Apfeld, Volker Borkum - Festung im Meer

The interesting history of the sea fortress of Borkum from its beginnings in 1902 to the closure of the Bundeswehr base in 1996. At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe experienced the most intensive period of imperialism. In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II saw the future in Africa, Asia and the sea. To enforce these interests came the demand for a stronger German fleet. Due to increasing political tensions between Germany and England, the military fortification of the East Frisian coast was considered at the end of the 19th century. This led to Kaiser Wilhelm II declaring Borkum a sea fortress in 1902 and the military expansion of the island began. Volker Apfeld, archivist of the Borkum Heimatverein, has worked up Borkum's naval history in detail and published it for the first time in 2005 in the book "Borkum - Fortress in the Sea". Due to the high demand, the Hamburg publishing house "Rumeln Maritim" decided to publish the book in its 3rd edition.

The fortress of Borkum was to cover the naval base of Emden and provide flank protection for the warships leaving Emden and Wilhelmshaven. The idea was to prevent the enemy from using anchorages near the island or even to use the island as a bridgehead for a landing on the mainland. The British planned a landing on Borkum during the First World War. This was drawn up by Winston Churchill himself. After the defeat of the British in the Dardanelles in 1915, however, it was not carried out. During the Third Reich, the Borkum fortress was further expanded and about 5,000 soldiers were stationed on the island. Wernher von Braun launched two rockets there for the first time in 1934, and around 1944 the Molch small submarine was tested in the harbour. From 1959, the German Navy used the naval port. NATO carried out large-scale amphibious combat operations on Borkum's northern beach. Numerous remains of fortifications and bunkers are still hidden under the dunes of the island. Close observers will not fail to notice how much the Borkum fortress still characterises the island today. The closure of the Bundeswehr base on Borkum in 1996 led to severe losses for the local economy, which had profited from the soldiers for decades.