avia.wikisort.org - Aerodrome

Royal Air Force Ahlhorn or more simply RAF Ahlhorn, is a former Royal Air Force station located 1 mile (1.6 km) south east of the centre of Ahlhorn, Lower Saxony and 11 miles (18 km) north of Vechta, Lower Saxony, Germany

This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2012)

RAF Ahlhorn (Advanced Landing Ground B-111)
Ahlhorn, Lower Saxony in Germany
RAF Ahlhorn Shown within Lower Saxony, Germany
Coordinates	52°53′06″N 008°13′57″E
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry (UK)
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Second Tactical Air Force
Site history
Built	1944 (1944)
In use	1945-1958 (1958)
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO: ETNA
Elevation	49 metres (161 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 09/27 2,106 metres (6,909 ft) Asphalt

Originally, it was a German airbase for Zeppelins. The Royal Air Force (RAF) disestablished the station and it was closed down in the autumn of 1958 and was transferred to the Bundeswehr. It was a private airport before being converted to a solar park in 2011.

History

First World War

Built during the First World War in the summer of 1915 for Zeppelins four large hangars were built. In two pairs, the hangers measured 240 metres (790 ft) in length, 60 metres (200 ft) in width and 35 metres (115 ft) in height. The hangers were name "Albrecht" and "Aladin" (northern pair), and "Alrun" and "Alix" (southern pair).[1] On 5 January 1918 Ahlhorn hangars explosion that destroyed the LZ 87 (L 47), LZ 94 (L 46), LZ 97 (L 51), LZ 105 (L 58), and SL 20. Fifteen killed, 134 injured.[2]

Ahlhorn Hanger explosion

Production number	Class	Tactical numbering	First flight	Remarks	Image
Zeppelin LZ 87	R	L 47	11 May 1917	18 reconnaissance missions and three attacks dropping 3,240 kg (7,140 lb) of bombs around the North Sea and England. On 5 January 1918, a giant explosion in the air base in Ahlhorn destroyed four Zeppelins (including L 47) and one non-Zeppelin built airship, housed in one adjacent hangar and two 0.5 mi (0.80 km) away.[3]
Zeppelin LZ 94	T	L 46	24 April 1917	19 reconnaissance missions around the North Sea; 3 raids on England dropping 5,700 kg (12,600 lb) of bombs [3]
Zeppelin LZ 97	U	L 51	6 June 1917	3 reconnaissance missions; one raid on the English coast, dropping 280 kg bombs [3]
Zeppelin LZ 105	V	L 58	29 October 1917	Two reconnaissance missions [3]
S.L.20	(Type 'f')	L 58	9 September 1917	Two missions [3]

Second World War and beyond

During the Second World War the airfield was used as an Advanced Landing Ground before becoming a permanent RAF station.

Squadron	Aircraft	From	To	To	Notes
No. 14 Squadron RAF	Hawker Hunter F.4/F.6	26 September 1957	15 September 1958	RAF Gütersloh	[4]
No. 16 Squadron RAF	Hawker Tempest F.2	8 May 1947	20 May 1947	RAF Fassberg	[5]
No. 20 Squadron RAF	Hawker Hunter F.6	23 September 1957	30 August 1958	RAF Gütersloh	[6]
No. 26 Squadron RAF	Hawker Tempest F.2 Hawker Hunter F.6	8 May 1947 7 June 1958	20 May 1947 8 September 1958	RAF Fassberg RAF Gütersloh	[7] Reformed here
No. 33 Squadron RAF	Hawker Tempest F.2	8 May 1947	20 May 1947	RAF Fassberg	[8]
No. 96 Squadron RAF	Gloster Meteor NF.11	17 November 1952	12 February 1958	RAF Geilenkirchen	Reformed here[9]
No. 149 Squadron RAF	English Electric Canberra B.2	24 August 1954	17 September 1954	RAF Gütersloh	[10]
No. 193 Squadron RAF	Hawker Typhoon Ib	30 April 1945	8 January 1945	RAF Hildesheim	[11]
No. 197 Squadron RAF	Hawker Typhoon Ib	30 April 1945	8 June 1945	RAF Hildesheim	[11]
No. 213 Squadron RAF	English Electric Canberra B(I).6	1 September 1955	22 August 1957	RAF Bruggen	Reformed here.[12]
No. 256 Squadron RAF	Gloster Meteor NF.11	17 November 1952	12 February 1958	RAF Geilenkirchen	[13]
No. 263 Squadron RAF	Hawker Typhoon Ib	30 April 1945	8 June 1945	RAF Hildesheim	[14]
No. 266 Squadron RAF	Hawker Typhoon Ib	4 June 1945	8 June 1945	RAF Hildesheim	[15]
No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron	Supermarine Spitfire XVI	16 September 1945 31 August 1946	27 August 1946 7 October 1946	RAF Sylt RAF Hethel	[16]
No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron	Supermarine Spitfire XVI	16 September 1945 9 February 1946	22 January 1946 7 October 1946	RAF Sylt RAF Hethel	[17]
No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron	Supermarine Spitfire XVI	15 September 1945 16 August 1946	July 1946 7 October 1946	RAF Sylt RAF Hethel	[18]

Current use

Jagdgeschwader 73 was formed at Ahlhorn and Oldenburg on 1 April 1959. Jagdgeschwader 71 of the German Air Force were to take residence from June 1959 with 50 Canadair Sabres, Germany's first operational jet fighter unit. They remained at Ahlhorn until 1961.^{[citation needed]}

Solarpark Ahlhorn

From 2005 the Aircraft Maintenance Service GmbH provided services on widebody aircraft but the company went bankrupt in 2009. A number of solar panels were installed on most of the airfield converting it into Solarpark Ahlhorn. Opening in 2011 the solar panels provide, 17.5 MW. There is only one airstrip in use.[19][20]

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
• Ronald V (2022). "Ahlhorn". forgottenairfields.com. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
• Stephenson, Charles (2012). Zeppelins: German Airships 1900–40. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781780965123. - Total pages: 48

External links

• Ray Powells' memories of Ahlhorn

На других языках

---

[de] Flugplatz Ahlhorn

Der Flugplatz Ahlhorn liegt in der Gemeinde Großenkneten im Landkreis Oldenburg in Niedersachsen. Der Flugplatz war von 1916 bis 1995 ein Militärflugplatz, der im Laufe der Jahrzehnte unterschiedliche Verwendung fand. Heute wird der ehemalige Flugplatz unter dem Namen Metropolpark Hansalinie als Logistik-, Technologie- und Gewerbepark ausgebaut. Er ist als Sonderlandeplatz zugelassen.

---

- [en] RAF Ahlhorn

---

[fr] RAF Ahlhorn

@media all and (max-width:720px){body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output *[class*="infobox"] table{display:table}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output *[class*="infobox"] caption{display:table-caption}}

---

---