Ain el Beida Airport
Encyclopedia
Ain Beida Airport , also known as Ouargla Airport, is an airport
serving Ouargla
, a city in the Ouargla Province
of eastern Algeria
. It is located 4.3 NM southeast of the city. The airport is in the Sahara Desert, about 540km southeast of Algiers
.
in 1942-1943. Known units assigned to the airfield were:
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
serving Ouargla
Ouargla
Ouargla is the capital city of Ouargla province, in the Sahara Desert, in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing oil industry, and hosts one of Algeria's universities. The city had a population of 129,402 in 1998 ....
, a city in the Ouargla Province
Ouargla Province
Ouargla or Warqla is a province in eastern Algeria. Its capital is Ouargla. Other localities include Temacine, Touggourt, and Hassi Messaoud. It contains the Issaouane Erg desert.-History:...
of eastern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. It is located 4.3 NM southeast of the city. The airport is in the Sahara Desert, about 540km southeast of Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
.
Airlines and destinations
World War II
During World War II the airport was known as Sedrata Airfield, and was used by the United States Twelfth Air Force in the Western Desert CampaignWestern Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
in 1942-1943. Known units assigned to the airfield were:
- 17th Bombardment Group, 10 May-23 Jun 1943, B-17 Flying Fortress
- 319th Bombardment Group, 1-26 Jun 1943, B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....