Memorial of the Air Force

48.1917 11.2605Coordinates: 48 ° 11 '30.1 " N , 11 ° 15' 37.8" E

The Luftwaffe and Aviation Memorial was created with donations from members of the Luftwaffe , aviation and other private individuals between 1957 and 1966 and is dedicated to the dead in the air force and aviation who lost their lives during their service in war or peace . It is located in Fürstenfeldbruck near the former air base .

History of the monument

Entrance area of the memorial

As early as June 24, 1957, a foundation was established in Hanover to collect donations for the construction of a central memorial for the Air Force and to put out a call for tenders for its realization. The Fürstenfeldbruck Foundation has been based in March 1984. After several approaches and considerations, a design by the architect Prof. Ernst Zinsser was finally chosen in 1960 , in collaboration with the sculptor Prof. Kurt Lehmann , Technical University of Hanover , and Fürstenfeldbruck as the location. On the occasion of a major flight day, the foundation stone was laid on September 24, 1961. A year later, on November 18, 1962, the first building of the memorial was inaugurated in the presence of representatives of the active and former air forces. The keynote address was given by Cardinal Julius Döpfner and the first inspector of the Federal Air Force, General Josef Kammhuber . By the day of national mourning in 1963, the 5 × 5 meter memorial stone in the center of the memorial with a lying iron cross was completed. After the construction of the gate to the site of the memorial with the inscription “THE DEAD OF THE AIR FORCE AND THE AVIATION”, the memorial was placed in the care of the active air force. In 1977 a motto "YOU ARE UNFORGETTED" was added and in 1979 a laurel wreath was attached. The Bundeswehr Service Center is responsible for maintaining the memorial .

Annual memorial event

On the day before the day of national mourning, wreaths are laid annually at the invitation of the Air Force inspector in a silent ceremony by representatives of the active air force, aviation and traditional air force associations at the memorial. The parade of honor is provided by young soldiers from the Air Force officers' school. The memorial “urges everyone to honor the legacy of our dead and to keep the peace”.