User:RafGatow/RAF Schleswigland

Royal Air Force Station Schleswigland
IATA: WBG ICAO: ETNS
Summary
Airport type	Military (airport no longer in operation)
Owner	formerly: Ministry of Defence, now: Bundeswehr
Operator	formerly: Royal Air Force, now: Bundeswehr
Location	Jagel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Elevation AMSL	69 ft / 21 m

RAF Schleswigland ...

History

The airfield in Schleswig/Jagel was founded in 1916 and has been in military use since. During WWII, night fighters have been based here, including Messerschmidt Me262.

After the end of World War II British Air Force of Occupation took control of the field on 6 May 1945, which they called Airfield B.164 . In the Summer of 1945 Typhoon IB of the 121. Wing have been based there. In February 1948 RAF Schleswigland became active again as a training field for transport- and glider- aircraft from other stations. RAF Schleswigland was chosen as an operating base for the Berlin Airlift (RAF Codename Operation Plainfare) in the fall of 1948. On 1 November 1948 the first transport aircraft type Handley Page Hasting C.Mk 1 of No.47 Sqr. arrived, which started flights to Berlin on 11 November. No.53 Sqr. and No297 Sqr. followed laser during the airlift. Civilian companies started using RAF Schleswigland to airlift fuel to Berlin, since Schleswigland was well equiped which underground fuel lines dating from german use during the war. Lancashire Aircraft Corp. started flight on 24 November 1948 which specially converted Handley Page Halifax/Halton British American Air Services with Handley Page Halton starting 25 January 1949,Westminster Airways with Handley Page Halton starting 29 January 1949 and Scottish Airlines effective 19 February 1949 with Consolidated Liberator. On 6 Octobre 1949 the last airlift flight operated out of RAF Schleswigland, marking the end of Operation Plainfare. Durring the 50´s 50e the 2.TTF was based at RAF Schleswigland with DeHavilland Mosquito TT.35 used for target towing. The Royal Air Force closed RAF Schleswigland on 1 May 1958 and turned the field over to german administration.

Bibliography

• Provan, Davies,Machat, Berlin Airlift-The effort and the aircraft- (Paladwr Press, VA USA, 1998) ISBN 1-888962-05-4
• Pearcy, Berlin Airlift (Airlife, Shrewsbury, 1997) ISBN 1-85310-845-6
• Rodrigo, Berlin Airlift (Cassell, London, 1960)
• Lancashire Aircraft Corporation, Berlin Airlift (Walthamstow Press, Walthamstow , 1949)
• Allied Museum Berlin, "A Museum Landing" The Biography of the Hastings TG503 ( Allied Museum, Berlin, 2003)
• Hall, Handley Page Hastings -Warpaint Series No.62 (Warpaint Books, Bletchley)
• Bingham, Handley Page Hastings & Hermes (GMS Enterpises, Peterborough, 1998) ISBN 1-870384-63-6
• Senior, Handley Page Hastings (Verdun Publishing, Stamford, 2008) ISBN 978-1-905414-07-9

External links

• British Berlin Airlift Association
• Alliierten Museum (The Allied Museum) - museum of the history of western forces in Berlin and Germany from 1945 to 1994 (in German, English and French)
• RAF Schleswigland and RAF Gatow during the Berlin Airlift