Sidi Haneish Airfield

Sidi Haneish Airfield Haggag el Qasaba Flugplatz
Coordinates	31°08′30″N 027°31′15″E / 31.14167°N 27.52083°E / 31.14167; 27.52083 (East Airfield)^[1] 31°08′30″N 027°31′10″E / 31.14167°N 27.51944°E / 31.14167; 27.51944 (West Airfield)^[2]
Type	Military airfield complex
Site information
Controlled by	German Luftwaffe United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1941
In use	1941-1942
Battles/wars	Western Desert Campaign

Sidi Haneish Airfield

Location of Sidi Haneish Airfield, Egypt

Sidi Haneish Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield complex in Egypt, in the western desert, about 235 miles (376 km) west-northwest of Cairo.

The airfield, known as Haggag el Qasaba by the German Luftwaffe, was the location of one of the most daring raids during World War II by the British Special Air Service (SAS). On the night of 26 July 1942, SAS Detachment "L", also known as "Stirling's Raiders", attacked the airfield, then under Luftwaffe control. Driving a convoy of 18 American jeeps, the raiders destroyed 18 German aircraft and damaged several other aircraft in a night raid. The attack damaged the Luftwaffe's capability during the German invasion of Egypt, and also by the destruction of many transport aircraft, severely diminishing its ability to re-supply German land forces in the field.^[3]

The airfield was later used by the United States Army Air Force Ninth Air Force during the Eastern Desert Campaign by the British Eighth Army, which the 57th Fighter Group, flew P-40 Warhawks from on 8–12 November 1942.

It was apparently abandoned after the western desert campaign moved into Libya, and eventually was taken over by the desert. Close examination of aerial photography of the desert shows some evidence of disturbance which could indicate where it existed.

British airfields

The LG-12 (Landing Ground) North site is given as- 31°09′0″N 027°32′0″E / 31.15000°N 27.53333°E / 31.15000; 27.53333,
The LG-13 South is given as- 31°07′5″N 027°31′0″E / 31.11806°N 27.51667°E / 31.11806; 27.51667
The LG-101 is given as- 31°06′0″N 027°31′0″E / 31.10000°N 27.51667°E / 31.10000; 27.51667
The LG-102 is given as- 31°06′0″N 027°33′5″E / 31.10000°N 27.55139°E / 31.10000; 27.55139

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
RAF Squadrons by C. G. Jefford. ISBN 1-84037-141-2 (page 133 airfield locations)

External links

USAAF Ninth Air Force in World War II

Stations

Palestine (Mand)	Lydda Muqueibile Ramat David St Jean

Egypt	Abu Sueir Ismailia El Amiriya Daba Deversoir Fayid Kabrit * Landing Ground 174 Payne Sidi Haneish

Libya	Baheira Belandah Benina Castel Benito Berca Darragh El Adem El Assa Gambut Hamraiet Lete Martuba Tmed El Chel Tobruk Tripoli Sidi Azeiz

Tunisia	Ben Gardane Bou Grara Chekira Hani Hazbub Hergla El Djem El Haouaria Kairouan Medenine Menzel Heurr Sfax Soltane

United Kingdom	Aldermaston Andover Andrews Field Ashford Balderton Barkston Heath Beaulieu Birch Bisterne Boreham Bottesford Boxted Charmy Down Chalgrove Chilbolton Chipping Ongar Christchurch Cottesmore Earls Colne Exeter Folkingham Fulbeck Gosfield Great Dunmow Greenham Common Grove High Halden Headcorn Holmsley South Hurn Ibsley Kingsnorth Langar Lashenden Little Walden Lymington Matching Membury Merryfield Middle Wallop North Witham Ramsbury Raydon Rivenhall Saltby Scorton Staplehurst Spanhoe Stansted Stoney Cross Thruxton Upottery Warmwell Welford Weston Zoyland Wethersfield Winkton Woodchurch Wormingford

Europe	Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany too numerous.

Units

Commands

Wings

Bombardment	97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment

Fighter	8th Fighter 9th Fighter 70th Fighter 71st Fighter 84th Fighter 100th Fighter 303d Fighter

Troop carrier	50th Troop Carrier 52d Troop Carrier 53d Troop Carrier

Groups

Bombardment	12th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment 340th Bombardment 344th Bombardment 376th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 416th Bombardment

Fighter	36th Fighter 48th Fighter 50th Fighter 57th Fighter 79th Fighter 324th Fighter 354th Fighter 358th Fighter 365th Fighter 362d Fighter 363d Fighter 366th Fighter 367th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 406th Fighter 474th Fighter

Troop carrier	61st Troop Carrier 64th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier IX Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional)

Reconnaissance	10th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance

Squadrons

Liaison	14th Liaison 47th Liaison

Night fighter	422d Night Fighter 425th Night Fighter

United States Army Air Forces

Notes

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 24, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

Sidi Haneish Airfield

British airfields

See also

References

External links

Notes