ALERT!! NEED MORE INFO ON EUROPEAN AIRFIELDS

[sevenless]

Airfield Essen/Muehlheim might need some revising in the current rhineland map. It was one of the first airfields in germany to receive a concrete runway in the 30s. In 1944/45 it was one of the known airfields to the allies where jets were flying from. (https://www.ww2aerialreconstudies.com/jets.html)

 

https://www.flughafen-essen-muelheim.de/fem/historie

 

Quote

 

Seit dem Jahre 1919 wird das Gelände angeflogen. 1934 wurde das Gelände auf 140 ha erweitert. Es wurde ein neues Abfertigungsgebäude, ein Restaurant und eine Flugzeughalle gebaut.
Der nun "Rhein-Ruhr-Flughafen" genannte Platz zählte auch zu den ersten Flughäfen mit einer befestigten Start- und Landebahn. Der steigende Verkehrsbedarf ließ ihn zum Zentralflughafen für das Ruhrgebiet werden. 1937 wurden im planmäßigen Verkehr 5.000 Flugbewegungen gezählt und 15.000 Fluggäste befördert.

 

Google translator: Since 1919, the area has been approached. In 1934, the site was extended to 140 ha. A new terminal building, a restaurant and an aircraft hangar were built. The now called "Rhein-Ruhr-Airport" ranked also among the first airports with a fixed runway. The increasing demand for transport made it the central airport for the Ruhr area. In 1937, 5,000 aircraft movements were counted in scheduled traffic and 15,000 passengers were carried.

 

 

http://www.agfoe.eu/index.php/historie/4-ueberblick

 

Some pics from the german homepage:

 

 

 

 

Why is all this relevant for the game? Look here:

 

https://www.spurensuche-wiedeking.de/mülheim-a-d-ruhr/24-dezember-1944-bombenangriff-auf-den-flughafen-essen-mülheim/

 

Quote from above site:

 

Quote

 

Der Flughafen Essen- Mülheim diente bei der Ardennenoffensive als Startbasis für die

II. Staffel des Kampfgeschwaders 51, konnte aber wegen des schlechten Wetters erst ab dem 22.12. zu Kampfeinsätzen im Bereich der Ardennen benutzt werden.
 

Noch im Dezember 1944, mit Beginn der Ardennenoffensive, bezog die II. Staffel KG 51 den Horst Essen-Mülheim. Die Start und Landebahn war zu kurz für die Me 262, so dass diese im vollen Beladungszustand nur mit Starthilferaketen aufsteigen konnte. Von Essen aus wurden vorwiegend Stellungen und Truppenkonzentrationen der Alliierten bei Euskirchen, Düren, Jülich und im Hürtgenwald angegriffen. Aber auch Bastonge stand auf der Liste der Ziele, wie beispielsweise am 2.1.1945, als Me 262 der Staffel einen entsprechenden Einsatz flogen.                           Aus Manfred Jurleit, Strahljäger im Einsatz

 

 

Translation via google translator:

 

Quote

The airport Essen-Mülheim served as starting base for the Ardennes offensive
2nd Squadron of the fighter squadron 51, but could only because of the bad weather from 22.12. used for combat missions in the Ardennes area.
 

As late as December 1944, with the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, II Squadron KG 51 moved to Horst Essen-Mülheim. The runway was too short for the Me 262, so that it could ascend in full load condition only with starting aid packages. From Essen mainly positions and troop concentrations of the Allies were attacked at Euskirchen, Düren, Jülich and Hürtgenwald. But also Bastonge was on the list of goals, such as on 2 January 1945, when Me 262 of the squadron flew a corresponding mission. From Manfred Jurleit, jet fighter in action

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by sevenless

[jollyjack]

So it boils down to this ... Understandable that in a game with an already large map like Rheinland in IL2 it's nearly impossible (?) to put in all the airfields. for a commercial Russia based company selling a quite nice game.

 

I also miss a lot of towns and villages too, and railways plus roads i know existed in my area .... Maybe some wizz-kid 3rd party programmer can do something about it?

