The Netherlands / Landmark
Bookmark
Share
Directions
The end of Fliegerhorst Havelte can be pinpointed very precisely: a barrage of bombs dropped on 24 March 1945 left nothing remaining of the huge airfield that the Germans had built by thousands of workers - forcibly or paid. It had been operational since August 1944, although it was hardly used.
Nothing short of a moonscape was left behind after four squadrons of the Eighth Air Force's 390th Bomb Group, with B-17Gs Flying Fortresses dropped a total of 1,384 100-pound bombs on the runway and wider surroundings. The airfield near Havelte was not to disrupt the crossing of Allied troops across the Rhine.
It must have been a tremendous sight as 114 bombers swooped in tight formation low on the German airfield that morning. Work was continuing at the airport at that point, but everyone managed to get to safety.
The airport could also seriously hamper bombing raids on northern German cities, which is why bombs had previously been dropped over the 1,400-metre runway. Eight tonnes of bombs were dropped on 4 and 5 September 1944, followed by an astonishing 220 bombs from 50 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos on 17 September.
The last action involved an attack on four German airfields, including the one at Leeuwarden. With Operation Market Garden in sight, the airspace had to be as clear as possible. For Havelte, it meant four weeks of hard work to make it usable again. The runway itself was not hit, but nearby farmers were called in en masse to fill the craters. Construction on a second runway was also started.
Resistance fighter Jan Poortman from Meppel was the main person who kept the Allies informed of developments around the airfield.