Open T-hangarette Nordlager II Fliegerhorst Venlo

The so-called open T-hangarette. A hangar that, in terms of footprint and surface, is almost the same as the T-hangars that are located in the Südlager.
However, instead of side walls, there are columns here that should support the roof construction. The three accompanying rear walls should provide stability and sturdiness. At the southernmost T-hangarette in Venlo, the columns are missing and the scaffolding holes are still in the walls. It is suspected that this type of hangar is the result of material-saving measures. Instead of fully masonry walls, columns were chosen to support the roof. What should be between the columns is unknown. The fact that comparable T-hangarettes in the Nord as well as the Südlager do have a Splittermauer at the rear makes this type of construction even more remarkable. Why install a Splittermauer if the side walls are open anyway?

The various remains of this type of hangar at Fliegerhorst Venlo also show it in various construction stages. The most complete version of this type of hangar is located at this location. Further north and Nordlager II is a version where only the foundation is present. The two comparable hangars at the Südlager can be seen in various stages of construction. One only has the columns and the other only the rear walls.
Aerial photos also show that the Germans only started the expansion and construction of this type of hangar in January 1944. The presence of scaffold holes in all hangars of this type also indicates that the construction was not yet finished. The rear walls are characterized by a stepped wall. This is also reflected in the southernmost Open T-Hangarette. At the ends where the roller doors should run, there is a large concrete stop block containing the holes through the roller door construction.
The black and white aerial photo of 15-October 1944 (the Germans had already left) shows the location of this hangar just south of the firing range, circled in red.

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Source

• Text: Axel Repping
• Photos: Axel Repping