Seefliegerhorst Tönning

54°18'37"N 008°56'28"E

Runway: n/a - water

Naval Air Station Toenning (german: Seefliegerhort Töning) was a German Seaplane base on the North Sea coast in South Schleswig in Germany.
Immediately after the outbreak of World War I in 1914 a Naval Air Support Unit was provisionally formed at Tönning. Initially housed at the Eiderwerft (Eider Wharf), it became its own 48x16meter hangar near Klein Olversum in November, offering space to 3 flying boats.



Hangar at Tönning, ca 1916 (luftfahrtspuren.de)

Compared to other naval support units (NSU) of the II. Seefliegereabteilung (II Naval Flying Unit)the NSU at Tönning (german: Seeflugstützpunkt Tönning) was very modest in size. However, it made the area that the seaplanes of the time could cover much larger, the main aurgument for a support unit at this location. Before the war broke out discussions had been held about an Imperial Navy airship facility at Tönning, but the outbreak of war had ended that.

After the war famous naval pilot F. Christiansen used the Hangar for some time as a civilian facility. At the request of a Hamburg fishing company he searched the North Sea for schools of herring in his flying boat. As Germany was to be fully demilitarised the hangar had to be torn down in 1921 though.

The Eider River estuary proved to be advantageous enough to let the Luftwaffe assign it a new posting in 1935. At the location of a former traditional wharf a new airbase (german: Fliegerhorst) was to be constructed. Construction began in September 1935 and the base was put into service in August 1936.


Plan of Tönning, ca 1939 (luftfahrtspuren.de)

Initially a remote airfield of the Area Air Park (Sea) (german: Kreisflugpark (Sea)) at Wilhelmshaven, the primary mission of Seefliegerhorst Tönning was to supply, repair and maintain aircraft of the Naval Air Unit (german: Seefliegerverband). Initially the main aircraft to operate from here was the Junkers W34, which served as a target tug for the FLAK shooting range (german: Flakschießplatz) at Büsum. Meanwhile, expansion of the field continued. Ultimately some 100 civilian personnel earned their wage at the base, of which about 50 in the maintenance hangars alone. The military company at the air base had 150 men on strength. The official name of the Seefliegerhorst became "Luftpark 5/XI (See)" (english: Air Park 5/XI (Sea)).

Although two of the hangars were immediately next to the Eider River, a new wooden depot hangar (Hangar III) measuring 112x20meter was constructed in 1939. Besides the usual spares and engines this hangar also housed complete airframes and as the war progressed even anti-aircraft guns. To protect the military facilities, the area around Tönning occasionally also had light and heavy anti-aircraft guns. In the hangars of Tönning the widest range of aircraft could be found over time, including He42, He59, He60, He114, Ju (W)34 and Ju52. With a Luftwaffe inspector on board the testpilots flew inspection and post maintenance flights from the Eider River. The strong currents in the Eider River did not allow a more extensive flying operation. As no opereational units were stationed at Tönning during the war, it was never targeted for bombermissions.

Shortly after the war the large wooden hangar (Hangar III) disappeared. Several producing companies found a new home in the other hangars, such as the famous Eternit asbestos factory and Nissen Elektrobau. SIHI-Anlagentechnik uses the hangars to produce pumps and welding parts. Even today the halls are in commercial use, but not all buildings remain. Around 1999 many other buildings (including the housing area) were torn down.


Seefliegerhort Töning in 2010 (Google Earth)