RAF Krendi

Last updated
RAF Krendi
Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Malta
Near Qrendi
Malta location map.svg
Red pog.svg
RAF Krendi
Shown within Malta
Coordinates 35°50′5.5″N014°26′5.96″E / 35.834861°N 14.4349889°E / 35.834861; 14.4349889 Coordinates: 35°50′5.5″N014°26′5.96″E / 35.834861°N 14.4349889°E / 35.834861; 14.4349889
TypeDiversion airfield then storage base
Site information
OwnerNow Government of Malta
ConditionExtensively developed as mixed use developments one runway now a road
Site history
Built1940 (1940)
In use1943–1945 (1945)
249 Squadron Supermarine Spitfires on Malta. Spitfires 249 Sqn at RAF Ta Kali 1942.jpg
249 Squadron Supermarine Spitfires on Malta.
Squadron Leader Billy Drake, from June until November 1943 he led the Krendi fighter Wing in Malta, with whom he scored the last of his 20 confirmed victories Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943 CM2919.jpg
Squadron Leader Billy Drake, from June until November 1943 he led the Krendi fighter Wing in Malta, with whom he scored the last of his 20 confirmed victories
Squadron Leader J J Lynch, Commanding Officer of No. 249 Squadron RAF, sits in the cockpit of his Supermarine Spitfire Mark Vc at RAF Krendi, as an airman chalks "Malta's 1,000th" below his victory tally. Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1939-1945. CM5096.jpg
Squadron Leader J J Lynch, Commanding Officer of No. 249 Squadron RAF, sits in the cockpit of his Supermarine Spitfire Mark Vc at RAF Krendi, as an airman chalks "Malta's 1,000th" below his victory tally.

Royal Air Force Krendi, also known as RAF Qrendi, was a Royal Air Force base located on the island of Malta, [1] near the town of Qrendi. The station was officially inaugurated in 1941 as a diversion airstrip for the main operating bases such as nearby RAF Luqa. Other diversion airstrips similar in function to Krendi were located at RAF Safi and on Malta's second island of Gozo. Later, in November 1942, the British began basing fighter squadrons at Krendi. These remained until late 1943. After the war, the airfield was used as a tracking station and vehicle park, before falling into disuse.

Contents

History

Second World War

RAF Krendi was constructed at a time when Malta was under intense aerial bombardment and Malta's Air Command needed to have alternative diversion airstrips on Malta, as the RAF's main operating bases were being bombed. [2] During construction the airfield at Krendi was used as a decoy for other main bases on Malta, switching on runway lighting as enemy bombers approached. [3]

The station opened on 10 November 1942 and received its first squadron of Spitfires a few months later. [4] [5]

The base was officially inaugurated by AOC Malta Sir Keith Park in 1941; it would remain operational throughout the war in the Mediterranean. [6]

In February 1942, RAF Krendi appears to be acting as a decoy site for RAF Luqa. [3] Although a shortage of materials, labour and transport delayed its development, in December 1942 one runway at Krendi came into use, and after this progress became more rapid. [7]

Weblog entries from RAF veterans based at RAF Krendi quote the following RAF fighter squadrons as being based at the airfield: [8]

No more Spifires or other RAF fighters were based at RAF Krendi after Autumn 1943. [5]

Post war

After the war, Krendi was one of a number of military facilities retained on Malta by the British due to the island's strategic location. [10] Reduced in terms of operational functionality, in 1953 it would become a vehicle storage area for British Army units. [5] The base would also remain a weather radiosonde tracking station in the 1960s. [4] The RAF left in 1979 following a decision not to renew the lease on RAF Luqa. [6]

Current use

Whilst RAF Krendi's concrete runways have long gone, the outline of the airfield is obvious from the air. [5] [11] [12]

The runway is commonly used by vehicles heading towards Wied-iz-Zurrieq (Blue Grotto).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 1435 Flight RAF</span> Military unit

No. 1435 Flight is a Typhoon FGR. 4 unit of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Mount Pleasant, providing air defence for the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Permanently based in the islands, the aircrew and groundcrew from the UK are cycled through No. 1435 Flight, providing a 365-day, 24-hour alert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 74 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 74 Squadron, also known as "Tiger Squadron" from its tiger-head motif, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated fighter aircraft from 1917 to the 1990s, and then trainers until its disbandment in 2000. It was the Royal Air Force's member of the NATO Tiger Association from 1961 until the squadron's disbandment, it has since been replaced by No. 230 Squadron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 332 Squadron RAF</span> Military unit

Number 332 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed at RAF Catterick in the North Riding of Yorkshire on 16 January 1942, as a Supermarine Spitfire-equipped fighter squadron manned by Norwegians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Luqa</span> British Air Force station in Malta

Royal Air Force Luqa was a Royal Air Force station located on the island of Malta, now developed into the Malta International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 56 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 56 Squadron, nicknamed the Firebirds for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both the First and Second World Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 331 Squadron RAF</span> Squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 331 Squadron RAF was a Second World War squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was primarily manned with Norwegian aircrew. The squadron was part of Fighter Command between 1941 and March 1944 when it joined the 2nd Tactical Air Force until the end of the war. The squadron took part in the Dieppe Raid and the Normandy landings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 92 Squadron RAF</span> Royal Air Force unit from WW1 to the present day.

Number 92 Squadron, also known as No. 92 Squadron and currently as No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron, of the Royal Air Force is a test and evaluation squadron based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. It was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it flew both air superiority and direct ground support missions. It was disbanded at Eil on 7 August 1919. Reformed on 10 October 1939,at Tangmere Airfield, the unit was supposed to be equipped with medium bombers but in the spring of 1940 it became one of the first RAF units to receive the Supermarine Spitfire, going on to fight in the Battle of Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Scorton</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Scorton or more simply RAF Scorton is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located next to the village of Scorton in North Yorkshire, England. The base was opened in October 1939 as part of 13 Group RAF Fighter Command and a satellite station of RAF Catterick. It was used by the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Horsham St Faith</span> 1939-1963 Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

RAF Horsham St Faith is a former Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk, England which was operational from 1939 to 1963. It was then developed as Norwich International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Bottisham</span> Former RAF Base in Cambridgeshire, England

Royal Air Force Bottisham or more simply RAF Bottisham is a former Royal Air Force station located 5 miles (8 km) east of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AAC Middle Wallop</span> Military airfield in Hampshire, England

Army Aviation Centre (AAC) Middle Wallop is a British Army airfield located near the Hampshire village of Middle Wallop, used for Army Air Corps training. The base hosts 2 (Training) Regiment AAC and 7 (Training) Regiment AAC under the umbrella of the Army Aviation Centre. 2 (Training) Regiment performs ground training; 7 (Training) Regiment trains aircrew on AAC aircraft after they complete basic training at RAF Shawbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Chilbolton</span>

Royal Air Force Chilbolton or RAF Chilbolton was a Royal Air Force station in Hampshire, England. The airfield was located in Chilbolton approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southeast of Andover, about 62 miles (100 km) southwest of London

No. 225 Squadron RAF is a former Royal Air Force squadron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Hal Far</span>

The RAF Hal Far airfield was the first permanent airfield to be built on Malta. It was opened on 1 April 1929 as HMS Falcon, a Royal Navy stone frigate, and was used by Fleet Air Arm crews. It was transferred to the Maltese Government and redeveloped from January 1979. It is now closed and one of its runways is used by drag racing enthusiasts. The second runway is now a road leading to an industrial estate which was developed recently. The Maltese fire service, the CPD occupy the newer building with the glass control tower on the roof. The old Royal Naval Air Station building is now occupied by the International Safety Training College who utilise part of the runway for firefighting training.

No. 329 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force fighter squadron founded upon the personnel and traditions of the French 1/2 fighter squadron Storks, having markings "5A" 1944-1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7 Squadron SAAF</span> Military unit

7 Squadron was a unit of the South African Air Force which served in the Second World War as well as in South Africa between 1951 and 1992. During the war, the squadron was used as a fighter squadron deployed to the Western Desert as well as in the Aegean, Italy and Ceylon. The squadron was inactive from the end of the war until 1951 when it re-activated as a citizen force training squadron, a role it retained during two periods of active service until 1992, when it was disbanded for the last time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Maintenance Base Safi</span>

Royal Air Force Safi was a Royal Air Force maintenance base located on the island of Malta, which started life in 1941 as a diversion airstrip for the main operating bases such as nearby RAF Luqa. Other diversion airstrips similar in function to Safi were located at RAF Krendi and on Malta's second island of Gozo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Ta Kali</span>

Royal Air Force Ta Kali was a Royal Air Force fighter operations base located on the island of Malta, which started life in 1940 as a diversion airstrip for the main operating bases such as RAF Luqa. Other diversion airstrips similar in function to Ta Kali were located at RAF Hal Far and on Malta's second island of Gozo at Xewkija airfield. The base's name reflects an anglicised corruption of the correct Maltese spelling of Ta' Qali, other phonetic variants of the correct name also appear regularly.

References

  1. ↑ "Stations-K RAF Krendi/Qrendi". www.rafweb.org. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "The Royal Air Force And Malta (1918–1978)". Malta Independent. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 Kreis, John F. (1988). Air Warfare and Air Base Air Defense, 1914–1973: Malaya & Malta (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, U.S. Air Force. pp. 128–129. ISBN   0-912799-55-2 . Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Krendi (Qrendi) RAF Heraldry Trust". www.rafht.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Qrendi". www.forgottenairfields.com. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  6. 1 2 Allied, Newspapers (8 March 2017). "An evening of nostalgia for RAF base in Luqa". Times of Malta. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Herington, John (1954). Air War Against Germany and Italy, 1939–1943. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air. Vol. III (1st ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. p. 381. OCLC   3633363.
  8. ↑ "RAF Krendi (Qrendi)". www.rafcommands.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  9. ↑ Cull, Brian; Galea, Frederick (2017). 249 at Malta: RAF's Top-Scoring Fighter Squadron Appendix 5. Fonthill Media. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  10. ↑ Rogers, Anthony (30 April 2017). Air Battle of Malta: Aircraft Losses and Crash Sites, 1940–1942. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Greenhill Books. p. 5. ISBN   9781784381905.
  11. ↑ "Naval & Military – Runway 13/31 at RAF Krendi – Tal-Ħandaq Nostalgia". www.talhandaqnostalgia.org. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  12. ↑ The, Aviation Magazine. "Malta International Airshow 2016 review by The Aviation Magazine". www.theaviationmagazine.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.