Ursel Air Base

Ursel Air Base
IATA: none ICAO: EBUL
Summary
Airport type	Military/Public
Operator	Belgian Air Component
Serves	Ursel
Location	Belgium
Elevation AMSL	96 ft / 29 m
Coordinates	51°08′39″N 003°28′32″E
Map
EBUL Location in Belgium
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 07/25 2,980 9,777 Concrete
Sources: Belgian AIP

Ursel Air Base (ICAO: EBUL) is a joint public/military airport located 10.2 km southwest of Eeklo near Ursel, East Flanders, Belgium.

History

The airfield was established in the 1930s for the Belgian Air Force. After the Battle of Belgium in May 1940, it was taken over by the Luftwaffe and used as an auxiliary airfield during the occupation period. It was briefly used by the Italian Corpo Aereo Italiano, creating a diplomatic break between Italy and the Belgian government in exile which led to a Belgian offensive against Italian East Africa.

The area was liberated by British Army forces in September 1944, and Royal Engineers converted the airfield to Royal Air Force use, designating the field as Advanced Landing Ground B-67. Four squadrons of Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers operated from the field, their mission being to break the resistance of German troops at the Dutch island of Walcheren, which controlled the entrance to the harbours of Antwerp. Once the entrance to Antwerp was cleared, the RAF moved out and the airfield was abandoned.

See also

• List of airports in Belgium

References

• Ursel - ALG B.67
• Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

External links

• Ursel Flying Club
• Airport record for Ursel Air Base at Landings.com