Aalborg Air Base

Last updated
Aalborg Air Base

Flyvestation Aalborg
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
Serves Aalborg
Location Aalborg, Denmark
Elevation  AMSL 3 m / 10 ft
Coordinates 57°05′34.04″N09°50′56.99″E / 57.0927889°N 9.8491639°E / 57.0927889; 9.8491639
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
08R/26L2,5498,363 Asphalt
08L/26R2,6548,707Asphalt
F-104 Starfighter at the entrance to Aalborg Air Base Danish air force R-771.jpg
F-104 Starfighter at the entrance to Aalborg Air Base
C130 Hercules transport aircraft based in Aalborg Royal Danish Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules (L-382) Lofting-1.jpg
C130 Hercules transport aircraft based in Aalborg

Aalborg Air Base (Danish : Flyvestation Aalborg) also Air Transport Wing Aalborg is a military air base for the Royal Danish Air Force ( IATA : AAL, ICAO : EKYT). It is located at Vadum, near Aalborg, Denmark. Aalborg Air Base shares its runway system as well as some services (Air Traffic Control etc.) with Aalborg Lufthavn.

Contents

Residing Royal Danish Air Force units are:

It is also the base for Denmark's elite Jægerkorpset special forces unit.

Until their decommissioning on 10 January 2006, Aalborg Air Base was also home to:

These two squadrons were reconnaissance and fighter squadrons equipped with Lockheed F-16MLU Fighting Falcon aircraft. [2] The aircraft from these squadrons were transferred to Skrydstrup Air Base instead.

History

Aalborg Air Base was established along with Aalborg Airport in 1938, serving the first Danish domestic flight between Aalborg and Copenhagen. The air base was established following pressure from the Aalborg Portland cement factory as local authorities were hesitant to invest in air traffic infrastructure.

When Germany invaded Denmark on 9 April 1940, the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) launched one of the first airborne operations in history, in which paratroopers captured the airport. Aalborg Lufthavn was considered a crucial element in the ferrying of troops and equipment from Germany to Norway as it acted as a refuelling base for Luftwaffe transport planes, especially Junkers Ju 52/3m, during the campaign.

A well known air battle took place over the airport on 13 August 1940, when a squadron of Royal Air Force Bristol Blenheim bombers attacked the German aircraft based there. All eleven attacking aircraft were shot down by either German anti-aircraft fire or Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft.

The Luftwaffe greatly expanded the airport - which they called Fliegerhorst Aalborg West - from 140 to 2750 hectares of land. [3]

On June 16, 1944, RAF de Havilland Mosquitoes attacked the airfield. One of the RAF pilots, New Zealand fighter ace Michael Herrick, was killed leading aircraft of No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron. His earlier service had included flying night fighters in the Battle of Britain and two operational tours flying Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks in the Pacific before returning to Britain to fly Mosquitoes against the Luftwaffe.

After the war, an internment camp for Baltic German refugees was set up at the location.

When the Royal Air Force arrived at the airport in 1945 most military and airport equipment had been destroyed. At this time the airport is by far the largest in Denmark. [4]

When the Royal Danish Air Force was created in 1950, it took over the Fliegerhorst.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Pathfinders were target-marking squadrons in RAF Bomber Command during World War II. They located and marked targets with flares, at which a main bomber force could aim, increasing the accuracy of their bombing. The Pathfinders were normally the first to receive new blind-bombing aids such as Gee, Oboe and the H2S radar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 27 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 100 Group RAF</span> Former Royal Air Force operations group

No. 100 Group was a special duties group within RAF Bomber Command. The group was formed on 11 November 1943 to consolidate the increasingly complex business of electronic warfare and countermeasures in one organisation. The group was responsible for the development, operational trial and use of electronic warfare and countermeasures equipment. It was based at RAF stations in East Anglia, chiefly Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 47 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 47 Squadron is an inactive squadron of the Royal Air Force. Previously based at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, it last operated the Lockheed Martin Hercules C4/C5 between 2013 and 2023. It previously flew the Lockheed Hercules C.1/C.3 between 1968 and 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aalborg Airport</span> Airport in Nørresundby

Aalborg Airport is a dual-use (civilian/military) airport located in Nørresundby, Aalborg Municipality, Denmark, which is 3.5 NM northwest of Aalborg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Braham (RAF officer)</span> British World War II flying ace

John Randall Daniel "Bob" Braham, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) night fighter pilot and fighter ace during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 21 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 21 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1979.

No 36 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Cramlington in 1916 and was disbanded for the last time in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron</span> Military unit

No. 307 (Polish) Squadron, also known as No. 307 Squadron was one of several Polish squadrons during the Second World War. It was formed as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940. It was the only Polish night fighter squadron in RAF service. No. 307 Squadron was named after the Polish city of Lwów, and was nicknamed "Eagle Owls".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 464 Squadron RAAF</span> Royal Australian Air Force squadron

No. 464 Squadron RAAF is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) unit responsible for public relations. It was originally formed in the United Kingdom during 1942 as a bomber unit. It comprised personnel from Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the Netherlands, the squadron served in the light bomber role, undertaking operations over France and the Low Countries, from bases in England. It also flew night fighter missions. Later, following the Allied invasion of France, the squadron moved to France where it was used to interdict German transports and infrastructure. It further engaged in several low-level precision raids against Gestapo targets in France and Denmark. The squadron was disbanded in September 1945, following the conclusion of the war. No. 464 Squadron was re-formed in January 2021 when the RAAF's public relations functions were transferred from No. 28 Squadron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Fairwood Common</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Swansea, Wales

Royal Air Force Fairwood Common, or more simply RAF Fairwood Common, is a former Royal Air Force Sector Station located on Fairwood Common, on the Gower Peninsula, to the west of Swansea. It is now the location of Swansea Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 264 Squadron RAF</span> Former flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 264 Squadron RAF, also known as No. 264 Squadron, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 105 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 105 Squadron was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force, active for three periods between 1917 and 1969. It was originally established during the First World War as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and disbanded after the war. Reactivated shortly before the Second World War, it was inactive again after the conflict. During its second existence it was a bomber unit and had the distinction to be the first to operate the de Havilland Mosquito light bomber. During the 1960s it was reactivated again for six years to provide transport support for the British Army in the Aden Protectorate and the Far East.

No. 608 Squadron was an Auxiliary Air Force squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It flew during its existence as a bomber, fighter and reconnaissance unit and was the only RAF squadron to be equipped with the unsuccessful Blackburn Botha torpedo bomber.

No. 248 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, active immediately after World War I, and again during World War II.

de Havilland Mosquito operational history History for British light bomber

The de Havilland Mosquito was a British light bomber that served in many roles during and after the Second World War. Mosquito-equipped squadrons performed medium bomber, reconnaissance, tactical strike, anti-submarine warfare and shipping attack and night fighter duties, both defensive and offensive. Mosquitos were widely used by the RAF Pathfinder Force, which marked targets for night-time strategic bombing. Despite an initially high loss rate due to low-level daylight attack operations, the Mosquito ended the war with the lowest losses of any of the aircraft types in RAF Bomber Command service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy – Ochey Air Base</span> Airport in Ochey, Meurthe-et-Moselle

Nancy-Ochey Air Base is a front-line French Air and Space Force base located approximately 11 km west-southwest of Neuves-Maisons in the Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle, France.

Sint-Truiden / Brustem Airfield is an airfield located in Brustem, 1.5 nautical miles southeast of Sint-Truiden (Limburg) and approximately 37 mi (60 km) east of Brussels. Formerly known as Sint-Truiden Air Base or Brustem Air Base, the aerodrome was deactivated as a Belgian Air Component base in 1996.

No. 114 Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Air Force. It was first formed in India during the First World War, serving as a light bomber squadron during the Second World War and as a transport squadron post-war. It was last disbanded in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Herrick</span> New Zealand flying ace

Michael James Herrick, was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He is credited with having shot down at least six enemy aircraft.

References

  1. "EKYT Aalborg Air Base" (PDF). Mil Aip Denmark. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. "Flyvevåbnet | lex.dk – Den Store Danske".
  3. "Airbase Aalborg History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
  4. "Aalborg Lufthavns historie | Aalborg Lufthavn". Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2014-03-17.