I´ve been doing a trip in my area on saturday, visiting the remains of the "Airfield Gerolzhofen", south of Schweinfurt, beetwen the small villages of Herlheim, Kolitzheim and Zeilitzheim.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=magicmad2000&aid=5747178301331163937#mapIn 1936 the RAD workers constructed trenches 6 meters wide and 3 meters deep in a small forrest, for ammunition transports, as well as several bunkers that got filled with bombs and ammunition. Barracks were erected as well, for personnel and guards. Large fuel depots got dug in the ground and a small tower was build.
In the following years the airfield got expanded with more buildings and even underground tunnels were build.
Form 1938 on it was used as for training. HE 123 and Ju88 started from here. Experiments on engines and fuel were conducted.
Later in 1938 a Stuka company with Ju87s got stationed here and the whole area was declared as a off-limit military zone.
Since the front was far away druing the war, it was used from 1939 for training new pilots on gliders (sailplanes) and also military pilots on Arado and captured French "Morane" training planes.
From 1941 on it was used as a regular airfield. During the end of the war some Ju88 Nightfighters were operating from here.
After the war the Americans blew up the military installations and bunkers in the Forrest.
The official desigantion was "Flugplatz Gerolzhofen" but it is often named "Flugplatz Herleshof" or "Flugplatz Herlheim" as well because those are closest.
"Herleshof" is the name of a old smallholding. A group of houses, barns standing alone out in the fields.
Sadly is it by now nearly all gone. Fallen to dust in the 50 years since it´s uninhabited, while it was first mentioned in 1240 or so.
Herleshof in the 30s
all that is left today
old family symbol on the gate
In the forrest, remains of old bunkers.
Collapsed entrance from inside the bunker. Looks like the local hunter dumped the wood of an old survey stand here.
Large parts of Stahlbeton are scattered over several meters on one of the bunkers. Maybe they used too much explosives on the first bunker they blew up.
All kinds of old things still lying around in the in the forrest
in another forrest. old barracks building maybe
