Giessen Army Depot: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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The facility opened as a civilian airport in July 1925. The airfield, however dates to the spring of 1911 when it was first used by biplanes. In 1924 a sports flying event was held at the airfield. In July 1925, [[Lufthansa]] operated flights from the new airport to Frankfurt/Main and Kassel. The station building was opened in 1927. Hangars and other builddings began to appear from 1929. In 1933 a beacon was built just off the airfield to facilitate nighttime navigation. |
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After the establishment of the [[National Socialist]] government in 1933, and Fliegerhorst Giessen was militarised, and became home to a Combat Wing ([[Kampfgeschwader 55]] (KG-55) "Greif"). The airfield was enlarged and more hangars were built in 1938. Other buildings were marked as commercial warehouses on building plans, masking their use as munitions storage. |
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[[United States Army]] units moved into the Gießen area in April 1945, and designated the airfield as "Advanced Landing Ground Y-84". It was used briefly as a casualty evacuation and combat resupply airfield by the IX Air Service Command, [[Ninth Air Force]]. After the German Capitulation on 8 May, it was re-designated as "Army Air Forces Station Giessen". Army Air Forces units moved out in July, and the facility was taken over by United States Army units, which converted the facility to one of the largest depot facilities in Germany, with its own railway system and warehouses. During the 1950s [[Elvis Presley]] was assigned to Giessen. |
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The facility was closed by the United States in 2008. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 12:32, 2 May 2012
| Army Air Forces Station Giessen Advanced Landing Ground Y-84 Flughafen Gießen | |
|---|---|
  AAF Station Giessen AAF Station Giessen (Germany) | |
| Coordinates | 50°35′47″N 008°43′41″E / 50.59639°N 8.72806°E |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1927-1945 |
| Battles/wars | Western Front (World War II) |
Army Air Forces Station Giessen is a former military airfield, located 5.0 km east of Gardelegen in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
History
The facility opened as a civilian airport in July 1925. The airfield, however dates to the spring of 1911 when it was first used by biplanes. In 1924 a sports flying event was held at the airfield. In July 1925, Lufthansa operated flights from the new airport to Frankfurt/Main and Kassel. The station building was opened in 1927. Hangars and other builddings began to appear from 1929. In 1933 a beacon was built just off the airfield to facilitate nighttime navigation.
After the establishment of the National Socialist government in 1933, and Fliegerhorst Giessen was militarised, and became home to a Combat Wing (Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG-55) "Greif"). The airfield was enlarged and more hangars were built in 1938. Other buildings were marked as commercial warehouses on building plans, masking their use as munitions storage.
United States Army units moved into the Gießen area in April 1945, and designated the airfield as "Advanced Landing Ground Y-84". It was used briefly as a casualty evacuation and combat resupply airfield by the IX Air Service Command, Ninth Air Force. After the German Capitulation on 8 May, it was re-designated as "Army Air Forces Station Giessen". Army Air Forces units moved out in July, and the facility was taken over by United States Army units, which converted the facility to one of the largest depot facilities in Germany, with its own railway system and warehouses. During the 1950s Elvis Presley was assigned to Giessen.
The facility was closed by the United States in 2008.
References
- Y-84 Giessen
- 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.