Strassfeld Airfield
Encyclopedia
Strassfeld Airfield is an abandoned World War II
military airfield located in Germany
, about 5 miles east-northeast of Euskirchen
(Nordrhein-Westfalen); approximately 310 miles southwest of Berlin
.
area.
The Luftwaffe
did not use the airfield until March, 1940 when Aufklärungsgruppe 31 (AKG 31), a light reconnaissance unit flying Focke-Wulf Fw 189
As, a light, twin engine reconnaissance plane was assigned to the airfield. The FW 189s were used to patrol the Franco-German border area prior to the invasion of the west
on 10 May 1940. Shortly afterward, the unit was moved into Belgium
, and later France
to support the advancing German forces. The only other known use by the Luftwaffe of the airfield was in 1943, when 3 Fallschirm-Jäger-Division (Parachute Infantry Division) was assigned to the field. During the early 1940s, the airfield was improved, with Luftwaffe engineers laying down a 5000' concrete runway aligned 07/25.
American Army units moved into the Euskirchen area in early March 1945 as part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany and the airfield was attacked by Ninth Air Force
B-26 Marauder
medium bombers and P-47 Thunderbolt
fighter-bombers to deny the retreating German forces use of the facility. The airfield was taken about 5 March. Combat engineers from IX Engineer command moved in with the 820th Engineering Aviation Battalion arriving on 10 March 1945, to repair the filed for use by combat aircraft. Ongoing combat in the area and materiel shortages extended the repair time to about two weeks. The engineers laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking all-weather runway over the bomb-cratered concrete runway, and performed minimal repairs to the facility to make it operational. On 29 March, the airfield was declared ready for Allied use and was designated as Advanced Landing Ground
"Y-59 Strassfeld".
Once repaired, Ninth Air Force
fighter units moved in, the first being the 474th Fighter Group, flying P-38 Lightning
s from the field from late March until the end of the war, attacking German army units, bridges and other ground targets of opportunity throughout Germany. In addition to the Lightnings, P-61 Black Widow
night air defense interceptors were assigned to the field (414th, 422d Night Fighter Squadrons) briefly in April
With the end of the war, Strassfeld Airfield was closed on 10 July 1945.
After the Americans closed the airfield the facility was never reopened. Eventually all of the facilities were removed and the land turned over for agricultural use.
The only relic of the airfield today is the 5000' runway, largely intact, overgrown with a thick cover of vegetation.
Just northwest of the runway is a postwar antenna farm, probably used for ELINT by NATO, built on what probably was the site of the airfield's ground station. The antenna farm is fenced to restrict entry, with a concrete access road from the K 61 highway, which bisects the former airfield.
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...
, about 5 miles east-northeast of Euskirchen
Euskirchen
Euskirchen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating back over 700 years, having been granted town-status in 1302....
(Nordrhein-Westfalen); approximately 310 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
Strassfield was built prior to World War II as a grass airfield, probably a small airport serving the EuskirchenEuskirchen
Euskirchen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating back over 700 years, having been granted town-status in 1302....
area.
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....
did not use the airfield until March, 1940 when Aufklärungsgruppe 31 (AKG 31), a light reconnaissance unit flying Focke-Wulf Fw 189
Focke-Wulf Fw 189
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brown, Capt. Eric . Wings of the Luftwaffe. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1978. ISBN 0-385-13521-1....
As, a light, twin engine reconnaissance plane was assigned to the airfield. The FW 189s were used to patrol the Franco-German border area prior to the invasion of the west
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...
on 10 May 1940. Shortly afterward, the unit was moved into Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and later 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...
to support the advancing German forces. The only other known use by the Luftwaffe of the airfield was in 1943, when 3 Fallschirm-Jäger-Division (Parachute Infantry Division) was assigned to the field. During the early 1940s, the airfield was improved, with Luftwaffe engineers laying down a 5000' concrete runway aligned 07/25.
American Army units moved into the Euskirchen area in early March 1945 as part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany and the airfield was 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 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...
fighter-bombers to deny the retreating German forces use of the facility. The airfield was taken about 5 March. Combat engineers from IX Engineer command moved in with the 820th Engineering Aviation Battalion arriving on 10 March 1945, to repair the filed for use by combat aircraft. Ongoing combat in the area and materiel shortages extended the repair time to about two weeks. The engineers laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking all-weather runway over the bomb-cratered concrete runway, and performed minimal repairs to the facility to make it operational. On 29 March, the airfield was declared ready for Allied use and was 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-59 Strassfeld".
Once repaired, 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....
fighter units moved in, the first being the 474th Fighter Group, flying P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
s from the field from late March until the end of the war, attacking German army units, bridges and other ground targets of opportunity throughout Germany. In addition to the Lightnings, 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...
night air defense interceptors were assigned to the field (414th, 422d Night Fighter Squadrons) briefly in April
With the end of the war, Strassfeld Airfield was closed on 10 July 1945.
After the Americans closed the airfield the facility was never reopened. Eventually all of the facilities were removed and the land turned over for agricultural use.
The only relic of the airfield today is the 5000' runway, largely intact, overgrown with a thick cover of vegetation.
Just northwest of the runway is a postwar antenna farm, probably used for ELINT by NATO, built on what probably was the site of the airfield's ground station. The antenna farm is fenced to restrict entry, with a concrete access road from the K 61 highway, which bisects the former airfield.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground