World War II Database

1.  David Stubblebine says:
31 Jul 2016 12:26:39 AM

The two buildings clustered together at left were known as German Village and were constructed as exact replicas of German residential architecture. The structures at right were known as Japanese Village for similar reasons. Both were built to test the effectiveness of firebombing weapons.

2. Gatofeo says:
28 Mar 2022 07:27:40 AM

German Village -- World War II structure with brick walls designed to test incendiary devices.
In order to build a facility that was an authentic reproduction of German worker housing near war materiel plants, studies were conducted to determine which materials and furnishings available in the U.S. would closely match those used in Germany.
A group of German-American architects affiliated with the "Gropius group at Harvard," including prominent Jewish architects. Eric Mendelsohn and Konrad Wachsmann, were employed to design the facility.
Two major roof structures were constructed by craftsmen, aided by prisoners recruited from Utah jails. Six German units and 24 Japanese apartment buildings were completed in two months, at a total cost of more than a million dollars.
Costs ran so high because no expenses were spared to use the most authentic building materials found during the war. Wood for the attic was imported from Murmansk, Soviet Union.
At German Village, one roof duplicated Rhineland construction with slate on sheathing roofs (south side). The other roof, more typical of central and northern Germany, had tile on batten roofs (north side). After German Village was bombed for a test, it was quickly extinguished and rebuilt. The brick walls and interior solid masonry and high-quality plaster did not burn.
As of today (2022) German Village still stands.
Japanese Village only lasted a few tests because it was constructed of wood, paper, bamboo and almost entirely of highly flammable building materials.
An exacting replica of typical Japanese middle-class urban housing, built to test incendiary bombs and devices. Destroyed in testing near end of World War II (1945). Great pains were taken to use the same types of wood, paper, bamboo and other materials used in typical Japanese housing. Czech-American architect Antonin Raymond, who spent much time working in Japan prior to World War II, designed the test buildings and specified the types of materials typically used in Japan.