]

A wealth of background information about the Rechlin-Laertz test center is somewhat hidden away in the trip report