Merzbrück Airport

Aachen-Merzbrück Airfield
Flugplatz Aachen-Merzbrück
IATA: AAH – ICAO: EDKA
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Flugplatz Aachen-Merzbrück GmbH
Serves Aachen, Germany
Location Würselen
Elevation AMSL 623 ft / 190 m
Coordinates 50°49′24″N 006°11′11″E / 50.82333°N 6.18639°E / 50.82333; 6.18639
Website flugplatz-aachen.de
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
08/26 1,706 520 Asphalt

Merzbrück Airfield (German: Flugplatz Aachen-Merzbrück) (IATA: AAH, ICAO: EDKA) is an airfield located in Aachen, Germany.[1]

History

The airport was built about 1932 as a grass airfield, and throughout the 1930s was used by small light aircraft.

With the outbreak of World War II, Merzbrück was used by the Luftwaffe, with IV.(Stuka)/LG 1 and I./St.G. 77 of Lehrgeschwader 1, equipped with Junkers Ju 87s during the first week of the Belgian Campaign in May 1940. After the Battle of France in June ended, the airfield was little used by the military or general aviation.[2]

In January 1945, as a result of the Western Allied invasion of Germany, United States Army forces moved though the Aachen area and captured Merzbrück Airport about 29 January. In February combat engineers of the 818th Engineering Aviation Battalion arrived and laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking metal runway down on the grass airfield aligned 05/23 for use by combat aircraft, and the airport was designated as Advanced Landing Ground "Y-46 Aachen".[3] The Americans used the airport for P-47 Thunderbolt combat operations until the middle of April 1945, and the airport was closed on 11 May 1945.[4][5]

After the war, the airport was used by the British Forces Germany and later by the Belgian Forces in Germany. Many years as the reconstruction of Germany was underway. Eventually the wartime steel runway put down by the Americans during the war was removed, and the airfield was rebuilt with an all-weather asphalt runway. taxiways, and both concrete and grass aircraft parking areas. A parallel grass runway is also available.

Usage

There is no scheduled traffic at the airfield. It primarily features general aviation, and also has a large sailplane facility. The ADAC air rescue service provides the air rescue helicopter Christoph Europa 1 for urgent medical rescues and air ambulance duties here.

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. ↑ Accident history for AAH / EDKA - Merzbruck Airport at Aviation Safety Network
  2. ↑ The Luftwaffe, 1933-45
  3. ↑ IX Engineer Command ETO Airfields, Airfield Layout
  4. ↑ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
  5. ↑ 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.

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