Can anyone help, where is this airfield?
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UK
Age: 69
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sliac is 00/18 orientation.
The photo shows clearly summertime and clearly sunset or sunrise.
At 45 North (or so) Summer Sunset is North of West. Sunrise is North of East.
Clearly not a N/S orientation in the picture. I think much closer to directly E/W.
The photo shows clearly summertime and clearly sunset or sunrise.
At 45 North (or so) Summer Sunset is North of West. Sunrise is North of East.
Clearly not a N/S orientation in the picture. I think much closer to directly E/W.
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: 58-33N. 00-18W. Peterborough UK
Posts: 3,040
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The photo shows clearly summertime and clearly sunset or sunrise.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Suffolk
Age: 47
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Saab Dastard - no date on it I'm afraid. All I have to go on is the photo. There is a suggestion on AiX that it may be East Germany but again, no definite location yet. To be honest I have ruled out a UK location, I am fairly certain it is former Eastern Block / Soviet. I would have no idea if it is still active though.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Suffolk
Age: 47
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Looking again at the photo, my copy isn't much bigger than what is posted but it looks like the threshold nearest the bottom is 06, which fits in with with what others have already said.
Really, Really Boring
Sorry to be really, really boring but the map in 'British Military Airfields of WWII' clearly matches the profile shown in the photograph for Woodbridge, so my money stays on it, although probably when first constructed and before the widening/lengthening took place. The surrounding countryside also matches a view towards the east.
O-D
O-D
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Suffolk
Age: 47
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Old-Duffer - the book you mention, is that the Willis & Hollis book? If so the plan in my copy for Woodbridge is different to the layout in the photo above. The taxiways are not right and it was originally built with the 450ft wide runway.
Here is an Aerial I took of Woodbridge last year;
fastjet45 - the early days of Greenham, it was built to a three runway layout before it closed and was re-built for the americans. Woodbridge when it was re built had a taxiway each side of the single main runway as well so I can't see it as being Greenham Common either.
I still think it is Mainland Europe somewhere!
Here is an Aerial I took of Woodbridge last year;
fastjet45 - the early days of Greenham, it was built to a three runway layout before it closed and was re-built for the americans. Woodbridge when it was re built had a taxiway each side of the single main runway as well so I can't see it as being Greenham Common either.
I still think it is Mainland Europe somewhere!
Going back to the original picture..there appears to be a line feature (trees) running left to right across the landscape just beyond the far runway end. Any chance that's a road/rail cutting or just an optical illusion? Is the firebreak cut through the trees and seemingly aligned with the runway centreline just coincidence?
(edited to add: Just been browsing Google Earth and found a similar extended centreline firebreak at Golenow in Poland.....more evidence for Warpac airfield perhaps)
As you can tell I really have no idea but don't buy into either Woodbridge or Greenham.
(edited to add: Just been browsing Google Earth and found a similar extended centreline firebreak at Golenow in Poland.....more evidence for Warpac airfield perhaps)
As you can tell I really have no idea but don't buy into either Woodbridge or Greenham.
Last edited by wiggy; 18th Mar 2010 at 14:15.
Presumably you're referring to what is now Szczecin/Goleniow (runway 13/31 I think). Many airfields in forested areas have these 'firebreaks' on the runway centreline.
Yep that's the one, ( I blame Google for the misspelling).
I'd agree that many airfields have these firebreaks but don't recall any at the NATO European airfields being quite as extended - the one at Goleniow for example extends out over 2 km from the runway end. Probably a red herring - it still doesn't give us the answer.
I'd agree that many airfields have these firebreaks but don't recall any at the NATO European airfields being quite as extended - the one at Goleniow for example extends out over 2 km from the runway end. Probably a red herring - it still doesn't give us the answer.
Interestingly (perhaps!) I was at Cosford today, and the very same picture is on a panel in the Refuel Cafe at the Museum.
It's a much clearer picture, and the runway orientation at the bottom of the photo appears to be 16.
Someone at Cosford must know about it, so it may be worth a call.
It's a much clearer picture, and the runway orientation at the bottom of the photo appears to be 16.
