Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule
Encyclopedia
The Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule (DVS), German Air Transport School, was a covert military-training organization
operating as a flying school
in Germany
. It began during the Weimar Republic
in Staaken
, Berlin
in 1925 and its head office was transferred in 1929 to Broitzem airfield near Braunschweig
.
The DVS was outwardly a flying school for commercial pilots, but in fact became a secret military arm training military aviators for the future Luftwaffe
.
This training facility grew in importance in the initial stages of the Nazi Regime
camouflaging
as harmless civilian organization (Tarnorganisation), at the time of Germany's rearmament in violation of the Versailles Treaty.
On May 31, 1945, after Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II
, the American Military Government
issued a special law outlawing the Nazi party and all of its branches. Known as "Law number five", this Denazification
decree disbanded the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegschule and its facilities were taken over by the occupying forces.
Nowadays there are some flying schools in Germany operating under the same name in different locations in the country. All these were reestablished in the postwar years.
Covert operation
A covert operation is a military, intelligence or law enforcement operation that is carried clandestinely and, often, outside of official channels. Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation...
operating as a flying school
Flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It began during the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
in Staaken
Staaken
Staaken is a locality at the western rim of Berlin within the borough of Spandau. In the west it shares border with the Brandenburg municipalities of Falkensee and Dallgow-Döberitz in the Havelland district. Buildings range from small detached houses in the west to larger 1960s and 1970s housing...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1925 and its head office was transferred in 1929 to Broitzem airfield near Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
.
The DVS was outwardly a flying school for commercial pilots, but in fact became a secret military arm training military aviators for the future Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
.
This training facility grew in importance in the initial stages of the Nazi Regime
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
camouflaging
Deception
Deception, beguilement, deceit, bluff, mystification, bad faith, and subterfuge are acts to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth . Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda, and sleight of hand. It can employ distraction, camouflage or concealment...
as harmless civilian organization (Tarnorganisation), at the time of Germany's rearmament in violation of the Versailles Treaty.
On May 31, 1945, after Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II
Aftermath of World War II
After World War II a new era of tensions emerged based on opposing ideologies, mutual distrust between nations, and a nuclear arms race. This emerged into an environment dominated by a international balance of power that had changed significantly from the status quo before the war...
, the American Military Government
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
issued a special law outlawing the Nazi party and all of its branches. Known as "Law number five", this Denazification
Denazification
Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering...
decree disbanded the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegschule and its facilities were taken over by the occupying forces.
Nowadays there are some flying schools in Germany operating under the same name in different locations in the country. All these were reestablished in the postwar years.
See also
- Deutscher LuftsportverbandGerman Air Sports AssociationThe German Air Sports Association was an organisation set up by the Nazi Party in March 1933 to establish a uniform basis for the training of military pilots...
- 1933-37 - German re-armamentGerman re-armamentThe German re-armament was a massive effort led by the NSDAP in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.During its struggle for power the National Socialist party promised to recover Germany's lost national pride...
- NSFKNational Socialist Flyers CorpsThe National Socialist Flyers Corps was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that was founded in 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association, during the years when a German Air Force was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles...
- 1937-45