Field airfield free field
| Field airfield free field | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Characteristics | |||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 524 m (1719 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 5 km north of Mietingen | ||
| train | Yes | ||
| Basic data | |||
| opening | 1937 | ||
| operator | Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht) | ||
| Start-and runway | |||
| grass | |||
The airfield free field was from 1937 until March 29, 1945, an insert port II. Order of the Air Force of the Armed Forces on the district of Baltringen , a district of the church today Mietingen in Laupheim in the district of Biberach in Upper Swabia .
description
In 1936 the construction of the field airport on the edge of the Baltringer Ried began. The areas were leased by the local farmers and the municipality of Baltringen as early as 1934 by the Luftgaukommando , with the stipulation of the establishment of a so-called " Reichsgutshof ". The first take-offs and landings took place in 1937 after the construction of the airfield buildings that are still visible today, some of which were destroyed by bombing. Second order ports of action were dimensioned so that they could accommodate a full flying group with three squadrons . At the beginning of the Second World War there were 1,000 soldiers on the site of the field airfield, 500 of whom were housed in the barracks that had been built. The field was protected by 3./Flak-Abteilung 385. Before the start of the war on August 26, 1939, the field airfield was occupied by the 1st field operating company of Kampfgeschwader 51 .
Combat squadron and pilot school
In preparation for the French campaign , the following combat squadrons were partially deployed with their field operations companies in open fields.
- I./Kampfgeschwader 55 - May 10-15 , 1939
- III./Kampfgeschwader 27 - May 10, 1939 to May 19, 1940
- III./Kampfgeschwader 76 - from October 2, 1939 to? with the associated 4th field operations company
With the end of the French campaign on June 25, 1940, the field airfield was unused and only occasional take-offs and landings took place. From autumn 1941 the pilot school (FFS) A / B 23 from Kaufbeuren was stationed on the site and pilot training began.
- 1st Squadron Kampfgeschwader 106 - September 1944 to March 29, 1945
The first squadron of Kampfgeschwader 106 “hoisted” on the field until it was disbanded to retrain its pilots on the Bf 109 from Messerschmitt AG and the Ar 96B from Arado Flugzeugwerke .
Air battle on January 3, 1945
From July 1944, the place was the target of several Allied fighter bomber and fighter aircraft attacks . For example, on January 3, 1945, six American Mustangs P 51-D and three unarmed German Arados Ar 96B training units of the 3rd squadron of Jagdgeschwader 106 over the district of Gutenzell surprised . Two one-man Arados were shot down. The third Arado carried out a successful emergency landing maneuver. However, the two pilots of the Arado that had not landed were fatally injured by the weapons on board the Mustangs .50-Browning MG53-2 . A Mustang suffered engine damage due to self-fire and was forced to make an emergency landing on the outskirts of Gutenzell. The American officer was captured unharmed.
Usage today
After the war, the leased land was returned to its previous owners and used for agriculture.
literature
- Country descriptions of the Sigmaringen State Archive: The Biberach District Volume II . Ed .: Landesarchivdirektion Baden-Württemberg in connection with the district of Biberach. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Sigmaringen 1990, ISBN 3-7995-6186-2 , p. 380 ff .
- Karl-Heinz Völker: The German Air Force 1933–1939 - Development, management and armament of the Air Force as well as the development of the German air war theory. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1967 (= contributions to military and war history. Vol. 8).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ weltkriegsopfer.de: Memorial Cross in Gutenzell ( page can no longer be accessed , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on September 22, 2012
