RAF Gambut
RAF Gambut  | |
|---|---|
 Abandoned German aircraft at Gambut after its recapture by the Allies (December 1941) | |
| Summary | |
| Airport type | Military |
| Owner/Operator | Various |
| Location | Near: Kambut, Libya |
| Coordinates | 31°57′04″N 024°30′14″E / 31.95111°N 24.50389°E |
| Map | |
  Location of RAF Gambut | |
RAF Gambut (or RAF Kambut) is a complex of six abandoned military airfields in Libya, located about 5 kilometres (3 mi) north-northeast of the village of Kambut, and 50 kilometres (31 mi) east-southeast of Tobruk.
During World War II, the complex was an important facility, used by the Royal Air Force. A large number of RAF squadrons were based there for a time.
Axis forces captured Gambut on the 17th June 1941, after the Battle of Tobruk.[1] This was a significant blow to the Allies as the airfield had been used to provide air-support to the Allied forces besieged at Tobruk. The airfield saw use by the German Luftwaffe until its recapture by the New Zealand 4th Infantry Brigade on the 25 November.[2]
The United States Army Air Forces deployed the air echelon of Eighth Air Force's 93d Bombardment Group to Gambut on 16 December 1944, and it remained until 23 February 1943.[3] Ninth Air Force's 376th Bombardment Group used the airfield between 3 January and 22 February 1943.
Today the remains of the airfields – deteriorating under the desert sands – are visible on aerial photographs.
Airfields at Gambut
| RAF Designation | US Designation | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Gambut Main (No.1) | LG-139 | 31°52′5″N 24°29′5″E / 31.86806°N 24.48472°E |
| Gambut No. 2 | LG-142 | 31°51′5″N 24°32′5″E / 31.85139°N 24.53472°E |
| Gambut No. 3 | LG-143 | 31°50′5″N 24°36′5″E / 31.83472°N 24.60139°E |
| Gambut Comms No. 4 | LG-156 | 31°54′0″N 24°25′5″E / 31.90000°N 24.41806°E |
| Gambut No. 5 | LG-159 | 31°52′0″N 24°25′5″E / 31.86667°N 24.41806°E |
| Gambut No. 6 | LG-158 | 31°50′0″N 24°39′0″E / 31.83333°N 24.65000°E |
See also
References
- Citations
- ^ Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). Rommel's Desert War: The Life and Death of the Afrika Korps. Stackpole Books. p. 81. ISBN 0811734137.
- ^ Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). Rommel's Desert Commanders: The Men Who Served the Desert Fox, North Africa, 1941-1942. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 101. ISBN 0275994368.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 160–162. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
- Bibliography
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
- 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.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
External links
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