Bad Langensalza Airport
Encyclopedia
Bad Langensalza Airport is a general aviation
airport located in Germany
, about 4 km north-northwest of Bad Langensalza
(Thuringen); approximately 240 kilometers southwest of Berlin
.
The airfield is a short grass runway, used primarily for light aircraft and gliders. There is a small terminal and a hangar at the facility.
airfield, opened in 1938. It was used as a dive bomber/fighter bomber field, first with Henschel Hs 123
s, then beginning in 1939 with Junkers Ju 87
B "Stukas", Dornier Do 17
Z light bombers and Junkers Ju 88
A fighter-bombers being assigned to combat units, being used first in the Invasion of Poland
in 1939, then moved west prior to the Battle of France
in 1940.
As the war moved away, Langensalza became a reserve support airfield. Being used later in 1944 as a night interceptor fighter airfield as part of the Defense of the Reich
campaign, with NJG 2 operating Ju 88C/R aircraft against RAF night bomber attacks during March-April 1944.
American Army units moved into the area in early April 1945, seizing the airfield with little resistance. The IX Engineering Command 825th Engineering Aviation Battalion arrived on 8 April 1945 and designated Langensalza operational, designating the airfield as Advanced Landing Ground
"R-2". C-47 Skytrain
transports began flying into and out of Langensalza, carrying in supplies and equipment to support the combat units moving east, and evacuating casualties to rear areas on the return flights. Late in the war, on 22 and 24 April, Ninth Air Force
combat units, the P-38 Lightning
474th Fighter Group and P-61 Black Widow
422d Night Fighter Squadron moved in, and conducted operations until the end of combat on 7 May. The 474th Fighter Group remained at the airfield until 16 June 1945 when it moved out, ending military use of the airfield.
Abandoned for many years after the war ended due to its close proximity to the former East German border, the civil airfield was re-established after the German reunification
in 1990 and today is a well-equipped general aviation airport. Today, several small buildings provide a terminal and support services for the airport. The former Luftwaffe station remains to the northeast of the airfield, with some buildings in use for light industrial purposes.
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airport located in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, about 4 km north-northwest of Bad Langensalza
Bad Langensalza
Bad Langensalza is a city in the County of Unstrut-Hainich, Thuringia, Germany, with a population of c. 18,500 .-History:...
(Thuringen); approximately 240 kilometers southwest of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
The airfield is a short grass runway, used primarily for light aircraft and gliders. There is a small terminal and a hangar at the facility.
History
The airport has its origin as a late 1930s LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
airfield, opened in 1938. It was used as a dive bomber/fighter bomber field, first with Henschel Hs 123
Henschel Hs 123
The Henschel Hs 123 was a single-seat biplane dive bomber and close-support attack aircraft flown by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War and the early to mid-point of World War II...
s, then beginning in 1939 with Junkers Ju 87
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
B "Stukas", Dornier Do 17
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
Z light bombers and Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
A fighter-bombers being assigned to combat units, being used first in the Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in 1939, then moved west prior to the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in 1940.
As the war moved away, Langensalza became a reserve support airfield. Being used later in 1944 as a night interceptor fighter airfield as part of the Defense of the Reich
Defense of the Reich
The Defence of the Reich is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe over German occupied Europe and Germany itself during World War II. Its aim was to prevent the destruction of German military and civil industries by the Western Allies...
campaign, with NJG 2 operating Ju 88C/R aircraft against RAF night bomber attacks during March-April 1944.
American Army units moved into the area in early April 1945, seizing the airfield with little resistance. The IX Engineering Command 825th Engineering Aviation Battalion arrived on 8 April 1945 and designated Langensalza operational, designating the airfield as Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
"R-2". C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
transports began flying into and out of Langensalza, carrying in supplies and equipment to support the combat units moving east, and evacuating casualties to rear areas on the return flights. Late in the war, on 22 and 24 April, Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
combat units, the P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
474th Fighter Group and P-61 Black Widow
P-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
422d Night Fighter Squadron moved in, and conducted operations until the end of combat on 7 May. The 474th Fighter Group remained at the airfield until 16 June 1945 when it moved out, ending military use of the airfield.
Abandoned for many years after the war ended due to its close proximity to the former East German border, the civil airfield was re-established after the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990 and today is a well-equipped general aviation airport. Today, several small buildings provide a terminal and support services for the airport. The former Luftwaffe station remains to the northeast of the airfield, with some buildings in use for light industrial purposes.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground