Sint-Truiden Air Base
Encyclopedia
Sint-Truiden Air Base is a Belgian Air Component base, located south of Sint-Truiden
(Limburg), approximately 37 miles (59.5 km) east of Brussels
(Bruxelles).
The airfield was inactivated in 1996, however the Belgian military remains in control of the base with non-flying units.
Belgian Air Force military airfield. It was captured during the Battle of Belgium
by the invading German Wehrmacht
in May 1940.
, the facility was called "St. Trond" and became a major Luftwaffe
air base during the Battle of France
. Within a few days of its capture by German forces, the Luftwaffe moved in Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (SKG 77), a Junkers Ju 87
B Stuka dive bomber unit; Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26), a Messerschmitt Bf 110
heavy fighter (Zerstörer - German for "Destroyer") unit, and two Messerschmitt Bf 109
E fighter units Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3) and also JG 27.
All of these units took part in the Blitzkrieg
against French forces and the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of France in late May and June. All also moved forward to French bases by the end of June.
With the combat on the Continent ended, St. Trond became a Luftwaffe bomber base, with Kampfgeschwader 3 (KG 3) flying Dornier Do 17
light bombers from the airfield. KG 3 arrived at the end of June 1940 and took part in the Battle of Britain
during the summer, then later, switching to night bombing of English targets, remaining until March 1941.
Increasing numbers of night bombing raids on Germany by the Royal Air Force
in 1941 caused the Luftwaffe to start transitioning from a purely offensive force, to performing night air defense. Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1) arrived at St. Trond in May 1941, and until March 1944 flew first Messerschmitt Bf 110
s, then after March 1942, Radar-equipped Dornier Do 217
night interceptors against the RAF bombers. In August 1944, Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) began flying Focke-Wulf Fw 190
A day interceptors, remaining until September when the Luftwaffe was forcefully removed from the base by advancing Allied ground forces.
Sint-Truiden Air Base was a frequent target of USAAF Ninth Air Force
B-26 Marauder
medium bombers. The medium bombers would attack in coordinated raids, usually in the mid to late afternoon, with Eighth Air Force heavy bombers returning from attacking their targets in Germany
. The attack was timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the Luftwaffe interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers. Also, the P-47 Thunderbolt
s of Ninth Air Force would be dispatched to perform fighter sweeps over Saint Trond after the Marauder raids, then meet up with the heavy bombers and provide fighter escort back to England
. As the P-51 Mustang
groups of Eighth Air Force began accompanying the heavy bombers all the way to their German targets by mid-1944, it was routine for them to also attack Saint Trond on their return back to England with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield.
A-92 or "Saint Trond Airfield".
Although operationally usable, Saint Trond was a wrecked base from the numerous Allied air attacks since late 1942 and what was blown up by the Germans as they withdrew. The Americans made due with what could be repaired, with the 832nd Engineer Aviation Battalion moving in what equipment was necessary to conduct combat operations.
Under Allied control, the American Ninth Air Force
used the base for several units from 7 September 1944 until closing the base in July 1945. RAF units also operated from the base, known by the British as ALG "B-62". Known Ninth Air Force units assigned were:
After combat ended in May 1945, Saint Trond was used as a relief distribution base, with the Allies flying in food, clothing and other needs, and using the base to distribute these supplies in Belgium and other occupied areas in the region. The airfield was returned to Belgian control in September 1945.
From 1971 on, several training squadrons were based at Sint-Truiden. Initially, 7th Squadron and 9th Squadron
operated the CM170 Fouga Magister
, while 11th Squadron
operated the Lockheed T-33. With the arrival of the Dassault Alpha-Jet in 1980, 7th Squadron and 11th Squadron
started training their students on this aircraft. 33rd Squadron was created to continue operating the CM170 Fouga Magister
.
In 1996, the base was closed as an operational airfield, and all training squadrons moved to Beauvechain Air Base
.
Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, near the towns of Hasselt and Tongeren. The municipality includes the old communes of Aalst, Brustem, Duras, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden,...
(Limburg), approximately 37 miles (59.5 km) east of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(Bruxelles).
The airfield was inactivated in 1996, however the Belgian military remains in control of the base with non-flying units.
History
Sint-Truiden Air Base was a pre-World War IIWorld 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...
Belgian Air Force military airfield. It was captured during the Battle of Belgium
Battle of Belgium
The Battle of Belgium or Belgian Campaign formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive campaign by Germany during the Second World War...
by the invading German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
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:...
in May 1940.
German use during World War II
During the occupation of Belgium by Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the facility was called "St. Trond" and became a major 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....
air base during 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...
. Within a few days of its capture by German forces, the Luftwaffe moved in Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (SKG 77), a Junkers Ju 87
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
B Stuka dive bomber unit; Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26), a 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...
heavy fighter (Zerstörer - German for "Destroyer") unit, and two Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt 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...
E fighter units Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3) and also JG 27.
All of these units took part in the Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
against French forces and the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of France in late May and June. All also moved forward to French bases by the end of June.
With the combat on the Continent ended, St. Trond became a Luftwaffe bomber base, with Kampfgeschwader 3 (KG 3) flying 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...
light bombers from the airfield. KG 3 arrived at the end of June 1940 and took part in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
during the summer, then later, switching to night bombing of English targets, remaining until March 1941.
Increasing numbers of night bombing raids on Germany by 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...
in 1941 caused the Luftwaffe to start transitioning from a purely offensive force, to performing night air defense. Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1) arrived at St. Trond in May 1941, and until March 1944 flew first 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...
s, then after March 1942, Radar-equipped Dornier Do 217
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by German Luftwaffe during World War II as a more powerful version of the Dornier Do 17, known as the Fliegender Bleistift . Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber, its design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940...
night interceptors against the RAF bombers. In August 1944, Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) began flying 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, remaining until September when the Luftwaffe was forcefully removed from the base by advancing Allied ground forces.
Sint-Truiden Air Base was a frequent 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. The medium bombers would attack in coordinated raids, usually in the mid to late afternoon, with Eighth Air Force heavy bombers returning from attacking their targets 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...
. The attack was timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the Luftwaffe interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers. Also, the 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 of Ninth Air Force would be dispatched to perform fighter sweeps over Saint Trond after the Marauder raids, then meet up with the heavy bombers and provide fighter escort back to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. As 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...
groups of Eighth Air Force began accompanying the heavy bombers all the way to their German targets by mid-1944, it was routine for them to also attack Saint Trond on their return back to England with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield.
Allied use
The airfield was sized from the Germans by Allied ground forces on 15 September 1944. Once in American hands, combat engineers of the IX Engineer Command 834th Engineer Aviation Battalion repaired the damaged airfield and applied numerous patches to the two concrete runways and taxiways of the field. It was declared operationally ready for combat units on 18 September, only a few days after its capture from German forces, being 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...
A-92 or "Saint Trond Airfield".
Although operationally usable, Saint Trond was a wrecked base from the numerous Allied air attacks since late 1942 and what was blown up by the Germans as they withdrew. The Americans made due with what could be repaired, with the 832nd Engineer Aviation Battalion moving in what equipment was necessary to conduct combat operations.
Under Allied control, the American 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....
used the base for several units from 7 September 1944 until closing the base in July 1945. RAF units also operated from the base, known by the British as ALG "B-62". Known Ninth Air Force units assigned were:
- 48th Fighter Group, 30 September 1944-26 March 1945 (A-20)
- 404th Fighter Group404th Fighter GroupThe 404th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with III Fighter Command, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 9 November 1945....
, 4 October 1944-30 March 1945 (P-37) - 386th Bombardment Group, 9 April–27 July 1945 (B-26)
After combat ended in May 1945, Saint Trond was used as a relief distribution base, with the Allies flying in food, clothing and other needs, and using the base to distribute these supplies in Belgium and other occupied areas in the region. The airfield was returned to Belgian control in September 1945.
Postwar/current use
Sint-Truiden Air Base took many years to rebuild after the war, however in 1946, military operations resumed from the base. A new jet runway (06/24) was laid down and the support area was completely rebuilt, although the wartime runways were resurfaced and remained in use for non-jet aircraft.From 1971 on, several training squadrons were based at Sint-Truiden. Initially, 7th Squadron and 9th Squadron
9 Squadron (Belgian Air Force)
9 Squadron is a training squadron of the Belgian Air Component, constituting the Basic Flying Training School together with 5 Squadron.-The squadron's origins:...
operated the CM170 Fouga Magister
Fouga Magister
The Fouga Magister is a 1950s French two-seat jet trainer. The related CM.175 Zéphyr was a carrier-capable version for the French Navy....
, while 11th Squadron
11 Squadron (Belgian Air Force)
11 Squadron is a training squadron of the Belgian Air Component, deployed at Base Aérienne 120 at Cazaux in France, in the scope of the Advanced Jet Training School .-The squadron's origins:...
operated the Lockheed T-33. With the arrival of the Dassault Alpha-Jet in 1980, 7th Squadron and 11th Squadron
11 Squadron (Belgian Air Force)
11 Squadron is a training squadron of the Belgian Air Component, deployed at Base Aérienne 120 at Cazaux in France, in the scope of the Advanced Jet Training School .-The squadron's origins:...
started training their students on this aircraft. 33rd Squadron was created to continue operating the CM170 Fouga Magister
Fouga Magister
The Fouga Magister is a 1950s French two-seat jet trainer. The related CM.175 Zéphyr was a carrier-capable version for the French Navy....
.
In 1996, the base was closed as an operational airfield, and all training squadrons moved to Beauvechain Air Base
Beauvechain Air Base
Beauvechain Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield in Belgium, located south of Beauvechain ; east-southeast of Brussels...
.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground