SurfacePics
German WW2 Airfield: Abandoned runway
Abandoned since May 1945:
Einsatzhafen Vörden was the last of 3 military airfields to be built in the Bamsche area in the late 1930s. The other two were Hesepe and Achmer, and the three were functionally connected.
Going by the codename "Villa" it had a logistics area (including a 'workmans camp', in reality a camp for forced labour, later a POW-camp) on the north and northeast side.
The airfield was equipped with three connecting concrete runways in the usual triangle form. To the north and south of the airfield the aircraft parkings were located.
On the northeast and southeast side air traffic control, hangars, workshops and barracks could be found.
In the surrounding woods were more aircraft parkings and wooden towers with light AAA.
The airfield had one major disadvantage: it did not have a connection to the railway system. This meant that all supplies, including fuel, had to be brought in by truck from a railroad connection 6 kilometers (ca. 4 miles) away. To store the aviation fuel 4 large 50 cubic meter tanks were dug in.
Shortly after World War II began the first units flew in.
Between 15 September 1939 and January 1940 the First Group of Fighter Wing (German: I. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 1) "Oesau" was based here, flying Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters.
When they left, Vörden became somewhat quiet: because of the logistics problem it was only used incidentally, and then mostly by smaller and therefore less fuel consuming aircraft.
To show the severity of the fuel problem: In the first half year of 1944 the First Group of Fighting Wing2 (German: I. Gruppedes Kampfgeschwaders 2) "Holzhammer" was based at Hesepe.
This unit was equipped with Dornier Do 217 bombers, which took up too much space at Hesepe, so several were dispersed to Vörden. When preparing for missions they would first fly the 7 kilometers (4 miles) to Hesepe to fill up their tanks and get their bomb loads.
From 1943 onwards the three bases grew in importance to counter Allied bombing raids, and of course this gave them their share of fighter activity. Between 21 November 1944 until January 1945 the Fourth Group/Fighter Wing 54 (German: IV./JG 54) "Grünherz" was based at Vörden, flying Focke-Wulf Fw 190A
Obviously the Allied forces were aware of the three fields, and they flew multiple missions against them, for instance on 21 February 1944. On 8 April however they got their share of luck: while the other two airfields were attacked, the unit that was to bomb Vörden bombed their secondary target Fliegerhorst Quakenbrück. But other attacks followed and combined they rendered Vörden unusable by early 1945.
The last air raid against Vörden took place on 3 April 1944.
The next morning the Luftwaffe blew up what little was left of the air base and left. On 9 April Scottish units took control of the base, ending the war for Vörden.
Today Vörden has only the old hardened runways left, of the former airbase remains very little. Its three runways are in reasonbly good shape, especially the south runway, given the times that have passed.
Source: www.forgottenairfields.com/germany/lower-saxony/oldenburg...
German WW2 Airfield: Abandoned runway
Abandoned since May 1945:
Einsatzhafen Vörden was the last of 3 military airfields to be built in the Bamsche area in the late 1930s. The other two were Hesepe and Achmer, and the three were functionally connected.
Going by the codename "Villa" it had a logistics area (including a 'workmans camp', in reality a camp for forced labour, later a POW-camp) on the north and northeast side.
The airfield was equipped with three connecting concrete runways in the usual triangle form. To the north and south of the airfield the aircraft parkings were located.
On the northeast and southeast side air traffic control, hangars, workshops and barracks could be found.
In the surrounding woods were more aircraft parkings and wooden towers with light AAA.
The airfield had one major disadvantage: it did not have a connection to the railway system. This meant that all supplies, including fuel, had to be brought in by truck from a railroad connection 6 kilometers (ca. 4 miles) away. To store the aviation fuel 4 large 50 cubic meter tanks were dug in.
Shortly after World War II began the first units flew in.
Between 15 September 1939 and January 1940 the First Group of Fighter Wing (German: I. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 1) "Oesau" was based here, flying Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters.
When they left, Vörden became somewhat quiet: because of the logistics problem it was only used incidentally, and then mostly by smaller and therefore less fuel consuming aircraft.
To show the severity of the fuel problem: In the first half year of 1944 the First Group of Fighting Wing2 (German: I. Gruppedes Kampfgeschwaders 2) "Holzhammer" was based at Hesepe.
This unit was equipped with Dornier Do 217 bombers, which took up too much space at Hesepe, so several were dispersed to Vörden. When preparing for missions they would first fly the 7 kilometers (4 miles) to Hesepe to fill up their tanks and get their bomb loads.
From 1943 onwards the three bases grew in importance to counter Allied bombing raids, and of course this gave them their share of fighter activity. Between 21 November 1944 until January 1945 the Fourth Group/Fighter Wing 54 (German: IV./JG 54) "Grünherz" was based at Vörden, flying Focke-Wulf Fw 190A
Obviously the Allied forces were aware of the three fields, and they flew multiple missions against them, for instance on 21 February 1944. On 8 April however they got their share of luck: while the other two airfields were attacked, the unit that was to bomb Vörden bombed their secondary target Fliegerhorst Quakenbrück. But other attacks followed and combined they rendered Vörden unusable by early 1945.
The last air raid against Vörden took place on 3 April 1944.
The next morning the Luftwaffe blew up what little was left of the air base and left. On 9 April Scottish units took control of the base, ending the war for Vörden.
Today Vörden has only the old hardened runways left, of the former airbase remains very little. Its three runways are in reasonbly good shape, especially the south runway, given the times that have passed.
Source: www.forgottenairfields.com/germany/lower-saxony/oldenburg...