The water table is high in Berlin and the Germans discovered that as long as an air raid shelter has a really strong roof, the sides did not have to be underground to withstand the fall of bombs. So they built three massive flak towers in Berlin that included air raid shelters. They also built smaller command post and radar centers nearby each one to control the anti-aircraft guns. The shock wave from firing the guns was too great to put the radars on the same towers.
This one is nearly finished. I have resin cast the shutters, they go on over the small brown patches. The shutters were thick steel doors that let in air when it was safe and they were closed when the raid was on. I have all the guns, but they still need to be painted. I am working on the staff for the interior. The center part of this model is a couple boxes with drawers. The drawers pull open so the troops can be moved around inside the model. There are five drawers on two opposite sides for a total of ten interior rooms. I plan on making a command post for the tower, a command post for the troops in the area, a hospital and the rest will probably be generator room and civilian air raid spaces.
The tower is 1/72nd scale. My plan is to finish it next summer when I do the smaller control tower.
12 comments:
WoW!! That must be massive!!!
Hey, Paul. I am all about the massive. Great work you did on those Eastern Friendly Indians by the way.
Bunkermeister
Very impressive work- especially on such a big project.
Cheers,
Pete.
Thank you Pete, thanks for reading.
Bunkermeister
Impressive, nice job!
Thank you Phil. Wait until next year when it's finished!
Bunkermeister
Those Flak towers were awesome and impressive structures - I understand there were several different types, and some (Vienna?) are still standing, and used by the Austrian Army. A very cool project, but at 1/72 scale you're going to need a dedicated room!
The three in Berlin were very similar. Others were round. I have been to Berlin and the existing remains of one of them, and it was huge. A dedicated room sounds like a good idea!
Thanks for reading shotgun6.
Bunkermeister
Excellent Mike,
completely Nuts, but I love it!
Cheers
Matt
French Wargame Holidays
Mayenne, Pays de la Loire
France
"Walk the battlefield in the morning, Wargame it in the afternoon"©
I am glad you like it Matt.
Bunkermeister
Great work, where did you get the plans
Hello Unknown, thanks for reading.
This book: The Flak Towers: in Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna 1940-1950
Michael Foedrowitz .
Great reference on flak towers.
Bunkermeister
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