German Aviation Maps - 4

[JohnC]

As per the second post in this little series (28th July), this map is based upon the pre-war 1:300,000 Ubersichtskarte von Mitteleuropa series. They are rather pretty maps but with no specific aviation features. The interest of this example is twofold; its provenance and mounting.

Its centred upon Schwerin, which is where Anthony Fokker built his aircraft factory in 1913. It bears the stamp 'Kgl Preus Flieger - Beobachter - Schule Schwerin' (Royal Prussian Pilot Observer School, Schwerin).

Aviation came to Schwerin in the form of the 1911 Deutschlandflug flying race, in which it was a stage town. The interest generated led to the construction of the airfield to the SW of the town in Gorries, which opened in June 1913. Fokker initially had his workshops in the town but soon relocated to the airfield. Local enthusiasm was such that crowds came to watch the flying; the authorities built a grandstand to accomodate them and even set up red and green flags in the town centre to indicate flying days.

Fokker set up a flying school and with the coming of war he took on the training of army pilots and observers. He was paid 7000 Marks for every officer who graduated, nothing for failures, crashes and deaths, and was therefore very careful with the training. Eventually the war's demand for aircrew was outstripping Fokker's capacity to train them and in March 1917 the school was taken over by the military. The map doesn't have a printed date but the stamps place it to this later period. In his memoirs Fokker was scathing of the army's methods, writing that it took no time at all for them to process the 22 aircraft he left them into matchwood, that only the best and most fortunate pilots survived the brutal training regime, and speculating that the commandant belived the crews would soon enough be killed at the front anyway. Fifty tombs at the local cemetry were assigned for the school's use.

The airfield at Gorries isn't marked but the compass circle on the map indicates a 25 km radius around it. The map is pasted onto two thin sheets of plywood which are hinged with a strip of linen tape. It's beautifully grubby and scuffed, and I have no doubt that it's seen cockpit service. I have wondered how German flying maps stood up to flight use, being printed on thin paper rather than the sturdy linen-backed British versions. Also why the majority of survivors seem to be in unused condition. Now the answer is obvious - they were intended to be pasted onto a handy sized board, probably were overpasted sheet upon sheet, and eventually made convenient kindling. The survivors are mostly the unissued residue of expendable items.

The Fokker in Schwerin group has preserved some of Fokker's original buildings. Their website has some wonderful now and then photos http://www.fokker-in-schwerin.org/