Braunshardt Airfield
Encyclopedia
Braunshardt Airfield is a former military airfield located in Germany
about 1 mile east-southeast of Groß-Gerau
(Hessen) into Worfelden
district; approximately 275 miles southwest of Berlin
.
, in a series of wheat fields. There are no records of any use by the Luftwaffe of the airfield. The IX Engineering Command 832d Engineering Aviation Brigade moved into the area on 27 March 1945 and enabled the strip to become a combat resupply and casualty evacuation field, designating it as Advanced Landing Ground
"Y-72". The 850th EAB then expanded the facility, adding an extensive set of dispersal pads and taxiways using Pierced Steel Planking and enabling it to be used as a combat airfield.
On 13 April the Twelfth Air Force 86th Fighter Group moved into the facility from Tantonville Airfield
in eastern France, with P-47 Thunderbolt
s. The P-61 Black Widow
equipped 415th Night Fighter Squadron
moved in on 17 April. Both of these units remained at the airfield until the end of the war, eventually moving out in September and October 1945 when many units were moved out of the Frankfurt area and into Bavaria
.
The airfield was closed on 30 October, and was eventually dismantled. Today, little or no evidence of the airfield remains in the agricultural area.
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 1 mile east-southeast of Groß-Gerau
Groß-Gerau
Groß-Gerau is the district seat of the Groß-Gerau district, lying in the southern Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region in Hesse, Germany, and serving as a hub for the surrounding area.-Location:...
(Hessen) into Worfelden
Büttelborn
Büttelborn is a community in Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Büttelborn lies on the edge of the northern Hessisches Ried, the northeastern section of the Rhine rift, and even today is still partly rural...
district; approximately 275 miles 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...
.
History
Braunshardt Airfield's origins begin as a 5500x150' concrete landing strip laid down 09/27 by the Luftwaffe, probably in late 1944 as an emergency landing airfield just to the south of WorfeldenBüttelborn
Büttelborn is a community in Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Büttelborn lies on the edge of the northern Hessisches Ried, the northeastern section of the Rhine rift, and even today is still partly rural...
, in a series of wheat fields. There are no records of any use by the Luftwaffe of the airfield. The IX Engineering Command 832d Engineering Aviation Brigade moved into the area on 27 March 1945 and enabled the strip to become a combat resupply and casualty evacuation field, designating it 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...
"Y-72". The 850th EAB then expanded the facility, adding an extensive set of dispersal pads and taxiways using Pierced Steel Planking and enabling it to be used as a combat airfield.
On 13 April the Twelfth Air Force 86th Fighter Group moved into the facility from Tantonville Airfield
Tantonville Airfield
Tantonville Airfield is an abandoned World War II United States Army Air Forces military airfield in France, which was located in the Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle approximately north of Mirecourt and south-southeast of Neuves-Maisons.-History:...
in eastern France, with P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s. The 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...
equipped 415th Night Fighter Squadron
415th Night Fighter Squadron
The 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 49th Fighter Wing stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico...
moved in on 17 April. Both of these units remained at the airfield until the end of the war, eventually moving out in September and October 1945 when many units were moved out of the Frankfurt area and into Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
.
The airfield was closed on 30 October, and was eventually dismantled. Today, little or no evidence of the airfield remains in the agricultural area.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground