Mendig Air Base
Encyclopedia
Mendig Air Base is a former military airfield located southeast of the city
of Mendig
, Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
Until 2007, it was the home of the German Army Aviators School
, equipped with seven CH-53 Sea Stallion
helicopters. The airfield was closed on 31 December 2007 and the last personnel moved out on 30 June 2008.
airfield in 1938. Its prewar use is undetermined. After the breakout of World War II
, Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26), a Messerschmitt Bf 110
unit used in the Battle of France
was assigned in May 1940. In September 1944, Aufklärungsgruppe 123 (Scouting Group 123), equipped with Focke-Wulf Fw 189
As used the airfield to monitor the advancing Allied armies moving east from France.
American Army units moved into the Mendig area in early March 1945 as part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany and the airfield was attacked by Ninth Air Force
B-26 Marauder
medium bombers and P-47 Thunderbolt
fighter-bombers to deny the retreating German forces use of the facility. The airfield was taken about 14 March. Combat engineers from IX Engineer command moved in with the 830th Engineering Aviation Battalion arriving on 10 March 1945, to repair the filed for use by combat aircraft. The engineers laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking all-weather runway over the bomb-cratered concrete runway, and performed minimal repairs to the facility to make it operational. On 17 March, the airfield was declared ready for Allied use and was designated as Advanced Landing Ground
"Y-62 Niedermendig".
Once repaired, the Ninth Air Force
36th Fighter Group moved in, the first being the 474th Fighter Group, flying P-47 Thunderbolt
s from the field from late March until early April. The Thunderbolts attacked German army units, bridges and other ground targets of opportunity throughout Germany. When the 36th moved out on 8 April, Niedermendig was used for combat resupply and casualty evacuation by C-47 Skytrain
transports until the end of the war in May.
With the end of the war, Niedermendig Airfield was closed on 11 May 1945. The ground station was taken over by Army units as part of the occupation force. United States Army forces moved out of Niedermendig in the late summer of 1945, as French forces moved into the Rhineland as part of their occupation zone of Germany.
On 7 January 1957, the reconstituted German Army Aviation Corps took over Niedermendig air base from the French Armed Forces and re-established a German military presence on the facility. Dornier Do 27
light training aircraft were used for pilot training at the airfield. On 9 March 1959, SA3 18 Alouette II Helicopters arrived at the airfield. For more than 40 years, this helicopter was to be the training helicopter of the German Army Aviation Corps. The first German Army Aviators School (Heeresfliegerwaffenschule) was founded in Niedermendig on 1 July 1959. Its first commanding officer was Colonel Kuno Ebeling.
The Air Base was used for training German Army helicopter pilots almost 50 years, before being closed in 2008.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Mendig
Mendig
Mendig is a municipality in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approx. 6 km north-east of Mayen, and 25 km west of Koblenz.Mendig is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Mendig....
, Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Until 2007, it was the home of the German Army Aviators School
German Army Aviators School
The German School of Army Aviation based at Bückeburg, is one of the schools of the German Army and is responsible for the training and development of the German Army Aviation Corps' personnel and equipment...
, equipped with seven CH-53 Sea Stallion
CH-53 Sea Stallion
The CH-53 Sea Stallion is the most common name for the Sikorsky S-65 family of heavy-lift transport helicopters. Originally developed for use by the United States Marine Corps, it is also in service with Germany, Iran, Israel, and Mexico...
helicopters. The airfield was closed on 31 December 2007 and the last personnel moved out on 30 June 2008.
History
Niedermendig Airfield (Fliegerhorst Niedermendig) was opened as a LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
airfield in 1938. Its prewar use is undetermined. After the breakout of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26), a Messerschmitt Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
unit used in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
was assigned in May 1940. In September 1944, Aufklärungsgruppe 123 (Scouting Group 123), equipped with Focke-Wulf Fw 189
Focke-Wulf Fw 189
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brown, Capt. Eric . Wings of the Luftwaffe. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1978. ISBN 0-385-13521-1....
As used the airfield to monitor the advancing Allied armies moving east from France.
American Army units moved into the Mendig area in early March 1945 as part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany and the airfield was attacked by Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The 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....
medium bombers and P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
fighter-bombers to deny the retreating German forces use of the facility. The airfield was taken about 14 March. Combat engineers from IX Engineer command moved in with the 830th Engineering Aviation Battalion arriving on 10 March 1945, to repair the filed for use by combat aircraft. The engineers laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking all-weather runway over the bomb-cratered concrete runway, and performed minimal repairs to the facility to make it operational. On 17 March, the airfield was declared ready for Allied use and was designated as Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
"Y-62 Niedermendig".
Once repaired, the Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
36th Fighter Group moved in, the first being the 474th Fighter Group, flying P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s from the field from late March until early April. The Thunderbolts attacked German army units, bridges and other ground targets of opportunity throughout Germany. When the 36th moved out on 8 April, Niedermendig was used for combat resupply and casualty evacuation by C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
transports until the end of the war in May.
With the end of the war, Niedermendig Airfield was closed on 11 May 1945. The ground station was taken over by Army units as part of the occupation force. United States Army forces moved out of Niedermendig in the late summer of 1945, as French forces moved into the Rhineland as part of their occupation zone of Germany.
On 7 January 1957, the reconstituted German Army Aviation Corps took over Niedermendig air base from the French Armed Forces and re-established a German military presence on the facility. Dornier Do 27
Dornier Do 27
-See also:-Bibliography:*Green, William. Macdonald Aircraft Handbook. London. Macdonald & Co. Ltd., 1964.*Jackson, Paul A. German Military Aviation 1956-1976. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1976. ISBN 0-904597-03-2.-External links:**...
light training aircraft were used for pilot training at the airfield. On 9 March 1959, SA3 18 Alouette II Helicopters arrived at the airfield. For more than 40 years, this helicopter was to be the training helicopter of the German Army Aviation Corps. The first German Army Aviators School (Heeresfliegerwaffenschule) was founded in Niedermendig on 1 July 1959. Its first commanding officer was Colonel Kuno Ebeling.
The Air Base was used for training German Army helicopter pilots almost 50 years, before being closed in 2008.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground