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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fair Explanation of the famous Flak Towers used by the Germans in WWII, October 5, 2007
This review is from: The Flak Towers: in Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna 1940-1950 (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) (Paperback)
This book provides a fair explanation of the background, use, and effectiveness of what came to be known as the Flak Towers used by the Germans in World War II.
The Flak Towers were massive structures up to 12 stories high built of reinforced concrete whose exterior walls and roofs were up to 10 feet thick. They were designed and built in response to the Allied bombing of Berlin in August 1940. Flak Towers were only built in or around three cities: Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna. A total of 16 Flak Towers were built. Three sets (6 total) in Berlin, three in Vienna, and two in Hamburg.
The Flak Towers always came in pairs. Although both towers in each pair usually contained a multitude of Flak guns from 20mm to 128mm, one tower (always the taller and larger of the two) was commonly known as the gun tower on which four 128mm Flak cannons were placed on the roof. The second tower of each pair was commonly known as the radio or command tower. The primary function of the command tower was to scout oncoming Allied planes and notify the gun tower of sightlines on the planes. Alhtough not clearly explained in this book, it appears the necessity of a separate radio tower was due to the massive shock waves created by the simultaneous firing of multitudinous 128mm Flak cannon in the gun tower which either interfered with the radio waves themselves used by the radio tower to locate enemy planes or with the ability of personnel to use the radio equipment.
Each pair of towers was also self-contained, with, e.g., their own power and water supply. The towers were used for a multitude of purposes other than defense. For example, each set of towers appears to have had its own hospital. In addition, several sets of towers had specific floors set aside for the storage and preservation of art treasures from German musuems in Berlin and Vienna. Most commonly, the towers served as a refuge for civilians during Allied bombing runs. (Estimates of civilians holed up in a single one of these structures at the end of the war run from 20,000 to 40,000 and it is generally accepted that 20,000 is not an unlikely number.)
The Flak Towers were considered to be both impregnable and indestructible and by and large lived up to their reputation as none of the towers was ever toppled or even heavily damaged during the war despite being repeatedly hit by bombs and heavy artillery. After the war, for reasons that are unexplained, most were destroyed (but only after repeated and extensive demolition) in one fashion or another by the Allied powers in control of that sector of Germany in which they remained and then turned into rubble, which for each tower was a monumental task in itself.
This book is the only one of its kind that I could find in English. For that reason it deserves special merit. Unfortunately, the book suffers in several respects. First, the book was originally written in German and the translation often suffers in clarity (although whether this is due to the original text or the translation is unclear). Second, the text of the book is too choppy as subjects do not appear to be treated comprehensively or in an organized fashion. Third, the book contains a few anecdotes about the Flak Towers (e.g., (1) Hitler's famous call, "Where is Wenck?", originated from the Zoo Flak Tower in Berlin, which contained the last working radio communcations control center in the city in April 1945; (2) although it was claimed dozens of "old master" works from Vienna museums were destroyed by fire in one of the Vienna Flak Towers at the end of the war, many of these works nonetheless appeared on the art market over the years; and (3) apparently German spectators at the site of one of the many attempts to demolish one of the Flak Towers after the war proudly cheered "German made! German made!" when the tower refused to fall) but does not contain any stories per se by Flak Tower survivors (i.e., those that worked, fought, or sought refuge in them). Fourth, much of the information provided is incomplete or contradictory so that the book only provides a very basic or general review of these structures.
That being said (and the author does acknowledge that information on the Flak Towers is woefully incomplete), the book is a fascinating look at this aspect of German defenses in World War II, particularly as it relates to the last days of WWII in Berlin when the Zoo Flak Tower was such a focal point for civilians and soldiers alike but is not likely to be of much interest to anyone other than serious students of the history of German defenses during World War II. (The book includes pictures of actual scale models used in designing the Flak Towers as well as photos of the towers during construction, in use, and after the war, including demolitions.)
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A brief pictorial tour of a seldom-seen facet of WW2, June 28, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Flak Towers: in Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna 1940-1950 (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) (Paperback)
You will find numerous pictures of Nazi flak towers during the period mentioned in the book's title, but I felt that wartime anecdotes from TurmFlak crews, as well as more technical data, would have enhanced this work. Still, it is a good presentation of defensive works that often go overlooked in World War 2 history.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Read, August 11, 2009
This review is from: The Flak Towers: in Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna 1940-1950 (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) (Paperback)
An excellent book with photos and line drawings of the Anti Aircraft Towers the Germans built in WWII. It is amazing how much energy and resources were put into these fortifications, some of which still stand today. Tearing them down was too much effort. I think the book is a perfect length on this subject. There are photos during, after contstruction, as well as photos of the interior after the war. I am glad I purchased this book and recommend it for anyone interested in the history of fortifications.
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