Peenemunde

[d_bader]

Does anyone have any good information on Peenemunde? Or possibly have visited there?

Sounds and interesting place, with the rocketry reseach and aviation reasearch that took place there.

[HoHun]

Hi DBader,

>Does anyone have any good information on Peenemunde? Or possibly have visited there?

>Sounds and interesting place, with the rocketry reseach and aviation reasearch that took place there.

I've been there a couple of years back. I thought it to be kind of spooky - ruins and abandoned GDR relics, some A4 rocket replicas, a small museum in some machine houses showing various third Reich and Socialist machinery, some MiGs, Sukhois and Mils (from the adjacent airfield that served as a NVA air force base) parked in no particular order, a Russian Oka S-boat in the harbour, and a Soviet U-boat anchored nearby but not part of the museum. A big coal dump near the power plant which I figured must have been used by the NVA for a long time after the war. Somewhat bizarre ruins of the liquid oxygen plant nearby, but not accessible. Barracks-style housing near the main complex, and the terminal of a shuttle train built in WW2 (or before?) to carry workers and engineers to Peenemünde back then, which carries tourists there today, using 1960s' Diesel railcars. The south fork of the same railway lines uses futuristic liquid gas-powered multiple units ...

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[delcyros]

One should also visit the whole coastline of that island (Usedom). There are widespread observation towers and bunkers (some in good condition, some not, but regularely well documented), early SAM (C2W and Rheintochter) sites (unspectacular concrete structures) in the woods and at some part of the Achterwasser, one can still see the remains of a downed bomber with the tail visible at low water.

[HoHun]

Hi Delcyros,

>One should also visit the whole coastline of that island (Usedom).

Seeing your interest in the topic, did you perhaps also visit the former rocket site at Leba at the baltic coast in Poland? There is some kind of museum too, but I was a bit short on time during my visit to Leba so I had to skip this museum ...

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[BenHer]

A really interesting place to visit. The old NVA airbase is now open for private aircraft. I flew there myself two years ago from Southern Sweden via the Island of Bornholm. A very friendly airportservice which also rents bicycles to use to go into the town of Peenemünde. We stayed in an old GDR communistparty dwelling converted to a nice hotell. The former Peenemünde commander Walther Dornberger has written an interesting book about his "V-Waffen" work there.