B.104 Damm and B.106 Twente

[Steve Brew]

At the end of March 1945, 125 Wing (41, 130 & 350 Sqns) were preparing to move to B.104 Damm, ca. 8.5 miles ENE of Wesel. It appears that 39 (Recce) Wing (400, 414 & 430 RCAF Sqns) were also destined for this airfield. However, after their 'A' Echelons arrived and started preparing a strip, but found it too waterlogged and too difficult to make serviceable, the Wing CO, Gp. Capt. 'Johnnie' Johnson flew in for a first-hand look at the situation, and decided to abandon the effort. 125 Wing then moved instead to B.106 Twente, and 39 (Recce) Wing to B.108 Rheine.

I have a few questions in regard to Damm and Twente...

1. Was B.104 Damm ever completed and used by the RAF or USAAF? Can anyone provide any more information on Damm's capture, or other details, e.g. was it already an airfield or just a flat area of ground? Any additional info would be appreciated. (Sources used so far: 41, 130 & 350 Sqns' ORBs, 125 Wing ORB, Jeffords, Rawlings and Johnnie Johnson's 'Wing Leader'.)

2. Can anyone provide me with additional information on B.106 Twente, please? e.g. size, location, description, when/how captured, facilities & accommodation, etc.?

Thanks
Steve

[Leendert]

Steve,

Location of B.106 Twente is same as former Dutch air base Twenthe, nowadays civil Enschede Airport Twente (EHTW).

(Note that the military used an "h" in the name)

Regards,

Leendert

[Ex Shack]

Hi Steve
As Leendert has shown, Twente has become Enschede Airport. If you look on Google maps you can find it about 5 kms N of Enschede and about the same distance E of Hengelo. A diagrammatic airfield with the runways shows quite clearly with enough zoom
Regards
Dick

[Stig Jarlevik]

Steve

Shores' first book about 2nd TAF (the one from 1970) does not even list B.104 as a base, which to me at least indicates it was never used, at least not by 2nd TAF.

No such list in his maximum 4 volume effort, together with Thomas, though. Every squadron with 2nd TAF listed with all bases, and a very brief (!!) look-through by me failed to produce any B.104 in there.

Most probably a piece of land intended to make some kind of airstrip.

Cheers
Stig

[Allan125]

Originally Posted by Stig Jarlevik

Steve

Shores' first book about 2nd TAF (the one from 1970) does not even list B.104 as a base, which to me at least indicates it was never used, at least not by 2nd TAF.

No such list in his maximum 4 volume effort, together with Thomas, though. Every squadron with 2nd TAF listed with all bases, and a very brief (!!) look-through by me failed to produce any B.104 in there.

Most probably a piece of land intended to make some kind of airstrip.

Cheers
Stig

Hi Stig

B.104 Damm certainly existed - both 125 Wing and 39 Recce Wing personnel were there (including my father ), it is mentioned in the 125 Wing ORB (which also stated that 39 Recce Wing were there) and, presumably, is mentioned in the ORB of 39 Recce Wing as well - JEJ even mentions it in "Wing Leader" but the actual squadrons of 125 Wing (41, 130, 350) never flew from there as they were sent to B.106 Twente Enschede.

cheers

Allan

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks for that Allan

However I have not looked closer in Shores 2nd TAF Vol 4 and there are still no Squadrons listed using B.104. Nothing from RAF, nothing from the Army (AOP) units and nothing from RN. Unfortunately none of the new books are indexed as per place names....

The place feels very strange, since I think it is hard that Shores should have overlooked such an airfield if two Wings had been based there. Was it known under another name? Where was this place in the first place? Could it have been very close to another field and simply hosted Staff personal?

Cheers
Stig

[Allan125]

Hi Stig

It was certainly known as B.104 Damm - and was utilised by the Advance Party of 125 Wing. Here is as it is written in both the 125 Wing ORB and "Wing Leader" by "Johnnie" Johnson, who had just taken command of 125 Wing. JEJ of course then became a Group Captain - but had arrived as a Wing Commander and was reported as such.

