Nürnberg: Soldiers Field Army Airfield

AAF, Nurnberg New, Great Road

For historical information only, do not use for navigation or aviation purposes!
CoordinatesN492530 E0110659 (WGS84) Google Maps
Elevation 1050 ft
Federal stateBayern (Bavaria)
Location indicatorEDIT
Map with location of Nürnberg Soldiers Field Army Airfield, Germany
Germany during the Cold War Map
The history of the Cold War airfields: Nuremberg Soldiers Field

Overview

After the Second World War, a US Army airfield called "Soldiers Field Army Airfield" (Soldiers Field AAF) was set up on the so-called Reichsparteitagsgelände (Nazi Party Rally Grounds). The Große Straße, which was paved with granite slabs, was used as runway, while the aircraft parking areas were located southwest on the former Märzfeld. After the opening of Feucht Army Airfield, Soldiers Field was closed. Today the Große Straße is freely accessible, on the former Märzfeld the residential area Langwasser Nordost was built.

During the Cold War

In the 1950s

Overview

Topographic map Nuremberg 1953/1954
Topographic map (1953/1954) - The Great Road and the former Märzfeld field southeast are well recognizable. The nearby railway station is called "Langwasserwiese". A railway siding leads directly from the south to Grosse Straße runway.
Source: Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung, www.geodaten.bayern.de Lizenz: Creative Commons Namensnennung-Keine Bearbeitung 3.0 Deutschland, CC BY-ND 3.0

In the 1960s

Overview

Topographic map Nurnberg 1962
Topographic map (1962)
Source: Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung, www.geodaten.bayern.de Lizenz: Creative Commons Namensnennung-Keine Bearbeitung 3.0 Deutschland, CC BY-ND 3.0
Map of Nuremberg Soldiers Field Army Airfield, Germany 1967
Map (October 1967) - Runway 15/33 has a length of 1,265 m (4,150 feet) and a width of 20 m (65 feet). The parking area is located southeast of today's Karl-Schönleben-Strasse on the former Märzfeld.
Source: US DoD

Runways

  • 15/33: 1265 m (4150 ft) x 20 m (65 ft) Marble

Radio communication

Radio 122.1

Airspace and procedures

Operating times: Monday till Friday 0600Z - 1700Z, Saturday 0600Z - 1100Z; other times unattended.

Obstacles

  • Unlighted towers, 460 m (1500 ft) off southeast end of runway.
  • Unlighted poles, 15 m (50 ft) high, along northeast side of runway.
  • Four lighted high towers, 91 m (300 ft) high, 370 m (0.2 NM) east of runway.
  • Three unlighted cranes, 60 m (200 ft) high, 900 m (0.5 NM) southwest.

Images from April 1961

Source: Radio-TV tour, Germany. US National Archives. National Archives Identifier: 28518, Local Identifier: 111-LC-45092
Fly past the Nürnberg congress hall
Fly past the congress hall
Hubschrauber H-34 at the Soldiers Field, Nuremberg Germany
Hubschrauber H-34 at the Soldiers Field
US Army H-34, Nürnberg
US helicopter at the Große Straße airfield
Sikorsky S-58 / H-34 helicopter
Soldiers Field Army Airfield, Große Straße Nürnberg
This picture allows a slightly wider view.
Fence at Soldiers Field, Nuremberg, Germany
To the right of the bus you can see a fence in the background.

In the 1970s

Situation

Nürnberg Soldiers Field Army Airfield on a map 1972
Nürnberg Soldiers Field Army Airfield on a map of the US Department of Defense from 1972 - It is questionable whether the airfield was actually still in operation in 1972.
Source: ONC E-2 (1972), Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas at Austin

Overview

Nürnberg Soldiers Field Army Airfield, Germany, on a US satellite image 1973
Nürnberg Soldiers Field Army Airfield on a US satellite image from 13 August 1973. Presumably the airfield was no longer in operation at that time. - 1: Runway or Große Straße road; 2: Parking areas. a: Congress hall; b: Zeppelin field; c: Karl-Schönleben-Str.; d: Märzfeld - the present residential area Langwasser Nordost does not yet exist; e: Langwasser railway station; f: the newly built underground railway depot.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Today

Use

Closed.

Situation

Aerial image Nuremberg Große Straße / Great Road, 2017
Aerial image (2017) - 1: Große Straße - former runway; 2: former ramp area. a: Congress hall; b: Volksfestplatz; c: Nürnberg Fair. Lakes: Großer Dutzendteich, Kleiner Dutzendteich, Silbersee.
Source: Datenquelle: Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung www.geodaten.bayern.de, Lizenz: Creative Commons Namensnennung 3.0 Deutschland (CC BY 3.0 DE)
Nordwestern beginning of the runway of Soldiers Army Airfield
Nordwestern beginning of the runway, between the lakes Großer Dutzendteich and Kleiner Dutzendteich. - The arrow points to the transition to the granite slab covering.
Source: Datenquelle: Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung www.geodaten.bayern.de, Lizenz: Creative Commons Namensnennung 3.0 Deutschland (CC BY 3.0 DE)
Great Road: Transition from granite slabs to asphalt pavement
Transition from granite slabs to asphalt pavement
Source: Datenquelle: Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung www.geodaten.bayern.de, Lizenz: Creative Commons Namensnennung 3.0 Deutschland (CC BY 3.0 DE)
Nürnberg-Langwasser / Märzfeld: School
The former parking area for aircraft and helicopters now houses sports facilities and a school.
Source: Datenquelle: Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung www.geodaten.bayern.de, Lizenz: Creative Commons Namensnennung 3.0 Deutschland (CC BY 3.0 DE)

Pictures 2018

Große Straße and Nürnberg Fair
In the southern part, the Große Straße no longer has the original surface.
Granite panels, Great Road runway, Nuremberg Germany
Further north, however, the granite panels still exist.
Nürnberg Große Straße Airfield, Germany
Former runway
Nuremberg, Karl-Schönleben-Straße. Southern end of the Soldiers Field runway.
Area south of Karl-Schönleben-Straße. This was the southern end of the runway. - The parking area was located approximately in the direction of the view (southwest).

Sources

Links

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