RAF El Amiriya
Encyclopedia
RAF El Amiriya is a former Royal Air Force
military airfield in Egypt
, located approximately 16 km south-southwest of Alexandria
; 180 km northwest of Cairo
El Amiriya was a pre–World War II airfield, first used in 1917. During World War II
, the station was also referred to as Landing Grounds 85 - 99, 154 and 171-175. During World War II, it was used as a military airfield by the British Royal Air Force
and the United States Army Air Force during the North African Campaign
against Axis forces.
USAAF Ninth Air Force
units which used the airfield were:
After the war, the airfield appears to have been closed about 1946. Today, the area is abandoned with various concrete parts of the station still in evidence when viewed by aerial photography.
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...
military airfield in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, located approximately 16 km south-southwest of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
; 180 km northwest of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
El Amiriya was a pre–World War II airfield, first used in 1917. During 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...
, the station was also referred to as Landing Grounds 85 - 99, 154 and 171-175. During World War II, it was used as a military airfield by the British 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...
and the United States Army Air Force during the North African Campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
against Axis forces.
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....
units which used the airfield were:
- 324th Fighter Group324th Fighter GroupThe 324th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with XII Air Support Command, stationed at Fliegerhorst Stuttgart-Echterdingen , Germany. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
, December 1942-2 February 1943, P-40 Warhawk
After the war, the airfield appears to have been closed about 1946. Today, the area is abandoned with various concrete parts of the station still in evidence when viewed by aerial photography.