Shaibah

Shaibah is the name of a small village and a site of a military airfield near Az Zubayr, 7 miles (11 km) south west of Basrah in Iraq.

It was the site of RAF Shaibah from 1920 until 1956 when it was then handed over to the Iraqi Air Force.

3rd Indian Motor Brigade was reformed as 43rd Lorried Infantry Brigade here in December 1942-February 1943 during the Second World War.

It was the site of Multi-National Division (South East)/Coalition Forces' Shaibah Logistics Base (SLB) during the Invasion and follow on occupation of Iraq from 2003 until 2007. While in operation it was home to British, Czech, Danish and Norwegian forces. In 2007 the SLB was handed over to Iraqi Army.

RAF Shaibah

RAF Shaibah was an RAF station situated at Shaibah about 13 miles south west of the city of Basrah in Iraq. The area was the site of a battle with Turkish Forces during the Mesopotamian campaign of the First World War.

First occupied by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1920, the resident squadron was No. 84 Squadron RAF until 1940 when No. 244 Squadron RAF took over. 244 Sqn was involved in the Rashid Ali rebellion on 1941. RAF Shaibah was a small and primitive base in the desert with a harsh hot and humid climate. It expanded during the Second World War. By July 1942 RAF Shaibah was under the control of the RAF's Air Headquarters Iraq (see AHQ Iraq and Persia). At this time several units were based at Shaibah. They included:

• No. 115 Maintenance Unit
• No. 119 Maintenance Unit
• No. 8 S & T Column

In 1956 it was handed over to the Iraqi Air Force.

Following the Gulf War of 2003 it became the site of a British Military Hospital and the Shaibah Logistics Base (SLB), but the original RAF buildings remain. While the SLB was in operation it was home to British, Czech, Danish and Norwegian forces.

In 2007 the SLB was handed over to Iraqi Army.

See also

• List of RAF stations
• Article 5, Anglo-Iraqi Treaty (1930)

External links

• Habbaniya.org