Oldenburg Airfield
Mission Summaries > May 1944 > Aitfields in May 44
Oldenburg (GER)
(53 10 40 N – 08 10 30 E)
History: opened as a civil airport on 20 August 1933 then taken over by the Luftwaffe and ordered established as a Fliegerhorstkommandantur and a flight training school about 1 October 1936. A highly active airfield, Oldenburg was mainly used by bomber, transport and weather reconnaissance units to the end of 1942, and then by fighters to January 1945.
Dimensions: approx. 1000 x 1375 meters (1100 x 1500 yards).
Fuel and Ammunition: had 2 refueling points on the aprons in front of the hangars with suspected underground bulk fuel storage on the E side of the control building. Ammunition storage was immediately S of the repair hangar.
Infrastructure: there were 5 large hangars, 5 small hangars and 1 large repair hangar, all grouped in a row along the S boundary. Station HQ, admin offices, flight control building, stores, numerous barrack buildings, messes, station motor pool and garages were all generally grouped at the SE corner. A branch rail line served the building area at the SE corner.
Dispersal: 2 areas – North and Northeast with a total of 2 large covered aircraft shelters, 19 large open shelters and 4 small shelters. The Northeast dispersal was being extended in mid-1944.
Defenses: 2 heavy Flak positions (6 guns each) and 6 light Flak positions, 2 in Flak towers and 1 on a roof (Sep 43).
Remarks:
- 23 Mar 44: low-level attack – 1 x Fw 190A from III./JG 11 shot up on the ground.
- 08 Apr 44: bombed by 59 B-17 Fortresses – 1 x Fw 190A from III./JG 11 destroyed on the ground.
- 15 Apr 44: low-level attack by VIII Fighter Command P-47 Thunderbolts – claimed 2 x Ju 88s destroyed and 2 more damaged.
- 30 May 44: bombed by 135 B-24 Liberators.
- 03 May 45: captured by Canadian troops.
Operational Units: II., III./KG 53 (Jun 39); II./KG 54 (Jan-Mar 40); Wekusta 1 Ob.d.L. (Jul 40 – Jan 41); KGr.z.b.V. 101 (Mar-Apr 40); KGr.z.b.V. 102 (Mar-May 40); Stab, I., II./KG 30 (May-Jun 40); Stab, 1/KG 40 (Jun-Jul 40); Wekusta 2/Ob.d.L. (Jul 40); Erg.Gr./JG 27 (Nov 40 – Jan 41); II./KG 3 (Mar-May 41); Luftdienstteilkdo. 2/7 (Aug 42 – Feb 44); part of KGr. z.b.V. 106 (Nov 42); parts of III./JG 54 (Apr-Jun 43); III./JG 11 (Jun 43 – May 44); III./JG 300 (Jul-Nov 43); III./JG 302 (Nov 43 – Apr 44); 11./Fliegerzielgeschwader 1 (Feb 44 - ); Stab/JG 11 (Mar-Aug 44); I./JG 77 (Aug 44); III./JG 6 (Dec 44 – Jan 45).
School Units: elementary flight school Oldenburg (Jan 34 – Mar 39); Kampffliegerlehrgang Oldenburg (Nov 36 – Oct 38); Schule/FAR 32 (Apr – Aug 39).
Reserve Training & Replacement Units: 10./ZG 26 (Oct-Dec 39); Erg.St./JG 27 (Nov 40 – Jan 41); Flak-Ers.Abt. 62 (1939-45).
Station Commands: Fl.Pl.Kdo. A 22/XI (c.Feb 43 – Mar 44); Fl.H.Kdtr. A(o) 16/XI (Apr 44 – Apr 45).
Kommandant (prior to the establishment of a numbered station command – not complete): Maj. Johannes Köhler (Oct 42 - Feb 43).
Station Units (on various dates on the airfield, in Oldenburg or nearby not complete): Stab/1. Nachtjagddivision (c.Aug 41 – Apr 42); Stab/Jagdfliegerführer Mitte (Apr 41 – Jan 42); Stab/Flak-Brig. VIII (Feb-May 41); Stab/8. Flak-Brig. (Feb-Apr 44); Stab/Flak-Rgt. 132 (1939-40); I./Flak-Rgt. 62 (Oct 37 – Nov 38); II./Flak-Rgt. 26 (Nov 38 – 1939); Flak-Abt. 32 (Oct 36 – Sep 37); gem.Flak-Abt. 617(v) (1940); 1., 2. and 4./le.Flak-Abt. 942 (1943-44); Heimat-Flak-Battr.60/XI (1943-44); Flak-Waffenwerstatt (o) 15/XI (1944-45); Stab/Luftgau-Nachr.Rgt. Westfrankreich (Sep-Oct 44 – disbanding); part of 12./Ln.-Rgt. 232 (1944-45); Lw.-Bau-Kp. 9/XI ( ? – Dec 39); Stab/Nachschub-Kolonne-Abt. d.Lw. (mot.) 3/XI (Feb 41); kl.Flieger- Betriebsstoff-Kolonne 15/XI (Feb 41); Trsp.Kol. d.Lw. 15/XI (Feb 41); Trsp.Kol. d.Lw. 135/VII (May 44).
Oldenburg, Germany - German airfield after the war
Image courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration ©
Oldenburg airfield as seen today
Image courtesy of Google Earth Pro™