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Military government weekly information bulletin
Number 85 (March 1947)
General, pp. 22-23
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Page 22
Germany's potential for waging aggres- sive aerial war has been largely removed by quadripartite action, according to a state- ment issued recently by the Armed Forces Division, OMGUS. Principal efforts now are directed at forging controls which will pre- vent a future German Blitzkrieg and at the same time allow the defeated nation to become a link in the world's peacetime air- lines. Elimination of Germany's air war potential has become a basic responsibility of the Com- bined Services Directorate of the Allied Control Authority. Other directorates have been consulted in connection with destruc. tion or disposal of aircraft, airfields, and air weapons. I The statement added that this disarma- ment phase is now essentially complete: All of the more than 4,000 German aircraft and 30,000 enginees captured in the US Zone have been destroyed, surplus airfields re- turned to agriculture, and special equipment destroyed or converted to peacetime use. Nevertheless, certain basic controls over Germany's air potential must continue in- definitely. For example, the Air Forces Branch, working with British, Russian, and French air branches, helps keep check on certain of the more military ex-members of the outlawed German Air Force. The four powers seek especially to avoid militaristic infiltration into such organizations as schools and athletic clubs. One result of quadripartite cooperation in regulation of civil aviation has been sub- stantial promotion of air safety within Ger- many. A Committee on Flying Safety for the Greater Berlin area has adopted uniform rc gulations, established airdrome traffic zoi es and air traffic rules. TJiiform applications of flight rules and control is ensured by the Berlin Air Safety Center, located in the Allied Control control center for the area. Navigation facilities are coordinated and are being improved. Recently, for example, a radio range has been placed in operation at Belzig, in the Soviet Zone, to increase navi- gational accuracy on the Berlin-Frankfurt corridor. Requisitioned Housing The 47-room 'Hohenbuchau castle near Wiesbaden, recently used as a Red Cross recreation center, has been turned over to the German administration for use as a head- quarters and official hotel for the state legislature of Hesse. In line with a policy of maximum re- trenchment in the number of housing units requisitioned for military use, a total of 88 properties in the Wiesbaden area have been released to the German economy since 1 Oc- tober. These include 60 residences, one hotel, six cafes and restaurants, three motor pool areas, and one riding academy in Wiesbaden, as well as additional properties in four other towns in the area. Border Police Supervision Operational supervision of US Zone Ger- man border police passed from the US Con- stabulary to the US Office of Military Gov- ernment on 15 March, with a consequent transfer of responsibility for US Zone border control, according to a USFET announce- ment. Constabulary troops will continue to man border crossing points used by persons over whom German police have no power of arrest, and will retain responsibility for US Zone military security including areas ad- jacent to zone borders. When necessary to accomplish this mission, the Constabulary will support German border police and con- tinue to conduct border examinations, 22
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