The German Ministry of Defence recently disclosed the date of annual open doors event of the country´s armed forces – Tag der Bundeswehr. This year´s edition will take place on 8th June in ten different locations across Germany.
As usual, units participating in the event are spread all over the country, from Rostock on the Baltic Sea coast to Mittenwald close to the border with Austria. The list of 2024 locations includes two air force bases – Fliegerhorst Holzdorf (Sachsen-Anhalt/Brandenburg) and Fliegerhorst Faßberg (Lower Saxony).
It will be already the 10th edition of the most-known open doors event of the German armed forces. However, just the 7th held in its traditional format. In 2020 and 2021, the public event was cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions and Tag der Bundeswehr was executed in digital format and only broadcasted online. In 2022, due to outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the countrywide edition was replaced by just a single open doors event, held in Warendorf (North Rhine-Westphalia). Therefore, last year was the first time since 2019 when Tag der Bundeswehr returned to its initial format that can be remembered from the 2010s.
Last year´s edition opened doors of ten military bases, including two aviation-related locations: Internationale Hubschrauberausbildungszentrum (International Helicopter Training Centre) of the German Armed Forces in Bückeburg, as well as training and maintenance facilities at Fliegerhorst Kaufberuen. Nevertheless, some aviation displays were also performed in other locations.
In 2024, aviation enthusiast who would like to visit one of the German military airfields can choose between helicopter base in Holzdorf and the Army Aviation Corps grounds in Faßberg. Both locations are already known to general public from previous editions of Tag der Bundeswehr.
Holzdorf air base already hosted the German armed forces open doors day in 2018. More information about the location itself and aviation displays performed there can be found in our report from the event.
Faßberg was one of the locations available during the 2017 edition. That year, the event attracted approximately 30,000 visitors. However, it is expected the number would be much higher this year. It is enough to say that in 2023, more than 100,000 people visited the aviation show in Bückeburg.
The Luftwaffe officials already announced that a spotter day is expected to be held at Faßberg this year. Moreover, as the airfield is one of the locations related to ´Berlin airlift´, a commemoration of Allied air bridge to Berlin is planned for 7th June (our report from the 70th anniversary of Berlin airlift held at Schleswig air base can be found here).
In addition, this year´s edition of NATO Tiger Meet is planned to take place between 3rd and 13th June at Fliegerhorst Schleswig. Therefore, participation of the ´tiger aircraft´ in both static and dynamic displays at Faßberg is very likely.