[sevenless]

More on Essen-Muehlheim here. You even can see the bomb craters on the airfield:

 

https://luftbilder.geoportal.ruhr/

 

 

[DN308]

Juvincourt near Reims

 

A-68 previously used by Germans since 1940.

[sevenless]

Thanks for fixing Essen Muehlheim ?

 

 

[DN308]

@Jason_Williams, did you stopped to develop the Netherlands airfields like alkmaar Bergen? 

I work on a campaign involving it and some others but I have to recreated them on the map...

[RobvT]

On 4/20/2019 at 6:24 PM, Jason_Williams said:

Guys,

 

We have an official problem that we need help with. The team has been working on the Bodenplatte map feverishly and they have the cities/towns/villages more or less figured out and under control. However, we now need to focus our attention to airfields and we're missing too much info to be able to do them to our satisfaction. 

 

So, we turn to the community for help. The more history minded brains working on this the better. If anyone has information such as maps, books or can lead us to such material to help get a better understanding of runway layouts, taxi ways, runway materials and other useful information please post it here so we can examine or acquire it. Western WWII airfields is an unfamiliar part of the world for the map team and it is proving tougher than originally thought to learn about them.  

 

We want the Bodenplatte airfields to be good, so we need your help. Here is a sample of some info we came across, but is it part of a larger archive or wartime publication?

 

Also, any info on the airfields marked on this map is what we are looking for. 

 

Please post any useful or potentially useful info here in this thread. We greatly appreciate it.

 

P.S. please don't post about the map in general. Let's focus on the airfields. The map itself is very much a Work in Progress.

 

Thanks,

Jason

 

 

 

Lot's of info on the biggest Luftwaffe Airport outside of Germany (Deelen) on this website => http://www.fliegerhorsten.nl/

[Redglyph]

I suppose they have a lot on their plate and had to fix a limit somewhere.

I had also given info on an airfield that had played a role in WWII, and proposed to search further but they didn't even respond (same with the typos in some implemented ones).

 

[AEthelraedUnraed]

On 5/3/2020 at 6:06 PM, DN308 said:

@Jason_Williams, did you stopped to develop the Netherlands airfields like alkmaar Bergen? 

I work on a campaign involving it and some others but I have to recreated them on the map...

The Devs have said on a number of occasions that the Bodenplatte map is finished and they won't do any additional work on it. If you really need the airfield, however, you can create it yourself using the terrain tools in the Mission Editor and distribute it as a mod.

 

On 6/20/2020 at 11:43 AM, RobvT said:

Lot's of info on the biggest Luftwaffe Airport outside of Germany (Deelen) on this website => http://www.fliegerhorsten.nl/

The Devs already added Deelen to the map, in one of the latest updates

 

I actually visited Deelen once, including a "barn" that was actually a well-camouflaged airplane hangar (and now used as a barn again). Really cool to see!

[Heliopause]

And for those who travel near Deelen there is this nice little museum about the airfield (open since June 6th again).

I've been there a couple of times, very interesting.

https://www.museumdeelen.nl/

 

[AEthelraedUnraed]

1 hour ago, Heliopause said:

And for those who travel near Deelen there is this nice little museum about the airfield (open since June 6th again).

I've been there a couple of times, very interesting.

https://www.museumdeelen.nl/

Can recommend, including a nice exhibition about the German Wilde Sau night fighters that were based there, the Y-Peilgerät transponder system and the HQ/command center of the 3. Jagd-Division in the nearby bunker Diogenes.

[DN308]

On 6/21/2020 at 11:53 AM, AEthelraedUnraed said:

The Devs have said on a number of occasions that the Bodenplatte map is finished and they won't do any additional work on it. If you really need the airfield, however, you can create it yourself using the terrain tools in the Mission Editor and distribute it as a mod.

 

The Devs already added Deelen to the map, in one of the latest updates

 

I actually visited Deelen once, including a "barn" that was actually a well-camouflaged airplane hangar (and now used as a barn again). Really cool to see!

I know that.

but the main problem is the height on the map.

You can create the airfields but they are barely usable due to the differences in heights and the Forrest set on the actual place of them.

Since you can’t remove trees and can’t have a flat terrain, some airfields can’t be recreate properly.

[akmotte]

Hi,
Is there such topic for the Normandy map ? Do we already know which airfields they plan to include ? I'd like to provide data about a former JG2 airfield before it's too late.

[LukeFF]

2 hours ago, akmotte said:

Hi,
Is there such topic for the Normandy map ? Do we already know which airfields they plan to include ? I'd like to provide data about a former JG2 airfield before it's too late.

 

Which airfield is that?

[akmotte]

13 hours ago, LukeFF said:

 

Which airfield is that?

Tri(c)queville near Pont-Audemer.

I live on the former airfield.

[LukeFF]

7 hours ago, akmotte said:

Tri(c)queville near Pont-Audemer.

I live on the former airfield.

 

Ah, ok. I've been the one collecting all of the data for the airfields, so you can send anything you have to me either here on in a PM.

[akmotte]

7 hours ago, LukeFF said:

 

Ah, ok. I've been the one collecting all of the data for the airfields, so you can send anything you have to me either here on in a PM.

Ok, PM sent

[RaFiGer]

Dear Community,

 

because of my Home right now in Mönchengladbach I could send scans out of the book Flugplätze der Luftwaffe 1934-45 und was davon übrigblieb: Band 11 - Nordrhein-Westfalen.

 

Some Information in advance:

 

The Airfield was founded 1911 as München-Gladbach "Holter Heide" and had nothing in common with the 1945 new build Flughafen Düsseldorf-Mönchengladbach.

The old airfield was used after the war by british Troops and therefore nothing remains of its installation so far.

 

I will post more refering from the book!

Edited June 30, 2020 by RaFiGer

[Bremspropeller]

On 6/23/2020 at 6:43 PM, LukeFF said:

Ah, ok. I've been the one collecting all of the data for the airfields, so you can send anything you have to me either here on in a PM.

 

I suppose you do have "50 aérodromes pour une victoire" by Francois Robinard, published by Heimdal?

[LukeFF]

1 hour ago, Bremspropeller said:

I suppose you do have "50 aérodromes pour une victoire" by Francois Robinard, published by Heimdal?

 

I don't, but I do have Invasion Airfields Then and Now, which is an excellent study of all the forward airfields built between June and early September 1944.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Airfields-Winston-Ramsey-author/dp/1870067916

[RaFiGer]

Dear Community,

 

I have attached a pdf File of the pages covering München-Gladbach and a coverage of the units which was based on the airfield till August 27, 1944  and the end of German use by March 1st, 1945 when U.S. forces take the airfield.

 

Here is the link to the document:

Airfield München-Gladbach till 1945

 

If more informations out of the book needed I can scan and post them!

Edited July 1, 2020 by RaFiGer

[LukeFF]

5 hours ago, RaFiGer said:

I have attached a pdf File of the pages covering München-Gladbach and a coverage of the units which was based on the airfield till August 27, 1944  and the end of German use by March 1st, 1945 when U.S. forces take the airfield.

 

Thank you!

[RaFiGer]

Thanks LukeFF,

 

here's a location map of Rhineland Westfalia showing all positions and designations of the Airports and Fields (if needed I scan in higher resolution) :

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by RaFiGer

[DN308]

On 6/23/2020 at 6:43 PM, LukeFF said:

 

Ah, ok. I've been the one collecting all of the data for the airfields, so you can send anything you have to me either here on in a PM.

Do you still collect info on airfields for BoBP map?

If yes, do you plan to update it?

 I have collected data’s on NL airfields that would be really needed

[LukeFF]

34 minutes ago, DN308 said:

Do you still collect info on airfields for BoBP map?

If yes, do you plan to update it?

 I have collected data’s on NL airfields that would be really needed

 

Jason has said recently that they don't have any plans to update that map, but any info you can share may prove useful in the future. Thanks!

[DN308]

Can see what I can do to transfer some infos