With the 20th anniversary of the dissolution of the NVA coming up in 2010, the idea arose to mark this event with a series of reports on the remaining traces of the East German Air Force. Even though this idea ultimately fell victim to the publisher PPV's strange treatment of its authors, the research at least took the author to two interesting places: while the visit to the Jänschwalde power station gave an insight into previously unknown aspects, the trip to the Federal Police Department Bad Düben brought back more and less pleasant memories – after all, this was the site of the Military Technical School "Harry Kuhn" of the East German Air Force, where the author was trained as an aircraft mechanic for engine and airframe in 1988/89 and where his involvement with the MiG-21 began.
At the former main gate, where the author stood many an hour of guard duty, a large sign today points to the new occupant.
Even a glance across the site shows ...
... that the buildings still in use have been extensively renovated.
This also applies to the former headquarters building, where the management of the police department is located today.
The author remembers the car park in front of the building mainly because morning exercises "without equipment" used to take place there, and the contact of the hands with the gravel surface at the command "Drop into the push-up position!" was always painful.
Today's accommodation is still spartan, but considerably more comfortable if only because of much lower occupancy (in the days of the school, four or five NCO trainees shared such a room).
The endlessly long corridors of the accommodation blocks must have remained vividly in the memory of every NCO trainee, after all they were regularly "clubbed", i.e. polished by hand.
Only a small part of the existing buildings is used by the Federal Police. The unused and unrenovated blocks ...
... are outside the fence and ...
... are managed by the town of Bad Düben.
Unfortunately the author could no longer remember his quarters, but it must have been one of these buildings.
The buildings managed by the town also include the former quarters of the warrant officer training, ...
... which in the meantime also housed a school.
The author still has vivid memories of the political education lectures in this lecture hall which, although no different in content from the usual programme, were considerably more entertaining thanks to rhetorically skilled teachers. In addition, ...
... the lectures were practically multimedia thanks to modern technology (of which only remnants remain today) – including scenes from American action films to show the dangerousness of the enemy.
In the vehicle halls, which already existed in the past, ...
... the Federal Police vehicles are parked today.
The buildings not used by the Federal Police ...
... are still largely in the condition of 1990: ...
... the classrooms have been cleared ...
... and there are signs of vandalism in the corridors, ...
... but the barred doors that once separated security areas are still there ...
... as are photos recalling the former use.
Memory fails with some buildings. If this was the former kitchen, then both good food and rather strenuous kitchen duties remain in memory.
Could this have been the place of the weekly mass showers in company strength?
The former club house, which with cinema and beer offered the only breaks from everyday training at the base, is unused today after having been a disco in the meantime.
The way from the barracks to the training airfield led along this road, and of course one did not drive but march – sometimes only "for educational reasons". This area is managed not by the Federal Police but by the Bundeswehr.
The former training airfield itself is one big ruin.
The large hangar that housed the training aircraft ...
... is today only an empty shell without doors, windows or other fittings.
This building probably housed the training armament zone (the area of the armament specialty). At any rate, the author cannot remember ever having seen the inside of it.
Little by little, nature is reclaiming the site.
The author thanks the Federal Police Department Bad Düben, the town of Bad Düben and the Army NCO School Delitzsch.
