Haguenau Airport
Encyclopedia
Haguenau Airport is an airport
in France
, located about 2 miles southeast of Haguenau
(Département du Bas-Rhin,Alsace); 15 miles north of Strasburg
and 250 miles east of Paris
.
The airport supports general aviation
, with no commercial airline service available. It is primarily a business and jet charter airport.
fighter and bomber pilots. This made it a military target, and it suffered its first bombardment on 2 September 1918. In the run up to World War II
it was in use as a civil airport. It was also used in the 1930s by the French Air Force
as a liaison and courier airfield, due to its proximity to Fort 16 (S.F. de Haguenau) of the Maginot Line
, but it did not at this time have any combat units assigned to it.
during the 1940 Battle of France
, being renamed "Hagenau". The Luftwaffe
, however, did not use the airport for several years. In 1943, a construction program was begun to improve the facilities, laying down two 1000m concrete runways (07/25 and 03/21) along with a support area, hangars, and various maintenance shops. Finally in September 1943, Luftlandegeschwader 2 (Airborne Squadron 2) (LLG 2) moved in with Heinkel He 111
medium bombers, being used as tow planes for Gotha Go 242
transport gliders. The glider units remained until June 1944.
In the spring of 1944, as a result of the Luftwaffe going on a defensive footing as part of the "Defense of the Reich
" campaign, Nachtjagdgeschwader 5 (NJG 5) in April and Nachtjagdgeschwader 6 (NJG 6) in May moved to Hagenau, equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 110
night interceptor fighters equipped with RADAR to attack the Royal Air Force
heavy bomber fleets attacking targets in Germany. In October, the night fighters moved out and were replaced by Focke-Wulf Fw 190
A day interceptors by Jagdgeschwader 6 (JG 6) to attack Eighth Air Force
B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
s.
Haguenau became a major target of USAAF Ninth Air Force
B-26 Marauder
medium bombers and P-47 Thunderbolt
s mostly with 500-pound General-Purpose bombs; unguided rockets and .50 caliber machine gun sweeps to attack the German interceptors on the ground. The attacks were timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers. Also the P-51 Mustang
fighter-escort groups of Eighth Air Force
would drop down on their return back to England and attack the base with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield.
"Y-39 Haguenau". The airfield was immediately put to use as a Resupply and Casualty evacuation (S&E) airfield to support the combat units in the area and move combat wounded back to hospitals in the rear area. The airfield was briefly evacuated due to heavy fighting in the area and it being shelled by German artillery during late December and early January, however it was secured and put back into operation by mid January.
In early April 1945, the only operational combat unit used Haguenau, that being the Ninth Air Force
69th Reconnaissance Group
, which provided Third Army with aerial photography over forward areas in Germany with a variety of reconnaissance aircraft. The unit remained until the end of the war, pulling out on 30 June 1945.
With the end of the war, Haguenau Airport was returned to French control on 17 July 1945.
Today, Haguenau Airport is a modern, well-equipped civil airport used primarily for charter flights. A grass airfield supports light general aviation
and gliders, and has a small restaurant.
The wartime facility is evident to the west of the airport, with an industrial estate being built over a large area of the former airfield. The outlines of both concrete runways are evident over the grassy area of the facility, with one large concrete section of the former 25 end of the northeast/southwest runway remaining. Three large patched bomb craters can be seen on the relic, as well as numerous bomb craters on the grass area to the west of the current airport.
What appear to be concrete pads of large aircraft hangars are visible in a wooded area, along with the remains of a large aircraft parking area to the west of the airfield; the concrete deteriorating and the expansion joints filled with grass as they separate the various concrete pads.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, located about 2 miles southeast of Haguenau
Haguenau
-Economy:The town has a well balanced economy. Centuries of troubled history in the buffer lands between France and Germany have bequeathed to Haguenau a rich historical and cultural heritage which supports a lively tourist trade. There is also a thriving light manufacturing sector centred on the...
(Département du Bas-Rhin,Alsace); 15 miles north of Strasburg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and 250 miles east of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The airport supports general aviation
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...
, with no commercial airline service available. It is primarily a business and jet charter airport.
