Oranienburg

52°44'00"N 013°13'00"E

Runway 16/34 - 2500x..m - concrete (CLOSED)
Runway ../.. - ...x..m - concrete (CLOSED)
Runway ../.. - ...x..m - concrete (CLOSED)

Air Base Oranienburg (german: Flugplatz Oranienburg, ICAO: ED..) was built between 1936 and 1939 west of Oranienburg and north of Berlin in Brandenburg Germany.
Founder of the airfield was Ernst Heinkel, who intended to start a new aircraft factory at the location. Originally the aircraft factory was intended only for serial construction of the new He111 airliner for German airline Lufthansa. The Luftwaffe recognised its potential as a bomber however, and ordered a millitary version of which the first was delivered on 4 May 1937.
A notable 'first' was developed at Oranienburg: the first practical jet engine of the world was developed and built here. The jet engine was then successfully used to power the He178 jet.

During World War II Oranienburg was solely used as an aircraft factory airfield. It was bombed during an air raid of 260 USAAF B-17 bombers on 18 April 1944. They returned on 10 April 1945 with 139 bombers, during which attack the airfield was completely destroyed.

Whatever was not damaged by the allied attacks was taken by the Soviet occupying forces after the war. Somehow the large hangar used to prepare aircraft for their first flight escaped this fate. It was used by the Soviet Air Forces until 1994 and housed Il-28 bombers, Antonov An-8 and Mil helicopters (Mi-2, Mi-6, Mi-8 and Mi-24).


Ca. 1991 Soviet satellite image of Flugplatz Oranienburg


9 minutes video of Mi-6 operations filmed at Flugplatz Oranienburg in 1991.


Mi-8 hull number Red 07 at Flugplatz Oranienburg in 1994. At the time the 239th Independent Guard Helicopters Regiment and the 9th Independent Helicopters Squadron were based at Oranienburg (airforce.ru).

By the late 1990s the southern area of the air base was turned into an industrial area. Around 2000 the runway was being converted into a part of the B96 Bundesstraße to Berlin (completed in 2003). Much of the air field infrastructure still existed though, the tower for instance could still be seen from the B96 in 2008. 


Flugplatz Oranienburg, ca 2000. Although the runway has already been removed it's outlines are still recognisable, making this a ca. 2000 photo (flashearth.com)


Flugplatz Oranienburg in 2005. The B96 Bundesstraße has replaced the runway (Google Earth).


The old Heinkel hangar at Flugplatz Oranienburg.


Close up of Flugplatz Oranienburg near the tower when the B96 highway was completed (fotos-aus-der-luft.de).

In 2011 a large plant was completed at the former airbase air base. A second (snallere) plant was constructed to its north in 2014, right where the tower used to be. Solar arrays had appeared west of the former runway (now highway B96) and to the east of the plants. The ond Heinkel hangar still existed in 2014, though as did many sections of taxitracks and aircraft dispersals.


Close up of Flugplatz Oranienburg near the tower when the B96 highway was completed (source).Same location, different angle: the plant that was built at the former airfield Oranienburg along the B96 highway, completed in 2011.