Spilve Airfield (Riga)

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Spilva was first used by aircraft during World War I. The airfield was initially unusable during the spring months, when the Daugava would flood the entire field. 1n at least one spring, the field was flooded with massive chunks of ice from the Daugava, and the aircraft had to be hauled up into the hangar roof to save them from damage. Immediately after the Russian Revolution, when the bolsheviks briefly held Riga, their 1st Aviation Division was based at Spilve. In May 1919 the Bolsheviks were driven from Riga and the German Sachsenberg squadron was based at Spilve. The following November, after the Bermont-Avalov battles, Spilve, with its three hangars, was designated the primary air base for the young Latvian Air Force.