Nevyedritza airfield

[Larry deZeng]

Thank you Kirill! My guess is that the second airfield or field airstrip at Newedriza (Nevedritsa) was built by the Russians right after they liberated Idritsa, perhaps because the main airfield there had so many bomb craters it could not be used. So it may have been faster and easier to build a new one simply by leveling some ground nearby at Nevedritsa.

Idriza (RUSS) (a.k.a. Idritsa) (ZNr. 10-590) (c. 56 20 N – 28 53 E)
General: field airstrip (Feldflugplatz) in NW Russia 100 km W of Velikiye Luki and 2 km N of Idritsa town center. History: a pre-war Soviet airfield. In German hands, it was used almost exclusively by single-engine fighters, dive bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and night harassment planes. Surface and Dimensions: natural surface measuring approx. 1565 x 1400 meters (1710 x 1530 yards). Infrastructure: no hangars and no barracks but there were numerous civilian buildings off the S and SE boundaries of the airstrip at the N end of Idritsa and around the village of Luzhki. Dispersal: had 7 open aircraft shelters in Jul 44.
Remarks:
15 Jul 41: Idritsa captured by advancing German troops.
27 Feb 44: bombed by 54 Soviet Il-2 ground-attack planes and fighters – claimed 32 aircraft destroyed on the ground out of some 90 seen of the airfield, while 6 more were shot down over the base.
12/13 Jul 44: Idritsa liberated by Soviet forces.
18 Jul 44: aerial photos show the landing area heavily pockmarked with bomb craters.
Aug 44: Soviet wartime documents and postwar memoirs state that there were now 2 airfields at Idriza (Idritsa), the second one at Newedriza (Newedritsa), located 5 km NE of Idritsa town center and 3 km ENE of where the WWII Idritsa airfield used to be. Coordinates: c. 56 21 19 N - 28 57 15 E. The two airfields came under 176 BAO (airfield service battalion) 35 RAB (District of Airfield Services) 15 VA. The 1st Latvian NBAP/313 NBAD was based here in late July and/or early August.
Operational Units: III./St.G. 1 (Dec 42 – Jan 43); Stab/NAGr. 11 (Oct-Dec 43); all or elements of NSGr. 1 (Oct 43 – Jun 44); elements of II./JG 5 (Nov 43 – Jan 44); 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 31 (Nov 43 – Jan/Feb 44); 2./Fliegergruppe z.b.V. 7 (Nov 43 – Jan/Feb 44); I./SG 5 (Nov 43 – Jan 44); NSGr. 11 (estn.) (Nov 43 – Feb 44); Stab/NAGr. 5 (Feb-May 44); 1./NAGr. 5 (Feb-Jun 44); 2./NAGr. 5 (Feb-Mar/Apr 44); II./SG 1 (Apr-May 44); II./SG 3 (May-Jun 44); III./SG 3 (Jun-Jul 44); Stab/JG 54 (Jul 44).
Station Commands: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 33/XI (Nov 42 - Mar 44); Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 207/I (Apr-Jul 44).
Station Units (on various dates – not complete): Stab/3. Fliegerdivision (Jan-Feb 44); 11./Feldwerftverband 60 (Jan, May 44); 122. Flugh.Betr.Kp. (Qu) (Mar 44); Wintersondergeräte-Zug 7 (Feb 44 - ? ); elements of gem.Flak-Abt. 294 (Jan-Mar 44); gem.Flak-Abt. 341 (Jan 43); 9.(Funkh.)/Ln.-Rgt. 1 (Jun 42); Lw.-Bau-Btl. 26/XI (Apr 43); Trsp.Kol. d.Lw. 102/IV (Mar 44); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 93/VI (Feb-Mar 44).
[Sources: chronologies; AFHRA, BA-MA; NARA incl. T-321 roll 239/OKL 903; PRO/NA; web sites ww2.dk, wwii-photos-maps.com, http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=50234 (Kirill)]