In the facilities of the port of Bremen, currently the town of Bremerhaven, a small airfield was built in 1925 to serve the islands off the north coast of Germany. From this point people and goods could be transported by air to the Helgoland Islands or the Frisian Islands.
In 1935 Nazi Germany took over the facilities, which were occupied by the Wehrmacht, the Nazi armed forces. The facilities were expanded and prepared to accommodate military personnel. An important barracks was built there. The facilities were expanded in 1939, when a 400 meter long and 100 meter wide dock was installed for the construction of the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, one of two aircraft carriers scheduled for the German Navy.
Following the ship's launch at the Kiel shipyard, the ship was transported to Bremerhaven for completion, which was scheduled for 1943. The ship, which was never completed, was captured by the Red Army, which moved it to Danzig in 1947 where served as a target in military operations. Finally, in the summer of 1947, the ship was sunk by the Soviet Union 30 miles from the coast.
The former military installations in Weddewarden were used during the Cold War by US troops. After the withdrawal of the American troops in the 1990s and the expansion of the port of Bremen, the area has more and more the appearance of a conventional industrial zone, however some old facilities are visible and freely accessible. Caution is advised when accessing the area.
How to get to Weddewarden Aerodrome
Weddewarden Aerodrome is located within the Bremen port facilities, in the current town of Bremerhaven. The only way to get there is by private transportation.