European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1950, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Rhine main fulfils dream of air Gateway to europe9 former dirigible and base handles passengers a month by Howard staff writer under civilian control for the first Lime in its Rhine Western Germany largest air is now More than justifying the intention of its founders to make it the Gateway to the civilian airlines of the world today Are flying More than passengers a month in and out of Rhine main far outstripping the Pas Senger volume in the former Peak year of two years before the outbreak of world War in Rhine main is still the most important terminus in Germany for Safe and for the military air transport which carries approximately passengers a it gained worldwide publicity As the Prin Cipal base during the Berlin air it was Only last May that Safe relinquished control of the civil aviation area of the Airport to the office of the High commission for which immediately turned Over actual operational responsibility to German authorities of Frankfurt and of through its civil aviation Divi retains responsibility for these purity of the Airport and for the teletype communications and the control Tower is manned by Safe in an Safe regains full control of the but every other civil activity on the North Side of the Field is now the responsibility of the German Verk ehrs Katien whose members Are the City of state of and the  an association of communities in the Wiesbaden Rudolf Lange is technical director for the while Hans Grau is commercial never before had the German civil authorities As much to say about Rhine main operations As they do from its very the Airport was under nazi military prewar civilian air traffic nourished in spite of this Rhine main had had tumultuous ups and Downs in the years since Ger Man aviation spotting Frank urls Central chose an Airport site on the Sandy stretch of Forest along the newly completed Frankfurt Darmstadt seven Miles South of downtown the first Trees were felled at a ceremony attended by top nazi of two and a half years july the terminal constructed at a Cost of was opened to the it became a favorite Complete with fish foun and an outdoor in 20 different air routes joined at regular service was established with the Belgium and Switzer and ticket agencies for airlines from All these countries were set up in the the German commercial Luft carried All mail and Pas sengers within and also foreign transoceanic of special interest in Rhine Mains pre War history was its importance As the Home port and experimental Center for German lighter Thanai Here were based the Graf Zeppelin and the ill fated the latter destroyed by explosion and fire at its terminal at in May when not in the dirigible were anchored in two huge the larger feet 160 feet wide and More than 180 feet was built at a Cost of Marks and five a highly specialized repair shop and a Hydrogen Plant serviced the expensive and unwieldy the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg made a total of 150 regular flights to South America and 10 roundtrip to prior to the the nazis used Rhine main As a dirigible hangars and ships were destroyed at the outbreak of during the Berlin air Ger mans below would bring their families to Rhine main and watch the continual Parade of visitors stroll on the Terrace near the loading ramps of the commercial terminal at Rhine main before the War the terminal was a boasting an outdoor fish Ponds and eight airlines now use the Rhine Mains open House on May brought 40000 visitors to see the Safe display of in the photo above rain fails to Dampen the curiosity of the visitors who wait to inspect the 71ton Paa Strat Cruiser Clipper North carrying More than it took them Days to go to Rio de and More than two Days to Fly to new shortly after the outbreak of world War the two giant hangars at Rhine main were blown up by the Luftwaffe and the remaining dirigible disassembled As of no use to the German War during the As a main Luftwaffe became a prime target for Allied except for its Tower the terminal building was completely bombed in the course of Many bombing and Barracks and Ware houses were and the Field be came littered with the burned wreckage of dozens of German fighter caught helpless when the nazi military machine literally ran out of after a single raid in March More than bomb holes were counted on the As the Allied land armies pressed the work of destruction was completed by demolition Rhine am was first occupied by a fighter Squadron in Early april shortly after be Day the 847th and 859th engr bus arrived and began the work of Clearing away the wrecked Luftwaffe planes and the rubble of the flattened terminal within a few the German built Landing used during the War for testing Jet was stretched into a Concrete today this is paralleled by a second runway and supplemented by new ramps and taxiways de signed to accommodate heavy modern built by in March reconstruction of the passenger terminal was it was finished in nine a radar station at a receiver station and a transmitter Sta Tion at Schwa Nheim were completed in record on the South Side of the 250 air Force Barracks and administration build Ings and in the last four years there has never been a slackening in the construction the first postwar commercial an american overseas airlines landed at Rhine main May the following commercial air lines have offices in the Rhine main terminal and regularly scheduled flights to and from Frankfurt pan Amer ican scandinavian airlines sys the belgian the dutch air and British european the no famous Berlin air ration launched and remained the primary Mission of the Safe for More than 15 Rhine main was the Foremost of five bases in Western Germany from which Coal and other necessities were flown to the German on maximum Effort april Rhine main contributed its full share to the Overall total of tons carried to lifting of the blockade May permitted a gradual and the last Airlift flight was this was flight number adding its 10 tons to the grand air lift total of tons delivered to with the end of the air Rhine main reverted to its primary Mission As a Safe Aerial training for the first c82 flying boxcars joined the familiar training missions now Are flown Over Western North and even part of As the european terminus for several daily transatlantic flights and As a Cosmo Politan Center for world air Rhine main today is making one of the most startling comebacks in International i the stars and stripes