Merville-Calonne Airport
| Aéroport de Merville-Calonne | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Characteristics | |||
| ICAO code | LFQT | ||
| IATA code | HZB | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 19 m (62 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 2 km south of Merville | ||
| Street |
D 23C 17 km 
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| Basic data | |||
| opening | 1936 | ||
| operator | Chamber of Commerce et d'industrie du Grand Lille | ||
| Runways | |||
| 04/22 | 1840 m × 30 m asphalt | ||
| 04R / 22L | 1000 m × 80 m grass | ||
The Aéroport de Merville-Calonne is an airport in France . The airport is located in the region of Hauts-de-France in the department of Pas-de-Calais in the south Mervilles , some already in the field of neighboring communities Lestrem and Calonne-sur-la-Lys west and nearly 30 kilometers in a straight line from Lille / Rijsel . The airport is mainly used for general aviation . There are also flight schools and training centers for aviation professions.
history
The airport was created in 1936 as a military airfield for the French Air Force .
After the outbreak of World War II , he initially served in the British Royal Air Force (RAF).
In the final phase of the western campaign , it was occupied by the German Wehrmacht and used for the first time by the Air Force for a short time . In June 1940, both the Bf 109E equipped I. Group of Jagdgeschwader 3 (I./JG 3) under the command of Günther Lützow and the II. Group of Kampfgeschwaders 4 (II./KG 4 ) with their He 111P .
Subsequently, during the German occupation of France, Merville was immediately expanded for the Air Force. After a few months, in mid-November 1940 the site became the base of the II. Group of Kampfgeschwader 2 (II./KG 2), which flew combat missions over England here until the end of March 1941 . The 6th squadron temporarily moved to Oberpfaffenhofen between mid-January and March 1941, and in addition to the two remaining squadrons, the 1st group of the same squadron (I./KG 2) was here for three weeks in March.
In the second half of April 1941, the staff of Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 (S./SKG 210) was set up here with some Bf 110s , but they were moved eastwards in May. The SKG 210 supplementary squadron, equipped with Bf 109 and Bf 110, remained in Merville , which was stationed here until the end of January 1942, after it had been renamed the supplementary squadron of Destroyer Wing 1 (ZG 1) at the beginning of January .
In 1942 and 1943 only sporadic airborne units were stationed here. In October / November 1942 the Fw 190A of the II. Group of the Jagdgeschwader 2 (II./JG 2) were stationed here and the Me 410A of the V. Group of the Kampfgeschwader 2 (V./KG 2) from mid-June to the beginning of August 1943 .
After the liberation of the area by the Allies, Airfield B.53, the Allied code name at the time, was used again by the RAF. Then Airfield B.53 was upgraded by the United States Army to a transport air base in support of the First Allied Airborne Army and returned to France after the war.
During the early phase of the Cold War , the airfield was expanded into a NATO base. These included the 04/22 runway suitable for jets and aircraft parking areas distributed over the site. However, it subsequently only served as a reserve airfield.
In connection with France's withdrawal from its military structures in 1966, the previous military airfield was converted into a civilian use.