History
Haguenau Airport was built in 1916 by the German military to train World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fighter and bomber pilots. This made it a military target, and it suffered its first bombardment on 2 September 1918. In the run up to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was in use as a civil airport. It was also used in the 1930s by the French Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
as a liaison and courier airfield, due to its proximity to Fort 16 (S.F. de Haguenau) of the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
, but it did not at this time have any combat units assigned to it.
German use during World War II
The airport was seized by the German WehrmachtWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
during the 1940 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...
, being renamed "Hagenau". The Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
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....
, however, did not use the airport for several years. In 1943, a construction program was begun to improve the facilities, laying down two 1000m concrete runways (07/25 and 03/21) along with a support area, hangars, and various maintenance shops. Finally in September 1943, Luftlandegeschwader 2 (Airborne Squadron 2) (LLG 2) moved in with Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
medium bombers, being used as tow planes for Gotha Go 242
Gotha Go 242
-External Links:* FLIGHT, 12th February 1942, p. 130, early intelligence photo of Go 242, bottom of page....
transport gliders. The glider units remained until June 1944.
In the spring of 1944, as a result of the Luftwaffe going on a defensive footing 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, Nachtjagdgeschwader 5 (NJG 5) in April and Nachtjagdgeschwader 6 (NJG 6) in May moved to Hagenau, equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
night interceptor fighters equipped with RADAR to attack the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
heavy bomber fleets attacking targets in Germany. In October, the night fighters moved out and were replaced by Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
A day interceptors by Jagdgeschwader 6 (JG 6) to attack Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s.
Haguenau became a major target of USAAF 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....
B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
medium bombers and 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 mostly with 500-pound General-Purpose bombs; unguided rockets and .50 caliber machine gun sweeps to attack the German interceptors on the ground. The attacks were timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers. Also the P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
fighter-escort groups of Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
would drop down on their return back to England and attack the base with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield.
American use
The Haguenau area was the scene of heavy fighting between Allied ground forces and the Wehrmacht in late 1944 and early 1945. The airport was liberated in mid-December 1944. Once cleared of enemy forces, the USAAF IX Engineering Command 826th Engineer Aviation Battalion began clearing the airport of mines and destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft, and repairing operational facilities for use by American aircraft. By 20 December the airfield was declared ready for Allied use and was designated as Advanced Landing GroundAdvanced 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-39 Haguenau". The airfield was immediately put to use as a Resupply and Casualty evacuation (S&E) airfield to support the combat units in the area and move combat wounded back to hospitals in the rear area. The airfield was briefly evacuated due to heavy fighting in the area and it being shelled by German artillery during late December and early January, however it was secured and put back into operation by mid January.
In early April 1945, the only operational combat unit used Haguenau, that being the 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....
69th Reconnaissance Group
69th Reconnaissance Group
The 69th Reconnaissance Group is an active United States Air Force unit. Its a unit which is part of Air Combat Command stationed at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota...
, which provided Third Army with aerial photography over forward areas in Germany with a variety of reconnaissance aircraft. The unit remained until the end of the war, pulling out on 30 June 1945.
With the end of the war, Haguenau Airport was returned to French control on 17 July 1945.
Postwar/Civil use
The city of Haguenau was seriously damaged by the World War II battles in the city and around the area. The airport, being no exception, was largely in ruins. After many years of being abandoned while other, more pressing reconstruction took place, the entire facility was torn down as simply being unrepairable. A completely new airport was laid out and built over the ruins of the old airfield, slightly to the east of the former facility.Today, Haguenau Airport is a modern, well-equipped civil airport used primarily for charter flights. A grass airfield supports light general aviation
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...
and gliders, and has a small restaurant.
The wartime facility is evident to the west of the airport, with an industrial estate being built over a large area of the former airfield. The outlines of both concrete runways are evident over the grassy area of the facility, with one large concrete section of the former 25 end of the northeast/southwest runway remaining. Three large patched bomb craters can be seen on the relic, as well as numerous bomb craters on the grass area to the west of the current airport.
What appear to be concrete pads of large aircraft hangars are visible in a wooded area, along with the remains of a large aircraft parking area to the west of the airfield; the concrete deteriorating and the expansion joints filled with grass as they separate the various concrete pads.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground