Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum

By request of one of our researchers:

Stendal (GER) (52 38 00 N – 11 50 00 E)
General: airfield (Fliegerhorst) in Anhalt 107 km WNW of Berlin; airfield located 3.5 km NNW of Stendal.
History: airfield in existence by 1934. Served pre-war and during the first part of the war as a paratroop training center and for the formation of transport units. From mid-1942 to Apr 45, Stendal was an active operational station initially for night fighters and then for day fighters.
Dimensions: approx. 1190 x 1000 meters (1300 x 1100 yards) and irregular in shape.
Surface and Runways: firm, level grass surface in good condition. No paved runways. A ring road encircled the landing area. Equipped with boundary and obstruction lighting, a flare path, a beam approach system and the short form of the visual Lorenz system.
Fuel and Ammunition: refueling points were located on the servicing hardstands on the N boundary.
Infrastructure: had 4 very large hangars and 1 medium hangar off the N boundary, and 2 very large hangars off the W boundary, all of these with paved aprons. A few separate workshop buildings were scattered among the hangars off the N boundary and off the NE corner. The motor pool and garages were to the rear of the hangars off the N boundary. The station HQ, admin offices, barracks, messes, officers’ quarters and mess, and the flight control building, etc., were all off the N boundary behind the hangars. Additionally, there was a large barracks compound off the SE corner. Branch rail lines from Stendal served the hangars on the N and W boundaries and the NW dispersal area.
Dispersal: there was a Northwest (remote) dispersal with 5 large covered aircraft shelters, 7 small covered and 25+ aircraft parking bays in a woods. There were also 3 very large open aircraft shelters along the perimeter.
Defenses: had 3 light Flak positions on the N, NNE and SSW sides of the airfield in Oct 43, one of which was emplaced in a Flak tower.
Remarks:
5 Apr 44: low-level attack by VIII Fighter Command P-51 Mustangs – claimed 1 x Fw 190, 2 x Bf 110s, 17 x Ju 88s, 3 x Ju 52s destroyed, plus 2 x Bf 110s, 7 x Ju 88s, 1 x Ju 52 and 1 x unidentified aircraft damaged.
10 May 44: Allied reconnaissance reported leveling work underway on an extension of the W boundary and SW corner which could result in a NE/SW take-off/landing run of 1600 meters (1750 yards) when completed.
29 Jun 44: airfield bombed by 26 B-24 Liberators and strafed by fighters – 3 x Si 204 D-1s from FFS B 35 destroyed or damaged on the ground (partial German sources).
6 Aug 44: airfield bombed by 12 B-17 Fortresses as a secondary target.
6 Aug 44: photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/24554019@N06/3161092029/in/set-72157609636214338/ .
11 Sep 44: Stendal bombed by 45 B-24s as a target of opportunity.
22 Feb 45: Stendal bombed by 73 B-17s.
15 Mar 45: Stendal marshaling yards bombed by 13 B-17s.
28 Mar 45: airfield bombed by 10 B-17s – landing area hit and cratered, communications center destroyed, base fire station and barracks heavily damaged, 3 KIA and 9 WIA. (German report)
8 Apr 45: Stendal marshaling yards bombed by 73 B-17s.
10 Apr 45: low-level attack by VIII Fighter Command P-47s and P-51s – claimed 3 x Me 262s, 4 x Fw 190s, 3 x Ju 88 and 1 x unidentified aircraft destroyed, plus 1 x Bf 109, 9 x Fw 190s and 1 x Ju 88 damaged.
Operational Units: KGr.z.b.V. 2 (Aug 38 – Aug 39); Aufkl.St. Fliegerkorps 7 (1939 – Feb 40); Stab/KG z.b.V. 1 (Aug 39); II./KG z.b.V. 1 (Aug 39 – Sep 40); III./KG z.b.V. 1 (Aug, Nov-Dec 39); I./NJG 5 (Sep 42 – May 44); II./TG 3 (Apr-May 44); II./NJG 5 (Aug-Oct 44); 11./TG 4 (Aug 44 - ? ); Stab/JG 301 (Sep 44 – Apr 45); III./JG 301 (Oct 44 – Jan 45); II./JG 301 (Feb-Apr 45); IV./JG 301 (Feb-Mar 45); Sonderkommando Elbe (Mar-Apr 45); Wekusta 7 (Apr 45).
School Units: Fallschirmschule 1 (1936-42); Fallschirmschule 2 (1939 – 1942?); Arbeitsplatz for FFS B 35 (Hagenow) (Dec 43 – Jun 44).
Station Commands: as Fl.H. Stendal (to 1943); Fl.Pl.Kdo. A 30/III (1943-44); Platzkdo. of Fl.H.Kdtr. A(o) 15/III Salzwedel (1944-45); Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 216/III (1945).
Kommandant (mainly prior to the establishment of numbered station commands – not complete): Obstlt. Gerhard Bassenge (1 Mar 37 - ? ); Obstlt. Hans-Detlef von Liebermann (Nov 42 - ? ).
Lw. Station Units (on the airfield, in the town or nearby on various dates – not complete): Nachtjagdraumführer 11 (Jul 42 – Jan 44); Koflug Stendal (Jul 39 – Mar 41); Koflug 16/XI (Apr 41 – Feb 43); Werft-Abt. 38/III (1944-45); 4./le.Flak-Abt. 727 (summer 44); Stab III.(Tel.Bau)/Ln.-Rgt. 22 (Mar 43); Stab II.(Flum.Mess)/Ln.-Rgt. 204 (early 43 – Sep 44); 17.(Ers.)/Luftgau-Nachr.Rgt. 11 (Aug 41)?; Fluko Stendal; Lw.-Lazarett 15/III (Tangermünde, n.d.); Stab, I./Fj-Rgt. 1 (1938-39); Fj-Ers.-u.Ausb.Rgt. 1 (1942-43); Fj-Ers.Btl. 1 (1939 - ?); Fj-Ers.Btl. 2 (1945).
[Sources: AFHRA A5258 pp.892-95 (11 Jul 44); chronologies; BA-MA; NARA; PRO/NA; web site ww2.dk]