Flugplatz Mainz-Finthen: Difference between revisions
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===Postwar/Cold War use=== |
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The airport was taken over by the French military in July 1945, and engineers moved in to clear the wartime wreckage and rebuild the facility. The wartime runways were removed and a new, 1,000-meter-long asphalt runway was laid down. In the spring of 1949, the French withdrew from the Rhineland ([[Rhineland-Palatinate]] after 30 August 1946) as part of the establishment of the [[Federal Republic of Germany]] (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, BRD) on 23 May 1949. |
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As part of their commitment to [[NATO]], United States Army forces returned to the Mainz area, and took over the airfield, which was renamed '''Finthen Army Airfield'''. As a result of the establishment of the [[United States Air Force]] in 1947, the Army could use the airfield for helicopters and light liaison and observation aircraft only. |
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After the war, took over the French army airfield and built the 1,000-meter-long asphalt runway. After their withdrawal, the Americans took over the airfield, which was henceforth known as Finthen Army Airfield |
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The U.S. Army stationed in the mid-70s, the 205th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) "Geronimo" with some 20 helicopters, which are mostly to CH-acting 47C Chinooks. By 1988 the unit was moved to Mannheim, and here by the 295th ASHC Cyclones replaced. |
The U.S. Army stationed in the mid-70s, the 205th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) "Geronimo" with some 20 helicopters, which are mostly to CH-acting 47C Chinooks. By 1988 the unit was moved to Mannheim, and here by the 295th ASHC Cyclones replaced. |
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Revision as of 19:52, 7 October 2009
Mainz Finthen Airport Flugplatz Mainz-Finthen | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mainz Finthen Airport, 2008 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Civil | ||||||||||
| Location | Mainz, Germany | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 525 ft / 160 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 49°58′08″N 008°08′47″E / 49.96889°N 8.14639°E | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Mainz Finthen Airport (German: Flugplatz Mainz-Finthen) (ICAO: EDFZ). is an airport in Germany, located about 3 miles southwest of Mainz (Rheinland-Pfalz); approximately 280 miles southwest of Berlin.
The airport serves the general aviation community, with no commercial airline service available. There are also a large number of sailplanes at the airfield. The airport operator is holding Finthen Mainz GmbH on behalf of the former operator of the Mainz Aviation Club.[1]
The airport was first opened in 1939 as a Luftwaffe military airfield (Fliegerhorst Ober-Olm). It was seized by the United States Army in 1945, and used by the United States as a NATO facility (Finthen Army Airfield) until the end of the Cold War. In 1992, the military airfield was returned to the Federal German government, which made it available to private operators as a civil airport.
Facilities
In addition to the airfield operations, Mainz Finthen offers instructional training for helicopters, ultralight aircraft and gyrocopters. Powered flight and gliding training are also offered. The airport has a modern refueling system offering AvGas, Jet-A1 and premium gasoline.[1]
There is a café and snack bar (opening times are not known). The viewing platform offers a view over the airport operations.[1]
History
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Luftwaffe use 1939-1945
Origionally named Fliegerhorst Ober-Olm, the airfield was built as a Luftwaffe military airfield, which opened in 1939. It was constructed by the Reich Labor Service from 1939 to 1942 as maintained by conscript laborers of the SS special camp Hinzert from 1942 until its capture by the United States Army in 1945.[1]
During the early part of World War II, the Luftwaffe stationed several combat units at Ober-Olm during April and May 1940 in preparation for the attack in the West, those being:[2]
- Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52), Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters.
- Jagdgeschwader 76 (JG 76), Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters.
- Kampfgeschwader 2 (KG 2), Dornier Do 17Z light bombers.
From Ober-Olm JG 52 and 76 were involved in the air fighting during the Battle of France, both units moving west along with the advancing German forces. (KG 2) (Battle Wing 2) fielded 36 Dornier Do 17s, with 22 aircraft serviceable. KG2 supported German Army Group A’s crossing of the Meuse. It supported Heinz Guderian’s Panzerkorps in the vicinity of Sedan during the battle of the 12-14 May. It also hit French Air Force airfields in Amiens, Reims, Champagne and Arras. It moved into France in early June.[3][4]
After the combat in France ended, Ober-Olm became a "Defense of the Reich" airfield, with numerous night figher units (NJG) moving in and out until the spring of 1945.[1]
Allied Army units moved into the Mainz area in mid-March 1945 as part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany and Ober-Olm 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.
