Limburg Airfield
Encyclopedia
Limburg Airfield is an abandoned World War II
military airfield located in Germany
approximately 2 miles north-northwest of Limburg an der Lahn
(Hessen); approximately 275 miles southwest of Berlin
.
The airfield was built by the Luftwaffe
in 1944 to protect the Limburg railroad marshalling yards from aerial attack by Eighth Air Force
heavy bombers. It was captured in late March 1945 by American forces, one of the first airfields to be taken by the Americans east of the Rhine River. It was also the location of the first American wartime radio broadcast east of the Rhine. Once operational, Limburg was used as a reconnaissance airfield by Ninth Air Force
and later as a combat resupply and causality evacuation airfield until the end of the war.
G day interceptors to halp in the defense of the Limburg railroad yards, a critical transportation point in Western Germany. Several Luftwaffe FlaK units were stationed in the area as well as the airfield. Besides the interceptors, Fliegerhorst Limburg was used by Aufklärungsgruppe 12 (AG 12); a Junkers Ju 88
day reconnaissance unit and Nahaufklärungsgruppe 1 (NG 1), a night Ju 88 reconnaissance unit.
The United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force
attacked the marshalling yards on 25 March and 31 March 1945, heavily damaging the facility. The railroad yards were also attacked by Ninth Air Force
B-26 Marauder
medium bombers several times during March.
United States Army units began moving into the Limburg area in Late March 1945, and ground forces captured Limburg Airfield and its facilities about 26 March. IX Engineering Command 816th Engineer Aviation Battalion moved in to de-mine the facility and clear out wrecked German aircraft. On 30 March the airfield was declared operationally ready for aircraft and designated as Advanced Landing Ground
"Y-83 Limburg". On 2 April the National Broadcasting Company's commentator Lowell Thomas was flown to the airfield, making a news report from the captured airfield, one of the first operational USAAF airfields East of the Rhine.
Quickly, the Ninth Air Force 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group arrived at Limburg with a variety of reconnaissance aircraft, remaining for about a week until moving east into Central Germany. C-47 Skytrain transports then used the airfield until the end of the war on Combat resupply and casualty evaucation (S&E) flights. until the end of the war in May.
Limburg Airfield was closed and dismantled in June 1945. Since then, the airfield has been turned back into agricultural airfields, and little of no remains of its existence.
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...
military airfield 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...
approximately 2 miles north-northwest of Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
(Hessen); 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...
.
The airfield was built by 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....
in 1944 to protect the Limburg railroad marshalling yards from aerial attack by 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....
heavy bombers. It was captured in late March 1945 by American forces, one of the first airfields to be taken by the Americans east of the Rhine River. It was also the location of the first American wartime radio broadcast east of the Rhine. Once operational, Limburg was used as a reconnaissance airfield by 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....
and later as a combat resupply and causality evacuation airfield until the end of the war.
History
The airfield was laid out by the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1944 as a grass airfield, midway between Limburg and Dehrn, just to the east of the Rhine River in an agricultural area. Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3) moved in about 1 September with Messerschmitt Bf 109Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
G day interceptors to halp in the defense of the Limburg railroad yards, a critical transportation point in Western Germany. Several Luftwaffe FlaK units were stationed in the area as well as the airfield. Besides the interceptors, Fliegerhorst Limburg was used by Aufklärungsgruppe 12 (AG 12); a 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...
day reconnaissance unit and Nahaufklärungsgruppe 1 (NG 1), a night Ju 88 reconnaissance unit.
The United States Army Air Force 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....
attacked the marshalling yards on 25 March and 31 March 1945, heavily damaging the facility. The railroad yards were also attacked by 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 several times during March.
United States Army units began moving into the Limburg area in Late March 1945, and ground forces captured Limburg Airfield and its facilities about 26 March. IX Engineering Command 816th Engineer Aviation Battalion moved in to de-mine the facility and clear out wrecked German aircraft. On 30 March the airfield was declared operationally ready for aircraft and designated 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-83 Limburg". On 2 April the National Broadcasting Company's commentator Lowell Thomas was flown to the airfield, making a news report from the captured airfield, one of the first operational USAAF airfields East of the Rhine.
Quickly, the Ninth Air Force 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group arrived at Limburg with a variety of reconnaissance aircraft, remaining for about a week until moving east into Central Germany. C-47 Skytrain transports then used the airfield until the end of the war on Combat resupply and casualty evaucation (S&E) flights. until the end of the war in May.
Limburg Airfield was closed and dismantled in June 1945. Since then, the airfield has been turned back into agricultural airfields, and little of no remains of its existence.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground