Erprobungsstelle Rechlin

Erprobungsstelle Rechlin
Name	Erprobungsstelle Rechlin
Location	Rechlin, Mecklenburg
Country	Germany
Type	Test facility
Built	1916
Used	1916–1945
Occupants	Luftwaffe, German Empire Naval Air Service

Erprobungsstelle Rechlin Erprobungsstelle Rechlin was the principal German military aviation test and evaluation center located at Rechlin, Mecklenburg. The site served successive entities including the Imperial German Navy, the Reichswehr, and the Luftwaffe, conducting trials for aircraft, engines, and ordnance linked to programs such as the Luftwaffe expansion and the Third Reich rearmament. Its activities intersected with major programs like the Messerschmitt Bf 109 development, the Heinkel He 111 series, and secretive projects associated with firms such as Daimler-Benz and Junkers.

History

Rechlin originated as a Seeflugstation for the Imperial German Navy in 1916 during World War I, later transitioning to the Reichswehr era air testing functions under the Treaty of Versailles constraints. During the Weimar Republic period the site was linked to clandestine aviation development involving companies like BMW (Firma) and Siemens-Schuckert, and saw connections to personalities such as Hugo Junkers and Ernst Heinkel. With the rise of the Nazi Party and the formal establishment of the Luftwaffe in the 1930s, Rechlin expanded under directives from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium and coordination with industrial entities including Focke-Wulf and Blohm & Voss. Wartime history involves encounters with Allied strategic bombing and operations during campaigns like the Battle of Britain, while late-war developments tied Rechlin to emergency projects promoted by figures such as Hermann Göring and programs responding to the Combined Bomber Offensive.

Role in Luftwaffe Testing

As the Luftwaffe's central test center, Rechlin conducted performance trials, weapons integration, and night-flying assessments for aircraft used by units such as the Luftflotte formations and specialized commands like Kampfgeschwader and Jagdgeschwader. The facility interfaced with design bureaus and ministries to validate prototypes from firms including Messerschmitt AG, Heinkel Flugzeugwerke, Arado, and Dornier. Rechlin hosted weapon trials for munitions from producers such as Rheinmetall and Krupp, and supported avionics testing linked to projects involving Askania Werke instrumentation. The center also coordinated acceptance testing for types destined for front-line deployment in theaters like the Eastern Front, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, and the Western Front (World War II).

Facilities and Infrastructure

The complex comprised runways, seaplane basins on the Müritz lake system, hangars, workshops, instrumented ranges, and climatic testing installations. Infrastructure enabled trials for landplanes and seaplanes from manufacturers such as Heinkel, Blohm & Voss Flugzeugbau, and Dornier. Technical capabilities included engine test benches supplied by BMW (Firma) and Daimler-Benz, wind tunnels with ties to research at institutions like the Bibliotheca Humboldtiana-era laboratories, and telemetry equipment related to Enigma-era communications efforts. Rechlin maintained instrumented target ranges used for ordnance trials overseen by personnel associated with organizations such as Luftfahrtforschungsanstalt (LFA) and collaborated with research centers like the Technische Hochschule Berlin.

Notable Aircraft Tested

Rechlin served as the proving ground for numerous prototypes and production types, including the Messerschmitt Bf 110, Heinkel He 177, Junkers Ju 88, and Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Advanced or secret projects evaluated there included trials of the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, the Heinkel He 162 emergency fighter, and rocket-assisted concepts related to designs by Wernher von Braun-affiliated teams and firms such as Messerschmitt AG. Floatplanes and maritime types from Arado and Blohm & Voss underwent seaplane testing on nearby lakes, while long-range transports and bombers like the Dornier Do 17 and Heinkel He 111 were assessed for range and payload characteristics used by units such as KG 40.

Personnel and Commanders

Command and technical leadership at Rechlin included Luftwaffe officers and civilian test pilots drawn from pioneers like Ernst Udet-era test communities and engineers associated with Erhard Milch's administrative apparatus. Test pilots, flight engineers, and technical directors often moved between Rechlin and company test centers at Oberpfaffenhofen, Rostock-Marienehe, and Wenzendorf. Administrative oversight linked Rechlin to ministries and inspectorates such as the Reichsluftfahrtministerium and the Inspektion der Fliegertruppen, with interactions involving industrial executives from Willy Messerschmitt-led teams and technical chiefs like Olfert Landt-style figures within the aviation industry.

Post-war Use and Legacy

After 1945 the site was occupied by Soviet Armed Forces and later integrated into East Germany's Nationale Volksarmee infrastructure, influencing Cold War aviation activities alongside facilities such as Soviet Air Forces (GSFG) bases. Postwar aviation historians and preservationists from institutions like the Bundesarchiv and museums such as the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin have documented Rechlin's test records and artifacts. Contemporary legacy includes industrial memory in companies descended from Daimler-Benz and Rheinmetall, scholarly work tied to archives at universities like the Universität Greifswald, and heritage debates involving regional authorities in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and organizations like Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DGLR). The site's technical contributions continue to inform studies of aerodynamics, propulsion, and flight testing preserved in collections connected to the Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr.

Category:Military installations of Germany Category:Luftwaffe