American wartime use 1945
The airfield was taken by elements of the United States Army about 20 March. Combat engineers from IX Engineer command moved in with the 832d Engineering Aviation Battalion arriving on 25 March 1945, to repair the runway for use by combat aircraft. The engineers laid down a 5000' Square Mesh (SMT) all-weather runway over the existing east-west (07/25) bomb-cratered concrete runway, and laid out a second 4000' sod runway aligned 08/26. The engineers also performed minimal repairs to the facility to make it operational. On 27 March, the airfield was declared ready for Allied use and was designated as Advanced Landing Ground "Y-64 Ober Olm". [5]
Once repaired, the Ninth Air Force 10th Reconnaissance Group moved in, with photo-reconnaissance P-38 Lightning (F-4) and P-51 Mustang (F-5) aircraft to provide forward tactical reconnaissance to Army ground units moving west into central Germany. On 8 April, P-47 Thunderbolts of the 354th Fighter Group moved in and attacked German army units, bridges and other ground targets of opportunity throughout Germany.[6] In addition to the combat units, C-47 Skytrain transports used the grass runway for combat resupply and casualty evacuation (S&E) missions constantly, moving munitions and supplies up to the battlefield and evacuating wounded to rear areas.[7]
With the end of the war, Ober Olm Airfield was closed on 20 June 1945. The ground station was taken over by Army units as part of the occupation force. [7]United States Army forces moved out of Ober Olm in the late summer of 1945, as French forces moved into the Rhineland as part of their occupation zone of Germany.
Postwar/Cold War use
The airport was taken over by the French military in July 1945, and engineers moved in to clear the wartime wreckage and rebuild the facility. The wartime runways were removed and a new, 1,000-meter-long asphalt runway was laid down. In the spring of 1949, the French withdrew from the Rhineland (Rhineland-Palatinate after 30 August 1946) as part of the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, BRD) on 23 May 1949.
As part of their commitment to NATO, United States Army forces returned to the Mainz area, and took over the airfield, which was renamed Finthen Army Airfield. As a result of the establishment of the United States Air Force in 1947, the Army could use the airfield for helicopters and light liaison and observation aircraft only.
The U.S. Army stationed in the mid-70s, the 205th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) "Geronimo" with some 20 helicopters, which are mostly to CH-acting 47C Chinooks. By 1988 the unit was moved to Mannheim, and here by the 295th ASHC Cyclones replaced.
In connection with the reorganization of U.S. forces, the Finthen Army Airfield during the period from December 1991 until September 1992 and was decommissioned returned after the evacuation by the U.S. Army in November 1992 to the Federal Republic of Germany except for a radar station and a small training area.
On 16 und 17. and 17 November 1980 November 1980 celebrated by Pope John Paul II during his first major pastoral visit to Germany on the airfield with thousands of believers in the Holy Mass.
In the course of the war the United States against Libya 1986/87, the area was cordoned off because of the increased need for security fence and militarily.
Since the U.S. Army in 1992, the airfield and in 1994 gave up the location has been operated further to the local airport by aviation club Mainz, the operation on 1 August 2008 der neugegründeten Flugplatz Mainz-Finthen Betriebs GmbH übergab. August 2008 the newly formed Airport
In 2003, the American army, there is still a radar station and an urban warfare training ground, has extended the fence to the east of the area.
References
- ^ a b c d e Translated from German Wikipedia Article Flugplatz Mainz-Finthen
- ^ The Luftwaffe, 1933-45
- ^ Kampfgeschwader2
- ^ Jagdgeschwader 52
- ^ IX Engineering Command ETO Airfields General Construction Information
- ^ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- ^ a b Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
External links
- Airport information for EDFZ at Great Circle Mapper.
- Template:WAD
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