125 Wing ORB

28/3/45

W/Cdr Johnny Johnson, D.S.O., D.F.C., assumed command of the Wing vice G/Capt Scott-Malden who is leaving to take up another appointment.

29/3/45

Yet another move is in the offing but in view of the advance of our armies, who would grumble. We move at first light to-morrow. There was no flying owing to weather and we were grateful as it gave us a chance to pack up.

30/3/45

“A” Echelon moved off at 0730 hours on their trek across the Rhine. They crossed the Maas at Venlo and the Rhine at Xanten. After passing through Wesel which was still burning, they finally fetched up at B.104 (Damm) at 1530 hours, at the same time as 39 Recce Wing. Houses were commandeered and everyone in sight of being straight by nightfall. The strip is still under construction and it will certainly be a few days before it is suitable for the ‘kites’ to fly in…” (abbreviated the daily entry does not finish after "for the ‘kites’ to fly in").

31/3/45

“A” Party proceeded with the work of getting shipshape but the strip doesn’t look like being operational for some days. The A.O.C. landed during the afternoon. Back at B.78 weather interfered with operations and apart from an armed recce in the early morning no further flying took place until the late afternoon, all of which was uneventful.

1/4/45

Operations were restricted to two patrols, both over Rheine. They were uneventful except that W/O Miller developed a glycol leak and force landed south of Enschede but was seen to run for cover. “A” party at B.104 had an easy time. The weather had deteriorated during the night and the strip is far from complete. A Dakota made a successful landing.

2/4/45

Little more was done to-day and a fair amount of Hun met was successfully attacked including some field guns. Meanwhile at B.104 the “A” party were contending with strong winds and considerable rainy spells. Still no news of when the strip will be ready.

3/4/45

A column of met was found by a section of 41 Sqdn in the Quakenbruck area and straffed to the tune of 12 destroyed and 7 damaged. Later in the day the weather deteriorated and all the later sorties were abortive. At B.104 the ground was very soft with the bad weather continuing. The C.O. flew in, probably the first Spitfire to land – voluntarily – east of the Rhine. He soon decided the strip would be useless so it looks as though we shall not operate from here. The good news was received that S/Ldr Terry Spencer had been liberated by the Americans. W/O Miller returned to-day after having crash landed on the first April.

4/4/45

The Wing were fairly busy, 58 sorties were flown and good met scores were recorded as well as 2 barges destroyed and 22 damaged. F/Lt Hoornaert of 350 Sqdn crash landed in enemy territory and was seen walking away from his aircraft. No further news from B.104.

5/4/45

In the early part of the day we had a busy time attacking met and at 1100hours 350 Sqdn ran into 5 FW190’s who bounced our aircraft while they were straffing met. One e/a was destroyed, shared by F/O Muls and F/Sgt Neulinger but we also lost one. F/O Cresswell-Turner who was last seen engaged in a fight with 3 e/a. Owing to a glycol leak on an earlier mission we lost an aircraft. F/O Finbow force landed in our lines and was taken to hospital. The weather deteriorated during the afternoon and no further incidents occurred. All was peace at B.104 patiently waiting to move in order to link up somewhere with their overworked comrades at B.78.

6/4/45

Owing to poor weather no operations took place. Everyone has been packed and ready to move for days but we are still at B.78 working like blazes. At B.104 warning was received to move at first light to-morrow to B.106 – Twente, in Holland.

7/4/45

Weather still poor and only two operations carried out in which we destroyed 1 and damaged 2 met. “A” party successfully reached Twente after an 8-hour journey to cover the odd 55 miles. The new airfield is very pleasant and the buildings in good condition. The wily Huns had placed 500 lb bombs in all the buildings but had omitted to explode them – a serious omission from their point of view. There is enough room for all under cover and quite a lot of office furniture.

