Eschborn Air Base
The Eschborn Airfield was from its establishment in 1937 until the end of World War II and the ensuing occupation by US troops in 1945, an air base of the Air Force of the Armed Forces within the boundaries of the city of Eschborn , located north-west of Frankfurt . The site of the former air base has been used for the Main-Taunus Arboretum since the reforestation that began in 1981 .
history
Construction of the air base began in 1937 on an area that was previously used for agriculture. Five large hangars and the building for the air traffic control were laid out west of a circular grass area. Further farm and accommodation buildings were located here. The air base was initially occupied with cargo glider units equipped with the cargo glider type DFS 230 . It was not until August 1943 that regular fighter pilot associations came to Eschborn. The following table shows a list of selected active flying units (excluding school and supplementary units) of the Air Force that were stationed here between 1937 and 1945.
| From | To | unit | equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1942 | September 1942 | 4th DFS 230 relay | DFS 230 |
| April 1942 | September 1942 | 1. (DFS) /Lw.-Kdo. Don (1st glider squadron of the Don Air Force Command) | DFS 230 |
| August 1943 | September 1943 | II./JG 27 (II. Group of Jagdgeschwader 27) | Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 |
| March 1944 | May 1944 | I./JG 53 | Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 |
| May 1944 | June 1944 | Parts of I./JG 301 | Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 |
| September 1944 | September 1944 | II./JG 2 | Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 |
On March 29, 1945, US forces occupied the air base and began repairing it on March 30. Sand plates (pierced steel planking) were placed over the damaged concrete runway and the area was made usable by further repairs by the beginning of April. The official name for this "Advanced Landing Ground" (ALG) became "Y-74 Frankfurt / Eschborn".
The USAAF then stationed the 367th Fighter Group and the 371th Fighter Group with Republic P-47 Thunderbolt on the field from April 8, 1945 . Eschborn was also frequently used by Douglas DC-3 / C-47 transport aircraft. In July 1945 the airfield was handed over to the US Army.
Initially until 1947, the field was still in operation as an airfield for the US armed forces. There was now an Air Force Logistics Command that used the hangars for storage. From the mid-1950s onwards, Camp Eschborn was located here , where pioneer units of the US Army were located. The airfield was only used for light aircraft and helicopters of the US Army.
In 1992 the US armed forces finally withdrew from Eschborn.
In 1981 the state of Hesse acquired the freely accessible 76 hectares in order to plant them as replacement afforestation for the expansion of Frankfurt Airport . In the Arboretum Main-Taunus about 600 different growing tree and - shrub species .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Henry L. deZeng IV: Air Force Airfields 1935-1945 Germany (1937 Borders) , pp 164-165 , accessed on September 14, 2014.
- ↑ Maurer, Maurer: Air Force Combat Units of World War II . Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4 .
- ↑ Maurer, Maurer 1983.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 8 ′ 7.5 ″ N , 8 ° 32 ′ 58.1 ″ E