GESCHICHTE DER FLUGSICHERUNG

Flugsicherung ab Mai 1945

Der Zweite Weltkrieg war am 8. Mai 1945 mit der Kapitulation der deutschen Wehrmacht für das Deutsche Reich beendet. Ab 9. Mai 1945 gab es kein Deutsches Reich mehr und somit auch keinen deutschen Luftverkehr und keine deutsche Flugsicherung. Von nun an gab es innerhalb der neuen Staatsgrenzen vier deutsche Staatsgebilde: ein amerikanisches, den USA gehörend, ein britisches, Grossbritannien gehörend, ein russisches, der Sowjet Union gehörend und ein französisches, Frankreich gehörend; dazu eine viergeteilte Stadt als zentralen Verwaltungsort, die frühere Reichs-Hauptstadt Berlin. Diese vier Alliierten aktivierten umgehend für die von ihnen besetzten Gebiete die vereinbarten Besatzungszonen. In diesen übten sie die ausschliessliche Staatsgewalt unter ihrer jeweiligen Militärregierung aus.

Bite hier weiterlesen...

The Development of Air Navigation in West-Germany after 1945

Part I of this documentation dealt with the development of air navigation from 1919 onward until the end of WW II for Germany in May 1945. This second part explains the continuation in the further development of the establishment of military tactical air navigation services units beginning under the military governments of the victorious powers and the succeeding allied occupation forces in Germany. This transportation service of the first decade after the end of the war constitutes the cradle of modern European Air Traffic Control (ATC) as the major part of the overall air navigation services system.

It closes with the partial reconstitution of air sovereignty in West Germany (FRG) in 1955 and the end of the supervision on the re-established German federal air navigation services administration (BFS) by the Allied Civil Aviation Board - CAB of HICOM by mid 1956. The air navigation services, immediately after the war, are now under the exclusive authority of the victorious powers of the United States of America, Great-Britain and France (in the three western occupation zones) and the Soviet Union (the Four Allies). The German governmental air navigation services system did no longer exist.

In the soviet occupation zone of East Germany the authority over the air navigation services between 1945 and 1953 was vested in the Soviet Military Administration of East Germany (SMAD) based on a decision of the allied control council of September 1945 and was later on transferred to the ministry of transport of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). During the years of 1957 to 1960 the main department for civil aviation matters (HAZV), thereafter called „HVZL“ with INTERFLUG, took over the responsibilities for the air navigation services until 1990.

In West Germany until 1949 it was vested in the three military governments of the vicotrious powers until the joint allied Civil Aviation Board (CAB) had been established. The duties and authority of the CAB were transferred to the newly created German Federal Administration for Air Navigation Services (BFS) in 1953. In 1956, on demand of the three western allied forces, the FRG was permitted to join the International Civil Aviation Organization - ICAO as its 66th member state.

Read More:
The Development of Air Navigation in West Germany after 1945
Vol 2, The first ten years - when nobody knew Air Traffic Control (ATC) existed
Grayscale Print: https://www.amazon.de/dp/1537020463
Colour Print: https://www.amazon.de/dp/1537020420

Military Air Traffic and Airfields in the Western Occupation Zones

While during the first three years after the end of the war the German sky remained calm with the fighter squadrons been sent back home, now a hectic period of re-armament after the foundation of NATO began. Now, fighter squadrons were again stationed in great number in the occupied western German zones, as well as in the western neighbouring countries like Great Britain, France, Belgium, Denmark and The Netherlands, all now belonging to NATO. The number of support flights grew as fast and additional flights took place by the victorious powers and other countries.

Ground aids for the safeguarding of all these flights could hardly cope with this development. Besides that these aids were not uniform throughout the western occupation zones since they were dependent on those of the home countries. Especially the telecommunication procedures, the navigation ground aids and flight movement control had not been standardized and consolidated.

The ICAO Convention only came into effect in 1947, and then only for civil aviation. Not all the military forces of concerned ICAO member states felt obliged to apply these uniform rules at the beginning and therefore deviated from them in their own way until 1948, when reason finally set in and one also began to adopt the military procedures accordingly; and the Four Allies set up their own air navigation organizations immediately.

Great Britain with its RAF used the rules and procedures of its „Air Traffic Procedures - ATP“ operations manual IP-3024 of 1943. The USA applied the rules of its „Procedures for the Control of Air Traffic - Army, Navy, Civil - ANC-PCAT“ manual, implemented in 1942 with the air navigation and air traffic control regulations applicable to flight operations of the US air forces and civil American airlines.

The Airspace Structure and Air Route Network in Germany

On the occasion of a conference between the US - AEF, supreme headquarters AEF (Allied Expeditionary Forces) and AACS (Army Airways Communication Service) in the end of 1944 it had been concluded how the air routes structure in preparation on the invasion and subsequent support and supply should look like.

