Ismailia Air Base El Qūwāt El Gawīyä El Maṣrīyä is an air base of the Egyptian Air Force located approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west-northwest of the city of Ismailia; 116 kilometres (72 mi) northeast of Cairo, Egypt.
History
Ismailia was a pre-World War II station, originally opened by the British about 1915 as Moascar.
On 5–7 November 1938, RAF Vickers Wellesley aircraft set a non-stop distance record by flying from Ismailia to Darwin, Australia, a distance of 7,162 miles (11520.4 km).
During World War II, the airfield, then known as RAF Ismailia, continued to be used as a military airfield by the British Royal Air Force and also the United States Army Air Forces during the North African campaign against Axis forces.
History
- Royal Air Force
- No. 6 Squadron RAF between 28 October 1929 and 29 May 1936 with the Fairey Gordon, Hawker Hart and Hawker Demon[1]
- No. 11 Squadron RAF between 9 May and 16 June 1940 with the Bristol Blenheim I[2]
- No. 14 Squadron RAF initially between 23 November 1915 and 20 January 1917 with the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2C & E, Farman MF.11 Shorthorn, Martinsyde S.1, Martinsyde G.100 and Airco DH.1A the between 24 August and 19 December 1940 with the Vickers Wellesley[3]
- No. 30 Squadron RAF between 25 August 1939 and 9 July 1940 with the Blenheim I & IF[4]
- No. 33 Squadron RAF between 14 November 1936 and 21 October 1938 with the Hart and Gloster Gladiator I[5]
- No. 38 Squadron RAF between 24 November and 7 December 1940 with the Vickers Wellington IC[6]
- No. 45 Squadron RAF between 3 January and 4 August 1939 with the Wellesley and Blenheim I[7]
- No. 55 Squadron RAF between 25 August 1939 and 11 June 1940 with the Blenheim I[8]
- No. 64 Squadron RAF between 9 April and 1 August 1936 with the Demon[9]
- No. 80 Squadron RAF between 10 May 1938 and 16 January 1939 with the Gladiator[10]
- No. 94 Squadron RAF between 22 April and 29 August 1941 with the Gladiator II and the Hawker Hurricane I[11]
- No. 113 Squadron RAF between 1 August and 10 October 1917 with the B.E.2E and the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8[12]
- No. 142 Squadron RAF initially between 2 February and 13 February 1918 with the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12A then between 3 August and 5 November 1936 with the Hart[13]
- No. 208 Squadron RAF initially between 1 February 1920 and 28 September 1922 with R.E.8 and Bristol F.2B Fighter then between 26 September 1923 and 27 October 1927 with the F.2B[14]
- No. 211 Squadron RAF between 31 January and 10 August 1939 and Hawker Hind and Blenheim I[15]
- Detachment from No. 213 Squadron RAF between July and December 1941 with the Hurricane I[16]
- No. 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF between 6 February and 1 March 1942 with the Hurricane I[17]
- Detachment from No. 274 Squadron RAF between February and April 1941 with the Hurricane I[18]
- No. 651 Squadron RAF between 10 November 1945 and 2 February 1946 with the Taylorcraft Auster V[19]
- United States Army Air Forces (Ninth Air Force)
- 12th Bombardment Group October 1942-Undetermined (North American B-25 Mitchell)
- 436th Troop Carrier Group, 13 August – 18 October 1942. Douglas C-47 Skytrain
- 434th Bombardment Group, 14 August – 29 September 1942, B-25 Mitchell[dubious – discuss]
Current use
The base houses an Mil Mi-17 unit and further this baseis being used for other military movements.[21]
See also
References
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 25.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 27.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 28.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 34.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 36.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 37.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 40.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 42.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 45.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 49.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 52.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 56.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 61.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 69.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 70.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 71.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 75.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 82.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 102.
- ^
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
- ^ "Egypt - Air Force - Al Ismailiyah". Scramble.nl. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
External links
- "Gladiator Ace" (2010), B. Cull, Haynes Publishing, p. 20 -21.
- Royal Air Force Airfield Creation for the Western Desert Campaign
External links
Media related to RAF Ismailia at Wikimedia Commons
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