Former army airfield Hanau (Erlensee)

Germany / Hessen / Neuberg / Erlensee
 military airbase, military, abandoned / shut down, invisible
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Ground was broken for the construction of the Langendiebach Airfield, or Fliegerhorst Langendiebach as it was then known, in the summer of 1936, after a Junkers JU-52 on maneuvers made an emergency landing in the meadows behind Reusserhof. Although it was originally intended that there should be three phases of construction, only the first phase of construction was completed, due to the outbreak of WW II. The official opening of the Kaserne on 19 March 1939 was marked by a large celebration, involving a parade from the center of Erlensee to the front gate, and a Volksfest of 25,000 German civilians, who were treated to an air show.

At first, Fliegerhorst was occupied by the 1st Group, 55th Combat Squadron, equipped with HE-111 P twin-engine bombers. These left Langendiebach on 31 August 39 to participate in the invasion of Poland. After a visit by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring to Fliegerhorst on 3 March 1940, Fliegerhorst became the site of a glider school, the graduates of which went on to participate in, among other operations, the invasion of the Soviet Union. The aircraft used to tow the gliders were the Czech Aviojäger, HE 45, HE 46, and the glider itself was the DFS 230. The wartime glider training conducted at Fliegerhorst included: formation flying, precision approaches and precision landings from altitudes of 1000 to 2000 meters. In addition to gliders, there were various experimental aviation units on Fliegerhorst, including a high-altitude fighter squadron. From the middle of 1944 until the Americans succeeded in crossing the Rhine, two successive groups of Junkers JU-88 Nightfighters, the 1st then the 3rd, were stationed on Fliegerhorst. Once the Americans had crossed the Rhine, these elements of the 4th Nightfighter Squadron were withdrawn to North Eastern Germany.

The three most destructive bombing attacks on Fliegerhorst Kaserne occurred on 9 September 44, 10 November 44 and 24 December 44. The bombing raid carried out on 10 November 44 involved 229 B-24 Liberators, which dropped a total of 431.5 tons of bombs. This bombing was conducted in the light of recent intelligence, which revealed that the Fliegerhorst runway had recently been extended by some 300 meters to accommodate three ME-262 jet fighters.

In order to divert allied attacks away from Fliegerhorst, the Germans emplaced decoy airfields, consisting of wooden mock-ups of aircraft and of airfield facilities, in the vicinity of Mittelbuchen, Kilianstädten and Rossdorf. These succeeded in leading low-flying aircraft astray on many occasions, but could not prevent the comprehensive destruction inflicted upon Fliegerhorst by war’s end. The buildings and facilities of the Kaserne were assessed as 20% destroyed, and the severely pockmarked runway as totally unserviceable. Furthermore, the woods were bombed from Bärensee to Rückingen, in order to eliminate the camouflaged aircraft in parking spots concealed by woods. Present-day B 40, which could be used as an auxiliary runway, was also bombed.

Fliegerhorst’s facilities and airfield were totally unserviceable when the Americans occupied this Kaserne in 1945. However, after the necessary repairs had been completed, the US Army used Fliegerhorst from 1947 to 1952 in a limited capacity for courier flights. Otherwise, the facilities and buildings were used as storage and administrative sites.

In 1952, several construction projects were undertaken to give the airfield back its character as a military facility. It was during this period that the large ammunition bunkers west of the airfield were built. From 1957 to 1960, Hangars 1302, 1303 and 1304, and the control tower were converted and refitted to accommodate helicopter aviation.

Due to the troop reductions pursuant to the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty and the Treaty of Vienna, many battalions have been removed from Fliegerhorst since 1991. Fliegerhorst stood as one of the most important US Army Aviation Airfields in Europe until it was shut down in 2006 and returned to German control.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanau_Army_Airfield
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   50°10'0"N   8°57'23"E

