Late April 1945 , towards the end of World War II in Europe , the airfield was occupied by the advancing Red Army . Following the division of Berlin into four sectors , Soviet forces relinquished part of the airfield and access roads , the so-called Seeburger Zipfel to the British after the Potsdam Conference in exchange for West-Staaken on 30 August 1945 . Earlier on 25 June 1945 , 284 Field Squadron , RAF Regiment , arrived at Gatow by land via Magdeburg . Their reception by Soviet troops was extremely hostile , the Soviets attempting to confine 284 Field Squadron behind barbed wire fences , as the Squadron was said to have arrived " too early " . This set the pattern for relations , with Soviet checkpoints being set up beside the airfield manned by fully armed and unfriendly troops . RAF Regiment officers occasionally surveyed Soviet positions by air from Avro Ansons , and the tour of duty of RAF Regiment detachments at Gatow was limited to six months , because of the constant activity occasioned by the Soviet presence and the Berlin Airlift
Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
RAF Gatow