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Helicopters and planes seen from the side in the collection store.
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Air forces collection

Airship crews and flying aces

Historical artefacts dating from 1884

The Military History Museum at Berlin-Gatow Airfield preserves artefacts dating from the beginnings of military aviation in Germany in 1884, through the period of the World Wars, to the Bundeswehr following the country’s reunification in 1990 and as a modern army on active deployment. The collection also includes the role of the Western Allies and the Soviet army in Germany after 1945.

More than 100 aircraft are housed in four historic hangars covering 12,000 square metres. This is complemented by uniforms, models, documents, photographs and other objects. Particular attention is paid to the Cold War era, when NATO and the Warsaw Pact faced each other. The museum houses one of the world’s largest collections of airborne weaponry from this period from both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Two large aircraft models from the collection of the Military History Museum in Berlin-Gatow.
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Several rows of blue German Air Force caps bearing the eagle emblem, kept on metal shelves in the collection store.
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Orange-red flight suits bearing German rank insignia hanging on a clothes rail in the collection store.
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View of the open cockpit of an Aero L-39 Albatros, featuring an analogue instrument panel and an ejector seat.
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A Phantom standing in the collection store with its cockpit canopy raised.
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The aircraft is kept in the collection store without its wings.
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A historic location

The history of the site reflects the upheavals of the 20th century. In 1934–35, Gatow served as Aerial Warfare School No. 2, where young men were trained as pilots – many of whom later took part in attacks on Guernica, Warsaw and London. After 1945, the British Royal Air Force used the site. During the Berlin Airlift, RAF Gatow played a key role in supplying West Berlin. It later became an important base for military reconnaissance by the Western Allies.

In addition to the aircraft, the collection also includes personal testimonies that provide direct insight into the experiences of those involved.

Exhibitions

Our exhibitions feature numerous objects from the collection.

The exhibitions