Comments

  • I was stationed at Fleigerhorst from 1986 to 1988, first in th 270th Transportation Battalion and later as the 8th/158th Non-divisional AVIM Maintenance Battalion. Our barracks were the L-shaped silver building near the Gym and we worked in the two eastern most hangers on the airfield. There are quite a few buildings that I do not recognize. And there were 3 Mess Halls back then, not just one. One day why raking the dirt outside our hanger I found a .50 slug at the base of a tree. I'm pretty sure it didn't fall there after 1945.
  • I was stationed there from Dec 79 to Dec 81.My building was the first one on the left after the main gate.I was with 2/75 Field Artillery unit.
  • I was there from 1976-79. I was in the first building to the left as you went in the front gate. 1Bn 32Feild Artillery
  • I served at Coleman in 1967 with 3rd Squadron/8th Cavalry/8th Inf. Div. My barracks were the 4th on Left after coming in main gate. Our armor occupied the spider at the end of the runway.
  • i was stationed there 1984-1987,svc btry 2/75.my barracks were first on left past front gate.bottom floor,left at cq desk,first room on left.
  • Was At post in mid 80s next to rec center F-TAB 333
  • 30th Trans (205th) 1976-1979. Nice duty station. 1SG Rick Jensen (Ret)
  • I was station there 1986-1989, 2/75 FA /Bravo and Charlie Battery. My barracks were 1st on the left after coming in main gate. SPC Martinez
  • I was stationed there for 30 months (February 65 - August 67) with the 30th Transportation Company at the Army Airfield as an aircraft mechanic. It was a great assignment and I learned to love Germany. Retired Army Captain, Joseph Jordan.
  • From September 1979 - February 1983 Fliegerhorst Kaserne was my home away from home. I was with 1/32 FA as a RATT operator. While I was there I traveled all over Germany (even found relatives my mom wanted me to look up), as well as several other surrounding countries. My sister was stationed south of Stuttgart my first year in Germany, and that helped me get out and travel. Many, many fond memories of Fliegerhorst, Erlensee, and Hanau!!
  • I was stationed at Fliegerhorst '79-'81 in D Co. 503rd CAB. A lot of great memories.
  • I was stationed there from 1987 - 1992 at 1/32nd FA...miss everything now. :(
  • I was there for a few months in late 1969. Anyone ever get to see the old underground hangers? Every old german barracks building had a locked door leading to them. I was told they were dangerous and full of water.
  • Marcia shepherd I was in 62nd aviation co from 75 to 77. first time I`ve looked fleigerhorst up
  • I was stationed here with the 122nd Maintenenace Bn. from 1963-1965, and was among the massed troops in formation on the airstrip when Pres. Kennedy trooped the line. Later, when stationed in Belgium in 1977, I returned to Fliegerhorst once just for nostalgia's sake, and it looked rather run-down. Lots of rumors in the 60's of jets still in place on elevators in underground hangers, but never saw them. I could look out of my barracks windows and see overgrown bomb craters in the fields past the fence, and some buildings still had bullet-pocked walls.
  • I was there 1960 thru July 12, 1962 with Hq & A company 122nd Ord Bn but actually belonged to 143rd Sig Corp Bn in Frankfurt. I worked in 3rd Armored Div Sig Maintenance which had a shop in the front of one of the hangers and a Motor Maint shop in the large part of the hanger. I was a Radar Repairman (282.10). Sorry to hear that Fliegerhorst is gone and so is the 3rd Armored Division (Spearhead).
  • I was at Fligerhorst from 1959 to 1961 as a member of the 503d Avn Co Fixed Wing Platoon. Good memories.
  • I was stationed there from 1980 to 1983 in 173rd Avn Robin Hoods Hueys as a crewchief. Sure do hate seeing her in the shape she is in today......Sad very sad.
  • I was also stationed with the 122d Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Armored Division, from 1981 to 1983. It was rumored by Erlensee locals that the reason it took so long for the Allies to discover Fliegerhorst was that they used to flood the airstrip to make it look like a small lake from the air. To add credence to the legend... During my stay there, we discovered rectangular underground tunnels that were flooded to within two or three feet of the ceiling. Networks of approximately 10" pipes ran through these tunnels and had large wheel-type shut-off valves.
  • Fred Hauck - I was stationed in Fliegerhorst with the 597AFA BN from 1955 to 1956 great station with great memories.
  • i was there in 245th,and 30th trans from 4/1974-7/1976.i wasa avioavionics mechanic,and in lolove wwith a girl elona maurice.i would probably know who you are if i saw you.
  • Yes I was there from 1973 to 1975 also. B co 122 maint 3ad and I heard the same rumors and also saw one of the tunnels that was flooded.
  • I was there at that time.. I have a really nice picture of your barracks and the missile that there at the front gate
  • Charles Wencl - I was also stationed at Fleigerhorst with the 597th AFA BN from 1955 to 1956 at the headquarters battery. Some of my photos of the base are included at several internet sites. I drove a halftrack and then the APC's.