This Plan required 1500 military AACS radio operators, telecommunication technicians and air traffic controllers of all kinds with 12 mobile units and 41 AACS stations for mostly mobile deployment in the invasion. The radio operators had to maintain the complete message traffic during the invasion, while the technicians and forward air controllers had to move with the progressing front to set up mobile radio stations and navigation aids.

The whole mission of the 5th AACS Wing was conducted under the code name of FRANTIC. The backbone of the planned air attacks was the establishment of a far reaching direction finder network, which was formed by station WURC at Capodichino in Italy via London all the way to Poltava station (JMBP) in the Soviet Union. The overall structure as set up by AACS covered the area from the USA and Canada via Greenland and Iceland to Great Britain, from the USA via South-America to Africa (Dakar), Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Italy, Greece and via Turkey up to Teheran in Persia. The permanent North Atlantic flight tracks were used by thousands of aircraft, mainly eastbound.

Paris-Orly became the main station with the aeronautical telecommunication and flight control (ATC) centre „Orly Airways“. The Eiffel tower became a radio station. This lead to an air route network over France served by eight radio ranges at Dijon, Brest, Le Treport, Lyon, Creil, Barfleur, Paris and Marseille. Meanwhile four permanent air routes existed from England via the Channel to France, with one branch each to Brussels and Marseille, as well as later on to Frankfurt and Berlin.

In spring 1945 the 5th AACS Wing accepted responsibility with its Paris-Orly centre over the air navigation services in all countries of West-Europe, except the neutral states. Subordinate centres operated from London, Brussels and Marseille. Over the Channel air traffic control service was implemented issuing assigned flight altitudes, time-based longitudinal separation between flights (IFR separation) and requiring maintenance of radio contact and position reports. „Air Traffic Control“ was reborn!

The Influence of ICAO and NATO on the Air Navigation System

Today’s safety and regularity in international air transport, taken for granted since long, is the result of a comprehensive worldwide cooperation between governments and airline companies. As an organization on governmental level ICAO has contributed significantly to this cooperation. By coordination, the establishment of standards and the issuance of recommendations as well as technical information on a global scale ICAO has created the preconditions for an international integration of air traffic. But, how did that happen?

The first efforts to come to international agreements on the cooperation in air traffic had been initiated in 1919 during the Versailles Peace Treaty and led to the signing of the International Convention on Aviation (Air Navigation) by 33 states. But the 2nd world war caused a basic change in the situation of air transport.

Technical progress achieved during the war and the willingness for international cooperation existing after the war led to a re-organization of civil aviation on the basis of the initiative of the USA. As already mentioned, in December 1944 the formation of the Provisional - ICAO had been concluded, which should become an international organization with legal capacity on April 4, 1947, such as a few other international organizations also (ITU, WMO, etc.), as a special agency of the United Nations.

In the field of air navigation PICAO continued with the previous activities of ICAN. The PICAO Council formed various subcommittees dealing with technical subjects in order to bring into conformance the Chicago results with the own recommendations, such as the implementation of two (English and French) and then three international aviation languages, English, French and Spanish.

Between 1945 and 1953 the AACS Service of USAF and the Signal Corps of BAFO took care of the required communication installations, message and operating procedures between the air defense units and the air traffic services centres at Bad Eilsen, Frankfurt/Main and Munich, at the beginning mostly by teletype and radio telegraphy, later on also by means of telephone landlines.

Especially in South Germany, where as of 1955 an air defense and identification zone (ADIZ) had been established (only in 1957 was the ADIZ extended to the north up to the Baltic Sea), a message on each flight of airlines of the eastern bloc, i.e. the COMECON countries, had to be forwarded to the air defense stations.

The Transfer of Air Navigation to the German Administration

Directly after the war the USGCCG with its Air Division provided the air navigation services for its forces in the US-Zone, such as the 2. TAF of the RAF did in the British zone. The same happened in the soviet zone with the SMAD and in the French zone with the 1. CATAG.

After the inauguration of the military governments these organizational structures remained until 1949. That means, all civil airlines, whether belonging to the victorious powers or not, had to submit their applications on flight permits to these organizations. As of 1949 the allied high commission established its joint allied CAB in Wiesbaden in conjunction with the foundation of the FRG, with this CAB now fulfilling these functions for all civil aviation matters within the three western zones.

In 1951, the new German ministry for transport (MoT), with the approval of the high commission (HICOM), established the preparatory unit for the planned German Federal Administration for Air Navigation Services (BFS). The preliminary committee for the coordination of aviation matters - PACC of the western allies informed the German government on the preconditions to be met for the establishment of a federal administration for air navigation.

