Ursel Airfield

Ursel Airfield Advanced Landing Ground B-67
Ursel Airfield Ursel Airfield (Belgium)
Coordinates	51°07′30″N 003°27′14″E / 51.12500°N 3.45389°E / 51.12500; 3.45389 (Ursel Airfield)
Type	Military Airfield
Site history
In use	1935-1945
Battles/wars	World War II

Ursel Airfield is a former military airfield, located 10.2 km southwest of Eeklo in East Flanders, Belgium.

History

The airfield was established in the 1930s for the Belgian Air Force. After the Battle of Belgium in May 1940, it was taken over by the Luftwaffe and used as an auxiliary airfield during the occupation period. It was briefly used by the Italian Corpo Aereo Italiano, creating a diplomatic break between Italy and the Belgian government in exile which led to a Belgian offensive against Italian East Africa.

The area was liberated by British Army forces in September 1944, and Royal Engineers converted the airfield to Royal Air Force use, designating the field as Advanced Landing Ground B-67. Four squadrons Typhoon fighter-bombers operated from the field, their mission being to break the resistance of German troops at the Dutch island of Walcheren, which controlled the entrance to the harbours of Antwerp. Once the entrance to Antwerp was cleared, the RAF moved out and the airfield was abandoned.

According to Google Earth, Ursel is still an operating airstrip with a 2000 m-Runway.

References

Ursel - ALG B.67
Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

External links

Ursel Flying Club http://www.ebul.be/

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