Military Museum Blog: Berlin Technical Museum, Germany

The German Museum of Technology, Berlin, showcases a vast assortment of industrial and transport technology which highlights just how important Germany has been to development of our modern world. There are many departments covering everything from textiles, suitcases, telecommunications, film and television, shipping, aircraft and motor vehicles. I visited the museum in 2006 and was primarily interested in the motor vehicle collection. Unfortunately that wing was closed for renovations, so I spent my time in the aircraft wing. No disappointment there! Although space is limited, the collection is excellent and very informative. https://technikmuseum.berlin/en/

17th century barge. Since Roman times sailing barges have carried German goods down the Rhine and Danube super-highways. These rivers are still crucial transport routes today.

These shallow draft barges have hardly changed since Roman times.

A little more modern river traffic, a classic wooden motor launch from the 1930s.

The oldest aircraft in the collection, Jeannin Stahltaube, Type 11. This very early monoplane was used for reconnaissance in 1914, but was soon obsolete.

Remnants of a Halberstadt ground attack aircraft.

Now this is interesting - the Horton HIIL gilder

Reimar and Walter Horton were advocates for flying wing sailplanes and designed a series of interesting and technically advanced gliders and powered aircraft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horten_H.II

As the pilot flew in a reclined position, downward visibility was achieved by transparent panels in the forward wings.

These developments led to the jet powered Horton 229 which was being tested by the time the war ended. The story of how the Horton's developed their aircraft and basically swindled the Luftwaffe to pay for it is explained in this presentation.

'Tante Ju' Junker's iconic Ju52 in Lufthansa livery. In the foreground is the incredible Rumpler Trompfenwagen, an automotive streamlining pioneer from 1921.

The Junkers 52

Lufthansa models

Lufthansa models - this looks a little like an earlier version of the Junkers 52

Above the Ju52 tail

Some wreckage from the Bertram and Klausmann Junkers crash. Hans Bertram and Adolf Klausmann attempted to circumnavigate the world in a Junkers Ju33 seaplane in 1933. They made it as far as the Dutch East Indies before setting off for Australia from Timor. After encountering a storm they were forced to land in the far north of Western Australia, in the isolated Kimberley region. This area is mountainous and sparsely populated with few roads. Stranded without fuel, they eventually converted one of the planes floats into a canoe and paddled their way around the coast of Western Australia to Wyndham after an epic journey of 39 days. Both men were near death from starvation and exposure. The float / canoe is at the back.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1932_Kimberley_rescue

To speed up transatlantic mail service before there were aircraft cable of making the flight non-stop, Germany commissioned a fleet of small civilian seaplane tenders as way-stations. Fast seaplanes, like these Dornier Do18s, would fly to and from the tenders in a relay, refuel, exchange mail, cutting several days from the mail service. https://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/germany.htm#cat-ships

The Ostmark was one of four seaplane tenders commissioned for the mail service. While two of the ships were converted from passenger liners, the Ostmark was specially constructed. In 1939 she was pressed into Luftwaffe service and was used to support seaplane reconnaissance craft.

Dornier X seaplane

Junkers Ju52

Junkers and the Rumpler

Mig-15

Junkers Stuka Ju87 wreck

Junkers Ju87 Stuka dive bomber.

The Stuka's wrecked engine

Arado? I'm sure someone will advise.

Messerschmitt Me110 'Destroyer' heavy escort fighter.

Germany's workhorse fighter of the Second World War, the Messerschmitt Me109.

The Messerschmitt Me108 was a two seater sports plane but also saw some service as a liaison aircraft.

During the Second World War, Germany was much further advanced in rocket and missile technology. From left to right we see a anti-aircraft Flakrakete Rheintochter R-IIa, V1 Flying Bomb and a Henschel Hs293 rocket powered, remote guided bomb. These were used primarily against shipping.