The FRG under chancellor Adenauer accepted all the conditions, and the law on BFS could be passed in March 1953. However, the CAB for civil matters and the PACC for military matters, remained as supervisory organs of the high commission over BFS and as approval bodies of the three allies vis-a-vis BFS and the ministry for transport. This situation changed in May 1955 with the regaining of limited sovereignty in aviation matters, based on the general agreement of 1952 with its reservation on rights and duties of the victorious powers as laid down in the Potsdam agreement of 1945.

Now the CAB exercises its supervision only until the FRG is allowed to join the International Civil Aviation Organization. In 1956 the FRG became ICAOs 66th member. However, the PACC for the coordination of aviation matters between the ministries of transport and defense, the stationary forces and BFS, remains. Years later it will be changed into a permanent council for aviation matters - SAL.

In 1955 the Federal Armed Forces (Bw) were set up and in 1956 the new German Air Force (GAF) was established. But for air navigation in general, only the BFS remained as the appropriate authority. Its tasks on aerodrome and approach control at the German military airfields had been delegated to the units stationed there per agreement between the two ministries. However, BFS remains solely responsible for area control.

Air Navigation Operations by the Victorious Powers and BFS

With reference to the performance of the air navigation services in general and especially so of the air traffic services one must differentiate between the first years after the Berlin airlift and until the implementation of the BFS (1949-1953), and the operations of BFS and the occupation, respectively stationary forces as of 1953. In parallel hereto NATO provides the air defense services with its ATAF units.

The very first years until the begin of the airlift did not demand great effort of the military air traffic services since the combat units had soon been relocated into their respective home countries. And, since ICAO had not become active yet, common binding rules, procedures and regulations did not exist as yet. The air navigation services of the occupation forces accommodated themselves in their respective zones of Germany in accordance with their own national regulations. The US with its flying units of the army and air force followed the meanwhile implemented procedures for movement control of non-tactical flights - ANC-PCAT ATC regulations - and began immediately with the establishment of controlled areas within their zonal airspace.

The British ATS units of the RAF followed the rules and procedures of the then current ATC regulations of the AP-3024 manual, which differed from the American principle in considering the use and participation of the ATS during flight. For this reason the RAF left all of their zonal airspace in the status of uncontrolled airspace. The British air code considered the ATS as pure support services, which a pilot requested solely based on his own decision. It was up to him to decide on using separation services or not, while flying in advisory airspace and along advisory routes, wherever these had been already established.

France had not participated in the development on international air navigation during the years of the war. And since the ATS in France directly after the war were performed mainly by american AACS units, such as partly also in the UK, Belgium, Austria and Italy, France in its zone also left uncontrolled airspace continue to exist. France safeguarded their few flights out of France into the french zone of Germany and beyond into the french zone of Austria by means of navigation, weather and traffic information as provided by the flight information centre (FIC) at Strasbourg and local ATS units like Friedrichshafen.

The German Air Force 1955/1956 and Air Navigation

In the course of the establishment of the first units of the GAF also its equipping with aircraft for pilot training took place. This training with aircraft of the USA, France and Italy began in larger scope at Ütersen, Nörvenich, Kaufbeuren, Augsburg and Fürstenfeldbruck. The airfields in Southgermany previously vacated by the American flying units were now taken over by the GAF. Independent herefrom, the AACS of USAFE continued to operate the ATS with aerodrome and approach control.

The Fürstenfeldbruck RAPCON was responsible for a few air force bases simultaneously and operated with radar (SRE and GCA). Fürstenfeldbruck RAPCON and München ACC were the appropriate ATS units for the control of the departures and arrivals of these airfields.

In North Germany only minor changes occurred due to the additional traffic of the GAF. The existing ATS units of the RAF and BFS controlled also this additional traffic. Changes of significant measure happened only with the advent of regular flight operations of the GAF.

But during the course of the following years the flight operation of the GAF lead to the demand for own military area control centres - ACCs for the control of its military flights under its own command. This demand should result in a never ending dispute between GAF and BFS on legal matters and jurisdiction in detail. It was contradictory to the jurisdiction under the law on BFS. But it was tolerated in the upper airspace for a considerable length of time, as agreed between MoT and MoD.

The RAPCONs actually were approach control units for the control of departing and arriving military flights from and to the air bases. This type of ATC operation was performed by the allied approach control units of USAFE, RAF, FAF and RCAF all over West-Germany in one and the same manner within their MTMAs.

A second development shall become the establishing of centres for so-called „radar guidance service“, which will also carry the designation of „FS-Ber-Z“ (ATS regional centre), but will neither be an ICAO ATS unit nor a NATO air defense unit. Out of this situation will develop a kind of parallel operation with these military units.

Flugsicherung

Die umfassende Dokumentation über den Luftverkehrsdienst Flugsicherung. Eine Buchreihe in mehreren Bänden, die von Frank W. Fischer im Verlag der International Advisory Group Air Navigation Services (ANSA) herausgegeben wurde.