Someone at Cosford must know about it, so it may be worth a call.
Eh? If it is 16 then it's in the Southern Hemisphere. Very unlikely I think.
I agree that a 16 orientation on a single runway operation in the northern hemisphere would be unusual.
SE/NW aligned runways in the Europe aren't that uncommon, just from memory there's Birmingham and Toulouse for starters ( and I hasten to add I don't think it's either of those.........), Peenemunde's another.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Suffolk
Age: 47
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Going on the Poland chain of thought, I have been bowsing google earth (again!!) and found Smardzko Airfield, 53°47'25.47"N, 15°49'35.49"E. The runway orientation is wrong but the layout is very similar to the unknown airfield.
Still know further with a location though!!
Still know further with a location though!!
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: 58-33N. 00-18W. Peterborough UK
Posts: 3,040
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bert Kondruß of Stuttgart runs a fascinating site - Cold War Air Bases (HERE) Military Airfield Directory
I dropped Bert a line and his reply is -
Interesting game you are playing on pprune.org :-) But thanks for asking me! I don't have an idea, after studying it for 1 hour, but here are some of my thoughts, if you are interested:
- my first general impression of it was "Poland"
- but in several details it differs from typical Polish airfield layouts (even though I don't know too much about the 1950s/1960s)
There are some points looking unusual for an eastern bloc airfield:
- The parallel spoon-like parking pads. Yes, they had such parking pads, but these look different somehow. These here would more fit to the Netherlands (even though the rest of the picture doesn't.)
- The good visible runway markings (BTW: there is no rubber on the runway)
- There is no visible earth stopping area beyond the visible end of the runway
But there are other indicators that make the airfield look like an eastern block airfield:
- The large flightline
- The two parallel lanes next to the flightline, parallel to the parking pads. This is either of east block or even of old german origin (see examples Ahlhorn, Cheb or Strausberg)
- Right to the runway end at the bottom of the picture there are white areas at both sides of the taxiway. These could be the prepared position for the typical flood lights used for night operations (also interesting: the white rectangle between the runway and the flightline. Could be a helicopter landing area.
- The aisle through the forest on the opposite side.
Besides Poland, also I checked other countries, but without success: Czech, Bulgaria, Romania.
So my guess is:
- East Block: 75%
- Poland: 40%
Feel free to use this information in any way you like. You may also mention my name or mil-airfields, but you don't have to. Best regards from Stuttgart, Germany. Bert
I dropped Bert a line and his reply is -
Interesting game you are playing on pprune.org :-) But thanks for asking me! I don't have an idea, after studying it for 1 hour, but here are some of my thoughts, if you are interested:
- my first general impression of it was "Poland"
- but in several details it differs from typical Polish airfield layouts (even though I don't know too much about the 1950s/1960s)
There are some points looking unusual for an eastern bloc airfield:
- The parallel spoon-like parking pads. Yes, they had such parking pads, but these look different somehow. These here would more fit to the Netherlands (even though the rest of the picture doesn't.)
- The good visible runway markings (BTW: there is no rubber on the runway)
- There is no visible earth stopping area beyond the visible end of the runway
But there are other indicators that make the airfield look like an eastern block airfield:
- The large flightline
- The two parallel lanes next to the flightline, parallel to the parking pads. This is either of east block or even of old german origin (see examples Ahlhorn, Cheb or Strausberg)
- Right to the runway end at the bottom of the picture there are white areas at both sides of the taxiway. These could be the prepared position for the typical flood lights used for night operations (also interesting: the white rectangle between the runway and the flightline. Could be a helicopter landing area.
- The aisle through the forest on the opposite side.
Besides Poland, also I checked other countries, but without success: Czech, Bulgaria, Romania.
So my guess is:
- East Block: 75%
- Poland: 40%
Feel free to use this information in any way you like. You may also mention my name or mil-airfields, but you don't have to. Best regards from Stuttgart, Germany. Bert
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Suffolk
Age: 47
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks alot for posting that up forget, its really useful info. I've been away for a few days and will resume my search on google earth in the next few days. No body anywhere seems to know where this airfield is!!!