Extract from “Wing Leader” by Group Captain J E “Johnnie” Johnson

Four days after the crossing of the Rhine I was told that a grass strip was ready for us. I was to have a look at it, and if suitable the Wing was to move in immediately. I took a fairly strong reconnaissance party with me. After swaying across the river on a very temporary wooden bridge, we drove through what remained of the little town of Wesel. Bomber Command had hammered this place a few hours before the assault and now it smouldered and stank in the warm sunshine.

Here and there little groups of dubious, sullen young men stood at the street corners. We suspected that not very long ago they had worn different clothes, but we had important things to do and left them to their own devices. The new airfield, at a place called Damm, was quite unsuitable; the ground being badly drained and water-logged.

We could never operate our Spitfires from this site until it had thoroughly dried out, so I phoned the Group Commander and said that it wasn't on. "Never mind" he said, "The army has just captured a far better place, Twente, in Holland, and very close to the German border. Get your Wing there at once."

From Damm we struck camp and pressed on to Twente. The airfield had been used by the Luftwaffe, but the brick runway had been bombed many times, and although it had been patched up, odd bricks lay all over the place and the surface looked uneven and dangerous.

A fine-looking strip of grass lay alongside a wood on the east side of the airfield. The surface seemed reasonably dry and I thought it would make a far better runway than the crumbling bricks.

We only remained at Twente for a few days. Our grass strip remained serviceable, but only because of constant attention from the rollers, pulled by teams of sweating airmen and officers. Whenever there was a lull in the flying, out came the rollers: everyone enjoyed it, as long as we kept the Spitfires in the air. The troops knew they were on the last lap and soon they would be back at home. You could see it shining from their eager, happy faces.


“The Spitfire squadrons of No. 125 Wing were the first to cross the river and station themselves at Twente, an airfield captured twenty-four hours earlier by the British Second Army.” Source: Royal Air Force 1939 – 1945 Volume III – The Fight is Won.

cheers

Allan

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks again Allan

But what you write is rather proof of the opposite, ie that NO flying units were actually based at Damm. I read the excerpts that it was only advanced ground teams that worked at the airfield. One Spitfire pilot tested the runway/strip and found it unusable, and beside the odd Dakota, that's it! Everything mentioned with regard to B.104 concerns ground units of the Wing(s) in question and not the flying units. They are still at B.78

JEJ didn't even fly into the field, since he went by some motor vehicle to inspect it.

As far as I am concerned no flying units from 2nd TAF were based at Damm.

Cheers
Stig

[Nick Beale]

Also, Twente had been a significant Luftwaffe base through into early 1945. NSG 20 was among the uits that had operated from there until shortly before it was abandoned.

[Allan125]

Originally Posted by Stig Jarlevik

Thanks again Allan

But what you write is rather proof of the opposite, ie that NO flying units were actually based at Damm. I read the excerpts that it was only advanced ground teams that worked at the airfield. One Spitfire pilot tested the runway/strip and found it unusable, and beside the odd Dakota, that's it! Everything mentioned with regard to B.104 concerns ground units of the Wing(s) in question and not the flying units. They are still at B.78

JEJ didn't even fly into the field, since he went by some motor vehicle to inspect it.

As far as I am concerned no flying units from 2nd TAF were based at Damm.

Cheers
Stig

Hi Stig

Steve Brew and I are aware that the squadrons of 125 Wing were not based there. However, his question concerning B.104 Damm was "1. Was B.104 Damm ever completed and used by the RAF or USAAF? Can anyone provide any more information on Damm's capture, or other details, e.g. was it already an airfield or just a flat area of ground?" and we still haven't found the answer to some of his questions i.e. capture date, was it ever completed, possible USAAF use - although probably unlikely as it was in a British area of responsibility.

It was probably only used by an airfield construction unit, Air Formation Signals installing ground equipment (telephones etc.) as well as the Advance Parties of both Wings.

The AOC flying in was probably Harry Broadhurst using his Fieseler Storch (if it hadn't been wrecked by this date) and of course who flew the Spitfire XIV as the diarist says that JEJ flew in and JEJ says he went by road!!!

cheers

Allan