[Legio LXXII]

I'm getting ready to start work on a small 1/72 scale German WWII airfield. It will be late war (late 1944 or 1945) and more along the lines of a small airfield trying to hide the few remaining planes they have left from roaming Allied aircraft, rather than an early war sprawling airfield that is well stocked with aircraft with little worry of Allied air raids.

My question is with these small hidden airfields, would they still have traditional hangars? Does any company make hangars suitable for WWII? I've searched using Google Image for pictures of late war German airfields and didn't see much. Any other info that might help would be appreciated too.

[Cruver Collecter]

I remember coming across an article that mentioned the use of the Autobahn being used as a makeshift airstrips. Did a quick search and found a site that had an interesting article that might be a useful suggestion for your project. Hope this might be useful to you.

"At this time, all the German airfields had been pulverized and there were not many German airplanes left or a place to take off from. The Autobahn Highway was four lane with a median in the middle made of concrete that had been painted green. The planes were hidden in trees along the edge of the highway and that is where they were taking off from."

Site information found at: WWII Experiences of Robert Henry Peery

[Ken]

The Germans used the autobahn extensively on the latter stages of the war. There were often side access roads and woods to push the aircraft into utilizing farm buildings for stores and barracks as long as no obvious built up traffic tracks like the taxi ways worn into the ground were allowed to appeared from the air. . They would build revetments out concrete block and logs to reduce splinter and 50 cal damage with camo netting to disguise the use to all but a low flying recon aircraft. In the winter a tent like arrangement was available to put over the engine section of an aircraft to work on it. The Arado Jet bombers were actually towed onto the autobahn in the end, first by a kettenrad ( a small tracked vehicle not much larger than a motortcycle with a side car) Some ME262 kits I've seen include one of these as an extra bonus. In the last days they use by draft horses and oxen no less, when the fuel situation for the J2 fuel (a less refined fuel vs the piston engined aircraft needs) became so critical they had to go to this extreme. That would make an interesting contrast for your diorama and I think someone is making the Arado 234 in 1/72 scale. They positioned the tracked and wheeled Flak batteries near by the takeoff and landing lanes to catch any allied fighter trying to slip into the patterns to knock off the ME262's coming into land.

The Book to fool the glass eye pages 73-120 discussed this a lot with netting and airfield camo photos.

Originally Posted by Legio LXXII

I'm getting ready to start work on a small 1/72 scale German WWII airfield. It will be late war (late 1944 or 1945) and more along the lines of a small airfield trying to hide the few remaining planes they have left from roaming Allied aircraft, rather than an early war sprawling airfield that is well stocked with aircraft with little worry of Allied air raids.

My question is with these small hidden airfields, would they still have traditional hangars? Does any company make hangars suitable for WWII? I've searched using Google Image for pictures of late war German airfields and didn't see much. Any other info that might help would be appreciated too.

[Legio LXXII]

Thanks for the info guys. Gives me something to start with.

[Cruver Collecter]

Not sure if you pick up this model magazine, but Scale Aviation Modeler International this month has a two page article just on this subject. It is titled Undercover A 1/72 Diorama-Germany 1945.

[hworth18]

I will have to look thru my files, but here is a pic of a late war airfield situation.

[STARMAN 352ND]

Look at that guy in his shorts...
JP