the flak tower

[fly boy]

in the last level of MOH airbourne there is this thing called the flak tower does that exist and if so i need some pics

 

[Catch22]

Yes, they did exist. They were huge bunkers basically with Flak emplacements on top. There are ruins of a few still in existence.

 

[Catch22]

All of the ones I found were in Vienna.

Lemme resize the one pic.

This pic is so huge, I can't upload it anywhere haha.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Vienna_flak_tower_dsc01576.jpg

 

[A4K]

Good pic Cory! There are four or five still remaining in Wien (Vienna), one of which is still used by the MOD as a control bunker in national emergency situation, and has a direct access to parliament.
The rest they wanted to destroy after the war already, but the walls are typically 3,5 m thick, and any attempt at detonation would result in the destruction of a large area of the city first, so most are used for other purposes -one is an aquarium/ terrarium for example. The MOD one and another they tried to destroy, now unstable in the tower area, are off limits to the general public however.

(I don't know if you know, Flyboy, but 'Flak' is an abbreviation of Fliegerabwehrkanone (Lit. 'anti aircraft gun' - Flieger: flying object, in this case aircraft; Abwehr: defence; Kanone: cannon/ large calibre gun). Interesting how the term has come to be used in general english -"to 'cop flak' over something" )

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

There are several still standing in Germany.

Flak tower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When I go to Hamburg in the next few months, I will get pictures of the one still standing there. It is now a nightclub.

 

[Matt308]

That would be one quiet nightclub!!!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

That would be one quiet nightclub!!!

Why is that?

 

[Catch22]

That would be a really cool club, I'd go to that one for sure.

 

[Amsel]

Check this site out. It has a great article on the Flak towers and the Berlin bunker system. Some good photos as well.

2/Pz. Aufkl.Abt. Grossdeutschland - UK based WW2 German Re-enactment Group

 

[Watanbe]

Wow I would love to go to that club!

 

[Colin1]

Why is that?

He might be referring to the 3.5m thick walls

 

[GrauGeist]

That would be one quiet nightclub!!!

I think the opposite would be the case, imagine the club music blasting off the concrete walls...the accoustics in there have got to be insane!

 

[Crunch]

Wow amazing! I finished MOHA many moons ago, but thought it was just something the designers had come up with! I'm muchos impressed!!!!

 

[stug3]

Flak tower being erected, 1942

 

[davebender]

Built to last forever and it appears that might hold true.

U-Boat base in Saint Nazaire: Too big to knock | The Helpful Engineer

 

[Civettone]

They were a waste of resources - mainly sprung fro the imagination of Hitler himself - but they serve a useful role in sheltering hundreds of civilians. Also, they were used with great success against the advancing Soviet armies.

As said before, they were close to impossible to destroy. The amount of concrete and steel used, is gigantic. Many civilian bunkers could have been built instead.
Kris

 

[davebender]

KBB Underground Technologies » Etzel
Personally I'd build this bomb proof fuel storage facility and an additional hydrogenation plant to fill it with aviation gasoline for the night fighter force. But nobody asked my opinion.

 

[tyrodtom]

Didn't flak shoot down more bombers than the nightfighters ?

 

[stug3]

they were used with great success against the advancing Soviet armies.

I dont think I would describe any aspect of the Reich's resistance to Soviet armies in 1944-45 as a "great success".

 

[GrauGeist]

I dont think I would describe any aspect of the Reich's resistance to Soviet armies in 1944-45 as a "great success".

In the end, the flak towers in Berlin were the last strongholds...self powered, vast ammunition and supply reserves and even equipped with a hospital, there were impervious to Soviet assault...even with thier largest artillery.

The Soviets had to send special envoys to parlay with the defenders and 30,000 refugees.