Old Daber Airfield
| Old Dabber Airfield Wittstock Air Base | |||||||||||
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| IATA: SHA – ICAO: ETxx | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Location | 3.5 km NE of Wittstock, Germany | ||||||||||
| Built | 1934 | ||||||||||
| In use | 1934 - 1994 | ||||||||||
| Commander | Lieutenant-General Sawitzki | ||||||||||
| Occupants | 1934-1945 German Luftwaffe. 1945-1994 Soviet 33 Fighter Regiment | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°12′08″N 012°31′21″E / 53.20222°N 12.52250°ECoordinates: 53°12′08″N 012°31′21″E / 53.20222°N 12.52250°E | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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The Old Daber Airfield (also known as Wittstock Air Base), is an abandoned military air base located just outside the town of Wittstock in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in north-western Brandenburg, Germany.
History
From 1934, under Nazi-air skills initiative to revive the Luftwaffe, the site served as a glider field. From 1938 it was developed formally as a Luftwaffe, with building extensions stopping in 1940. By this time the southern section of the site was linked to the railway at Groß Haßlow.
On 3 May 1945, the Red Army over ran the airfield, and occupied the site. From this point forward, several units of the Soviet Air Force were stationed at the site. After extending the runway to 2,400 metres (7,900 ft), the Soviet military added a radar site near Biesen to the west, and a surface-to-air missile site near Wernikow.[1] From 1961, the attached air regiments included the 33 IAP (Jagdfliegerregiment/Fighter Regiment), equipped with MiG-29 Fulcrum-A/B fighter and the MiG-23UM Flogger-C operational trainer. The regiment was part of the 16th GwIAD (Gardejagdfliegerdivision/Guards Fighter Division) within the 16th Luftarmee with headquarters in Damgarten.[2]
With the reunification of East Germany from 1989/1990, the Soviet Army agreed to return all bases by the end of 1994. The airfield was handed back to the district authorities on 20 June 1994. The airfield was then used for a time by the Bundeswehr, before being abandoned.
Present
After abandonment, the airfield served as a race track, during which the fawna and flora of the heathland began to take over the facilities.
Local plans for the 135 acres (55 ha) site propose the development of a photovoltaic cell storage plant, with a power of 50Mwatts.
References
- Lutz Freundta d Stefan Büttner, Stefan (2007). Rote Plätze - Russische Militärflugplätze in Deutschland 1945 - 1994. AeroLit Verlag.