Fliegerhorst Zerbst
THE ABANDONED MILITARY SITE IN GERMANY
The Fliegerhorst Zerbst is an abandoned military airfield in Germany. It was built between 1935 and 1937 for the Luftwaffe, the air force branch of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht. Zerbst was one of the first airfields in the world where jet fighters were used. Later, during the Cold War, the base was taken over by the Soviet Air Force, which flew MiG fighters from here. The Red Army left the airfield in 1992. Today, solar panels cover large parts.
In 1938, the airfield became the base of the II Gruppe des Jagdgeschwader 137. At that time, it operated three squadrons of Arado Ar-68E planes, which were soon replaced with Messerschmitt Bf-109D fighters. From 1942, the Germans used the site as a fighter pilot training school, called Jagdfliegerschule 2. In 1944, construction began to expand Zerbst into a major air base with concrete runways. In early 1945, it became one of the first airfields to operate jet-powered aircraft.
The town of Zerbst was heavily damaged during an air raid on April 16, 1945. The airfield was also hit hard.
U.S. and Soviet occupation
On April 28, 1945, the U.S. 83rd Division took over Zerbst. One day later, they met the advancing Red Army nearby. To avoid conflict, U.S. troops pulled back behind the Elbe River, and the Soviets took control of the airfield. They remained there until the end of the Cold War.
The Soviets repaired and expanded the base. In 1952, they extended the runway to 2.5 km. From 1951 to 1992, the 126th Fighter Aviation Division operated MiG jets here. In 1966, the Red Army built a missile storage site (Raketenlager). The Soviets added more aircraft shelters and a large hangar in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Solar Field
During 1992, the site was partly reused as a civilian airfield and is operated by a local aviation club since 1999. Most of the site is now covered with solar panels. The new owner added a biogas plant in 2014. Most original buildings are demolished.
I visited ‘Fliegerhorst der Luftwaffe Zerbst’ in 2012 and 2025. Follow this link for more abandoned Soviet bases.
