Haguenau airfield

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Haguenau Airfield Aerodrome de Haguenau
Aérodrome de Haguenau, Morane-Saulnier MS.406, D-3801 suisse.jpg
Characteristics
ICAO code LFSH
Coordinates

48 ° 47 '42 "  N , 7 ° 48' 57"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 47 '42 "  N , 7 ° 48' 57"  E
Height above MSL 150 m (492  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center 3 km southeast of Haguenau
Street D 329 , 10 km to theA35
Basic data
opening 1916
operator Mairie de Haguenau
Runways
03R / 21L 954 m × 18 m asphalt
03L / 21R 970 m × 80 m grass



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The Aérodrome de Haguenau is the airfield of the French city ​​of Haguenau in Alsace . It is located about 25 km north of Strasbourg in the Grand Est region in the Bas-Rhin department . It is used for general aviation .

history

The airfield southeast of the then German Hagenau was built during the First World War as a training airfield for future fighter pilots and bomber crews of the German air force . Shortly before the end of the war, the square was first targeted by an Allied air raid on September 2, 1918.

After the war, the German military airfield in Hagenau became the civil French airfield of Haguenau, which, however, was also used by the Armée de l'air courier flights in connection with the nearby Fort 16 of the Maginot Line in the 1930s . There were no flying combat units stationed here.

During the Second World War , Haguenau became Hagenau again, although the airfield was initially hardly used for military purposes. Only in 1943 did the expansion for use by the Air Force begin . The first to use was from September 1943, the Group I of the Airborne Squadron 2 (LLG 2) with their He 111 -Schleppflugzeugen and Go 242 - gliders . The gliders stayed on the site until June 1944.

In the spring of 1944 the airfield became a night hunting base. In April 1944, Hagenau became a base of part of the II. Group of the Night Fighter Wing 5 (NJG 5) and in May the III. Group of the Nachtjagdgeschwader 6 (NJG 6), both of which were equipped with the Bf 110 . The airfield was increasingly attacked by Allied air raids by bombers and fighter-bombers of the Ninth and escort fighters of the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the German night fighters left Hagenau in June 1944. The last Luftwaffe unit was here in the first half of September 1944 ten days the 5th squadron of reconnaissance group 123 (5th (F) / 123) with a handful of Bf 109G .

The airfield was captured by the Allies in mid-December 1944 and, after a brief repair phase, was reopened by the USAAF as Airfield Y.39 shortly before Christmas 1944 . From then on, the airfield served as a logistics hub and came under fire from German ground troops at the turn of the year 1944/1945. From mid-January 1945 operations could continue. The only combat units stationed here were the 162nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in March / April 1945 and the 69th Reconnaissance Group of the Ninth Air Force with their North American F-6 from the beginning of April to the end of June 1945 . On July 17, 1945, Haguenau airfield was returned to the French authorities.

Due to the severe war damage to the city of Haguenau and its airfield has recently been orphaned. Ultimately, the damaged infrastructure was completely demolished and a new airfield was built slightly east of the previous location.

The airport can now be used for charter flights and a grass runway is used for air sports.

Remnants of the two earlier concrete runways and parking areas are still preserved west of today's airfield.

Web links