7th March 1936
Heinkel He 60

Heinkel He 60

The Heinkel He 60 was a German single-engined biplane reconnaissance seaplane designed to be catapulted from Kriegsmarine (German navy) warships of the 1930s.

The Heinkel He 60 was designed by Heinkel engineer Reinhold Mewes, the designer of the He 59. The resulting design was a single-engined biplane of mixed wood and metal construction with fabric covering. Its single bay wings were of equal-span and had significant stagger.

The first prototype flew early in 1933 and proved to be underpowered with its 492 kW (660 hp) BMW VI engine. The second prototype had a more powerful version of the BMW engine, but this only marginally improved its performance and was unreliable, so production aircraft reverted to the original engine.

Of conventional configuration, the He 60 was a sturdy aircraft, designed (as the specification required) to be capable of operating on the open sea. As a result, it was always somewhat underpowered for its weight, which made handling sluggish and the aircraft vulnerable to enemy fire. Attempts were made to solve its lack of power by fitting one aircraft with a Daimler-Benz DB 600 engine, but engines were not available for production. About 200 He 60Cs and Ds were built by Arado and Weser.

Initial deliveries of the He 60 were to Kriegsmarine training units in June 1933.

From 1934, the major production version, the He 60C began to be delivered to the shipboard observation seaplane units of the Kriegsmarine, operating from the catapults of all German cruisers. It also saw action with Spanish Nationalist forces during the Civil War.

In 1939 it was replaced as a shipboard aircraft first by the He 114 in service, then soon after by the Arado Ar 196, but it remained in service with several coast reconnaissance Staffeln (squadrons) when World War II began. It had been withdrawn from front-line service by 1940, but returned to use following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, being used by various SAGr (Seeaufklarungsgruppe/Maritime reconnaissance group) for coastal patrol work in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas. All He 60s were removed from service by October 1943.

Source: Wikipedia

Altes Lager/ Jüterbog Airfield

Jüterbog Airfield (also known as Altes Lager airfield ) was a military air base located west of the town of Jüterbog, in Brandenburg, Germany. Nowadays paragliders and hang gliders start from Altes Lager.

Developed as part of Nazi Germany's program to develop the German population's flying skills in preparation for war, it was opened as a glider training establishment. Taken over by the Luftwaffe in 1933, it was fully developed as a military airfield.

After being overrun by the Red Army in May 1945, towards the end of World War II, it came under the control of the occupying forces of the Soviet Union . From this point forward, several units of the Soviet Air Force were stationed at the site. After extending the runway to 2,600 meters (8,500 ft), the Soviet military added an anti-aircraft missile site 5.6 kilometers (3.5 mi) west of the near Lindow.

The 833rd Fighter Aviation Regiment (833 IAP) was initially equipped with the Mikoyan MiG-9, later replaced by the Mikoyan MiG-29 'Fulcrum-A/B' fighter and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 UM 'Flogger-C' operational trainer. The regiment was part of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Division within the 16th Air Army with headquarters in Damgarten.

With the reunification of Germany on 3rd October 1990, the Soviet Armed Forces agreed to return all bases by the end of 1994. The airfield was handed back to the district authorities in 1992.

Source: Wikipedia

Link to a website with information regarding the airfield at Jüterbog

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