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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0435.PDF
FEBRUARY 18, 1937- FLIGHT IN SEARCH OF GERMAN AND ITALIAN AVIAT ION — PART II By CAPTAIN NORMAN MACMILLAN. M.C., A.F.C., A.F.R.Ae.S., F.R S.A IN Berlin, at the intersection of Wilhelm-strasse and Leipzigerstrasse, stands a vast new building, the Reichsluftfahrtminis- terium. The nearest equivalent site in London would be about half-way down Whitehall. The main block of this building runs parallel to Wilhelmstrasse. It rises to seven floors. The wings that run out in front and behind (those in front inter connected, those behind open) have five floors. There must be nearly three thousand rooms in the building Floors bear the "initial index number of a thousand, and room numbers reach into the five hundreds on each main floor. Thus, room No. 4,452 is room . No. 452 of the fourth floor. That gives some indication of the size of this Air Ministry, the immediate chief of which is General Erhard Milch. Its Napoleonic dimensions suggest how important the Third Reich be lieves the Air Arm to be. There, centralised under one roof, is the complete Air Ministry executive staff for the whole of Germany. That building, visualised as necessary for the expansion of the German Air Force, is the greatest Ministry building in Germany. It was built in less than a year, and has now been open rather longer. The offices I visited were modern, well-warmed, com fortable and clean. Ac- \ commodation for typists as well as officers and officials was excellent. Members of the staff can obtain meals in the can teen. Prices are low. There is no distinction of rank. The same food is UFTFAHR Germany's Air Ministry —and a Note on D.L.H. Operating Methods served to all—that is one of the principles of the new Germany, not only in the Air Ministry but in factories as well. I was shown over this building in com pany with a German General and a party of officers who were paying a visit of in spection for the purpose of learning some thing of the new headquarters. The 101 Chairs The conducted tour our little party made took us to an ante-room and thence into the Council Chamber, where two long polished tables, with large chairs on each side, are joined at the far end of the room by a cross table. I counted the chairs—101 altogether, including the five at the upper table. A magnificent Gobe lin tapestry depicting the victory of Charle magne fills most of the wall space behind the five principal chairs. There are pictures of Hindenburg and Hitler. The decoration of the room is formal ;
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