Fliegerhorst Jüterbog-Damm
THE ABANDONED MILITARY SITE IN GERMANY
Fliegerhorst Jüterbog-Damm was an air base of the Luftwaffe der Wehrmacht and later used by the Soviet Army. It was situated near the military town Jüterbog and abandoned in 1994.
The military base has its origins in the German Empire era. It served as an artillery pilot station throughout World War I, from 1914 to 1918. Following the war, it was demilitarized as mandated by the Treaty of Versailles. However, during the Third Reich, the base underwent significant development under the direction of architect Max Cetto. This included the construction of substantial concrete hangars and service buildings along a 900-meter grass airstrip. By the autumn of 1935, it had been designated as a Luftwaffe Fliegerhorstkommandantur. Throughout the period leading up to the end of World War II, the base primarily supported operations of single-engine fighter planes and reconnaissance squads.
There were six large hangars to the north of the air base. At least 20 open aircraft shelters were distributed around the sides of the airfield perimeter.
Following the Second World War, the Red Army partially dismantled the airbase, resulting in the disassembly and transportation of three out of six hangars to the Soviet Union. Throughout the Cold War, the site served as a maintenance facility for the aircraft of the 16th Air Army. Subsequently, the 172nd and 439th Special Helicopter Regiments were stationed at Damm. Circa 1960, the S-75 high-altitude air defense system was deployed to safeguard the Red Army’s presence in Jüterbog.
After the Soviets withdrew in the early 1990s, the site was handed over to the German authorities, who closed the airfield. I visited the site in 2020.