  • Hello Charles.....I was there in 1960, dad was helicopter pilot. I was only 9 at the time......was wondering where the school was located? Best wishes to you.
  • I was there from July 1953 to Feb.1955.we were in the 141st. Tank batt . co. c. Our battalion had three companies and a headquarters co. We were part of 19th group which had another tank battalion in Manheim get. It was the 510th tank battalion. There were other units in the group also,we would go to tank training ,(@vilseck,grafenwoer, )and throughout the west German zone for maneuvers. I remember it ,like, yesterday. We also could buy a ,bier,broten,and a big chunk of wurst for 1mark. (1 mark = 25 cents. Many good times and bad ,but you have to take the bitter with sweet.
  • I was stationed at Fliegerhorst from June '68-Jan '70, with Hq Btry, !st Battalion, 32nd Field Arty (Honest John). My barracks had the "missile" (Honest John) in front of it mentioned in an earlier post. Somewhere I have a photo of the rocket with its fins bent---a result of too much celebration on someone's part! I have fond memories of the place; perhaps one of the most important periods of my life. I was Staff Duty EM the night that the Eagle landed on the Moon. I entered the event on the Battery Log......!!
  • I was there 1985 to 1989 F-TAB 333 FA I worked in the motor pool.... well I should say "Lived there" lol
  • I was stationed with the 141st tank battalion A,B,C, plus Headquarters Co.their was a Wac detachment,who worked in a Signal Co. I was in C company and we parked our M-47 's on concrete pads outside of the kaseren. There was also an anti- aircraft battalion across the street from our barracks. Outside of the gate to the camp was a little gasthaus called the (Bloody Bucket).
  • I was stationed there in 1958-1960 with the 122nd Ordnance Battalion. Many memories i.e. slot machines at the E M club, monthly alerts, coffee breaks with the large urns and sweet rolls, sweeping the rear runways on Fridays, the weekly hair cuts, and the many trips on over night and 3 day passes. The best trips were on the 'leaves'. Using the 'red dye' from the 'strass' to polish our floors. Our 'guys' converting the jeeps of the generals with the OD paint mixed with gloss black, also from the strass. Bob Gaal, now in Idaho
  • Well after I left. 62nd Aviation Company. 11th Aviation Company Combat.
  • 62nd Aviation Company. 1973-75.
  • I was there from 73 to 75. Hq & Aco 122 maint 3rd AD. Sad to see it is almost gone.
  • I was with the 30th TAAM between 1 Dec 55 and 23 May 57 long before the TAAM companies were redesignated as Aviation Companies. I served at Hoppstadten AAF from 1 Dec 55 until early September 1956 when we moved to Hanau AAF at Fliegerhorst. What a great time to be there and what great people there were in the town of Langendiebach and city of Hanau. I would not have missed my time at Fliegerhorst for any amount of money. It is sad to see pictures of the hangar areas and other spots that have gone to seed. I believe I saw a photo posted on the US Army in Germany site that had to be of SP3's Ron Mast and John Harder working/visiting by an old L-19. If any of my old buddies read this, contact me at oakdale@centurylink.net. Mel Giles
  • David Nuhn I was also stationed with the 122d Maintenance Battalion,3rd Armored Division, from 1981 to 1983.(Maintien Le Droit) Maintain the world.I was in the same building as the female M.P.s ,3rd floor.
  • After arriving in Germany on January 1, 1963 and riding by jeep from Frankfurt Main airport I checked in at HQ 377 Transportation Company (Heavy Lift) at Coleman Barracks. I was quartered in a paper wall "BOQ" building in a long double row of such quarters. After a few weeks with the 377th and qualifying for an Army Driver License for vehicles from 1/4 ton through 10 ton, I was transferred to the 40th Transportation Company, Medium Truck Petrroleum at Turley Barracks in Mannheim. Through other officer friends stationed at Coleman I was able to handle the controls of some helicopters being serviced there and fly them under close supervision of CPT Earley, a test pilot. I applied for flight school but couldn't pass the vision qualification. In October 1964 I rotated back to the States, joined Eastman Kodak Company for 40 years, spent 26 years in the ArmyReserve, mostly in Civil Affairs, and retired as LTC. I live with my wife, Uta, who I met in Mannheim, on the Pacific coast in Huntington Harbour, CA. We have visited Coleman Bks, Turley Bks, Benjamin Franklin Village as well as other attractions and relatives in the area. It is a delightful part of Europe with many memories. Turley Bks is undergoing a major renovation as an educational, residential and cultural facility under German operation. Jim DeClerck
  • feb. 77 to nov. 79..... HHB 3/59 , 32nd adcom .... spec/4 Haynes.... sure miss the times
