Flak tower

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/flak-tower

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the construction?Massive, multi-story structures made of thick reinforced concrete
2. What were flak towers and why were they built?Flak towers were tall concrete blockhouses with heavy anti-aircraft guns. They were built by Nazi Germany during WWII to protect cities from bombers and to shelter civilians.
3. Where were the biggest flak towers located?The largest flak towers were in Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna. Each city had several towers because they were key industrial and political targets.

Flugabwehrkanone: The German term for anti-aircraft gun, from which the abbreviation 'Flak' is derived.
Reinforced concrete: Concrete that has steel bars embedded within it to increase its tensile strength and structural integrity.
Strategic bombing: An air campaign designed to destroy an enemy's ability to wage war by targeting industrial and logistical capabilities.
Luftwaffe: The unified German military air and air defense forces from 1935 until 1945.