| Original caption: “Deutsche Kampfflugzeuge werden gemäß dem Versailler Vertrag demontiert und verschrottet. (‘German fighter aircraft are dismantled and scrapped in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles.’)” Hundreds of Fokker D.VII, Albatros D.III/D.V, and LVG C-series aircraft of the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (“Imperial German Air Force”) await disassembly at Berlin-Johannisthal Aerodrome. The Armistice took effect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The conditions for the end of the war included 2,000 Luftstreitkräfte aircraft transferred to the Allies. But the Germans had 1,520 1st-line aircraft, with another 864 naval airplanes. The German delegation sought to retain 300 aircraft for internal security, but that was denied. Under Clause 4, 1,700 aircraft, including all of the Fokker D.VII fighters and all the night bombers, were to be surrendered. While many factories continued to produce aircraft after the Armistice, German Freikorps pilots were in action against Communists and the new Polish state. In the spring of 1919, they were in action against the Hungarian revolution. There was fierce opposition to the Versailles Treaty, but the economic conditions did not give Germany much leverage, and the terms were accepted. Generaloberst Johannes “Hans” von Seeckt (April 22, 1866 – December 27, 1936) managed the transition from the wartime Imperial Army to the Weimar Republic, and set the stage for the rise of the Luftwaffe and Blitzkrieg. Only a 180 officers joined the new Weimar Air Force; but 2,500 veterans joined Ring Deutsche Flieger (“Ring of German Aviators”); only 20 aviators joined the new Weimar Navy. The Versailles Treaty destroyed the German aviation industry. Famous names such as AEG, Aviatik, Euler, Fokker, Halberstadt, Hannover, LVG, Rumpler and Siemens Schuckert quit aviation by 1921. Existing aircraft were confiscated, and production was stopped. The Germans attempted to conceal aircraft, engines, spare parts, and the build machinery from the Inter-Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control (IAACC). By April 1, 1920, only 6,730 land planes, 262 seaplanes and 8,039 engines were destroyed. Thus, the IAACC delayed permitting civil aviation. German manufacturers finally broke on December 24, 1920, demanding that hidden equipment be delivered to the IAACC. By the end of 1921, 15,274 aircraft and 27,757 engines were destroyed. On November 3, 1921, United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF) Commodore Edward A. D. Masterman (April 15, 1880 – August 26, 1957) estimated that only 10 percent of the aircraft hidden post-war remained. He wrote, “The aerial disarmament of Germany may be regarded as virtually accomplished and whatever material may be still concealed cannot be regarded as constituting a menace to the Allies. It is of old design and must have greatly depreciated in value.” But it was February 9, 1922, before the IAACC allowed Germany to begin production again for civil aviation. By that time, many nations, including the United States and Japan, were interested in German warplanes. On Sunday, December 5, 1920, The New York Herald reproduced a series of photographs of how Berlin-Johannisthal was scrapping German military aircraft. Explosives were stacked and burned. Propellers were sawed into pieces and stacked for review by the IAACC. Struts were cut; fuselages smashed; the linen torn off wings; rudder and ailerons wrecked and engine mountings sawed off. Engine cylinders were cold-chiseled. The best of the aircraft were sent to France as war reparations. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0834.jpg |
| Image Size | 621.35 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2187 x 1401 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 21, 2021 |
| Location | |
| City | Berlin |
| State or Province | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database