  • Sp/4 Bob Woodson. I was stationed with the 30th Trans from Feb 66 to Aug 68, as a Supply clerk. Sgt. Biery was the Supply Sergeant. He had previously been a Quartermaster instructor at West Point. No one knew supply better than he did. I was witness to him backing down a full bird Colonel during a Brigade inspection. The Colonel came back the next day, and apologized to Sgt. Biery, stating he had been 100% correct. Sp/4 Dave Otto was an aircraft engine mechanic, and a friend of mine. He went home about six months before I did. I recently located him in Montana. I would have to say the rumors of underground hangers at Fliegerhorst are false. During a GI party in the basement of the 30th Trans, an Iron Cross medal was found in a boarded up air vent. That led several of us to explore all the tunnels we could find over a number of weeks. We even went out at night with bolt cutters and cut all the locked doors we could find. None led underground. We did explore the tunnels radiating out from 30th Trans barracks. The only things we ever found, was one 8mm shell casing, and an old German shoe under the 30th Trans mess hall. The 10inch pipes mentioned by others were steam pipes for heat for the radiators in the buildings. We followed one clear over to the boiler plant. In another tunnel, we found a manhole cover that was covered with ten inches of dirt and sod in the little park west of the 30th Trans barracks. That tunnel and the 10inch pipes eventually put us in the basement of the post theater. Anybody for watching movies for free? The story of flooding the field to fool the bombers has to be a joke. How long do you think it would take to flood a field that large with only minutes notice? Then how long to drain it so planes could take off? What about Allied recon flights before and after bombing runs? Why would a flooded field with a row of hangers next to it, fool any bombardier? Too, I've been out on the Fliegerhorst field. We ran "run what you brung" drag races on Sundays during the summer. I found no remnant of levee or other construction to hold a certain depth of water on the field. Nor means to get rid of the water after it was no longer needed. Last but not least, I checked online - all German air fields that are known to have underground hangers, were next to a mountain, or hillside. Which is where the hangers were located. Fliegerhorst is a meadow, think of how much trouble it would be to dig down several layers (multiple levels it is supposed), pour concrete, either construct long ramps to get the airplanes underground and back up, or install elevators. In the case of elevators, think how long it would take to build and install enough large elevators so to allow putting the aircraft underground quickly. And they still had to be invisible from the air? Flieglehorst was built in less than three years. Construction was slow back before the war. And it is stated in the article above, there were to be three phases to the construction of the field. Only one was completed. You can wonder what was planned for the other two phases. I was TDY to southern Germany for a week late in my tour. The kaserne I was at had a tall mountain next to it. Which was rumored was where the Germans manufactured jet planes. We were given strict orders that the mountain was off limits. Still I did a little exploring, and I found only one personnel door in the side of the mountain. I didn't go clear around the mountain, but the terrain was such, there didn't seem to be anyplace to put a large enough door in order to roll an aircraft through, that couldn't be seen from anywhere nearby. I seriously doubt the Allies left any stone unturned after the war. You might find a stash of gold bars buried somewhere, but I doubt you'll find any planes or previously unseen hangers. One thing I remember about Fliegerhorst, is the sound of helicopters coming and going. Even now, anytime I hear a helicopter I go out and try to identify it. After Sgt Biery rotated back to the States, they brought in an E5 Supply Sergeant from Viet Nam. Compared to Sgt Biery, he was no supply sergeant. He left everything up to me. They also saddled us with a 2nd Lt, fresh out of OCS, as Supply Officer. He came up with this plan to repaint all of the 30th Trans barracks. He tried to hand carry supply requests through channels in order to get paint. I told him he couldn't do that. He took me with him, to show me. At Quartermaster Headquarters, he ran into a fellow 2nd Lt. he knew at OCS. He handed him the supply requests, and was quickly told he couldn't do that. Ha He then got a pilot and put me on a CH-34 and we flew to Mannheim as I recall. After a few hours of the Lt. arguing, endlessly, trying to get his paint, we finally left with two or three gallons of paint, instead of the five or six cases the trip was for. And we loaded a box of rotor blades that was ready for shipment to Fliegerhorst. The rotor blades blocked using any of the cargo area seats, so I had to ride astraddle of the rotor blades back to Fliegerhorst - with no seat belt and with the door wide open, mind you. That wouldn't have been too bad with a normal sane flight. But the pilot was showing off on the way back, doing leaf falls, and making strafing runs down through the tree tops - this in a CH34? We had pine bows in the landing gear, when we landed at Fliegerhorst. It was my first and only helicopter flight. But I truly enjoyed it. It was a lot smoother than my later flight home in a jet airliner. Oh yeah! Lots of memories.
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This article was last modified 11 years ago