Misplaced Pages

Ismailia Air Base RAF Ismailia RAF Moascar
Arabic: قاعدة الاسماعيلية الجوية
Ismailia, Ismailia Governorate in Egypt
Members of No. 458 Squadron RAAF at RAF Ismailia, 1942
Ismailia Air BaseShown within Egypt
Coordinates	30°35′53.75″N 32°14′12.86″E / 30.5982639°N 32.2369056°E / 30.5982639; 32.2369056
Type	Air Base
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defense (Egypt)
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces Egyptian Air Force
Controlled by	Royal Air Force (1935-1956) Ninth Air Force (1942) Egyptian Air Force (1956 – present)
Site history
Built	1915 (1915)
In use	1915 - present
Battles/wars	World War II Western Desert campaign
Airfield information
Elevation	11 metres (36 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 13/31 980 metres (3,215 ft) Asphalt

Ismailia Air Base El Qūwāt El Gawīyä El Maṣrīyä is an air base of the Egyptian Air Force located approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west-northwest of the city of Ismailia; 116 kilometres (72 mi) northeast of Cairo, Egypt.

History

Ismailia was a pre-World War II station, originally opened by the British about 1915 as Moascar.

On 5–7 November 1938, RAF Vickers Wellesley aircraft set a non-stop distance record by flying from Ismailia to Darwin, Australia, a distance of 7,162 miles (11520.4 km).

During World War II, the airfield, then known as RAF Ismailia, continued to be used as a military airfield by the British Royal Air Force and also the United States Army Air Forces during the North African campaign against Axis forces.

History

Royal Air Force

• No. 6 Squadron RAF between 28 October 1929 and 29 May 1936 with the Fairey Gordon, Hawker Hart and Hawker Demon
• No. 11 Squadron RAF between 9 May and 16 June 1940 with the Bristol Blenheim I
• No. 14 Squadron RAF initially between 23 November 1915 and 20 January 1917 with the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2C & E, Farman MF.11 Shorthorn, Martinsyde S.1, Martinsyde G.100 and Airco DH.1A the between 24 August and 19 December 1940 with the Vickers Wellesley
• No. 30 Squadron RAF between 25 August 1939 and 9 July 1940 with the Blenheim I & IF
• No. 33 Squadron RAF between 14 November 1936 and 21 October 1938 with the Hart and Gloster Gladiator I
• No. 38 Squadron RAF between 24 November and 7 December 1940 with the Vickers Wellington IC
• No. 45 Squadron RAF between 3 January and 4 August 1939 with the Wellesley and Blenheim I
• No. 55 Squadron RAF between 25 August 1939 and 11 June 1940 with the Blenheim I
• No. 64 Squadron RAF between 9 April and 1 August 1936 with the Demon
• No. 80 Squadron RAF between 10 May 1938 and 16 January 1939 with the Gladiator
• No. 94 Squadron RAF between 22 April and 29 August 1941 with the Gladiator II and the Hawker Hurricane I
• No. 113 Squadron RAF between 1 August and 10 October 1917 with the B.E.2E and the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
• No. 142 Squadron RAF initially between 2 February and 13 February 1918 with the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12A then between 3 August and 5 November 1936 with the Hart
• No. 208 Squadron RAF initially between 1 February 1920 and 28 September 1922 with R.E.8 and Bristol F.2B Fighter then between 26 September 1923 and 27 October 1927 with the F.2B
• No. 211 Squadron RAF between 31 January and 10 August 1939 and Hawker Hind and Blenheim I
• Detachment from No. 213 Squadron RAF between July and December 1941 with the Hurricane I
• No. 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF between 6 February and 1 March 1942 with the Hurricane I
• Detachment from No. 274 Squadron RAF between February and April 1941 with the Hurricane I
• No. 651 Squadron RAF between 10 November 1945 and 2 February 1946 with the Taylorcraft Auster V

United States Army Air Forces (Ninth Air Force)

• 12th Bombardment Group October 1942-Undetermined (North American B-25 Mitchell)
• 436th Troop Carrier Group, 13 August – 18 October 1942. Douglas C-47 Skytrain
• 434th Bombardment Group, 14 August – 29 September 1942, B-25 Mitchell

Current use

The base houses an Mil Mi-17 unit and further this baseis being used for other military movements.

See also

• List of North African airfields during World War II

References

1. Jefford 1988, p. 25.
2. Jefford 1988, p. 27.
3. Jefford 1988, p. 28.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 34.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 36.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 37.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 40.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 42.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 45.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 49.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 52.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 56.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 61.
14. Jefford 1988, p. 69.
15. Jefford 1988, p. 70.
16. Jefford 1988, p. 71.
17. Jefford 1988, p. 75.
18. Jefford 1988, p. 82.
19. Jefford 1988, p. 102.
20.  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
    • Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
    • Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) . Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
21. "Egypt - Air Force - Al Ismailiyah". Scramble.nl. Retrieved 27 November 2024.

• Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

External links

• "Gladiator Ace" (2010), B. Cull, Haynes Publishing, p. 20 -21.
• Royal Air Force Airfield Creation for the Western Desert Campaign

External links

Media related to RAF Ismailia at Wikimedia Commons

v t e USAAF Ninth Air Force in World War II
Stations	Palestine (Mand) Lydda Muqueibile Ramat David St Jean Egypt Abu Sueir Ismailia El Amiriya Daba Deversoir Fayid Kabrit * Landing Ground 174 Payne Sidi Haneish Libya Baheira Belandah Benina Castel Benito Berca Darragh El Adem El Assa Gambut Hamraiet Lete Martuba Tmed El Chel Tobruk Tripoli Sidi Azeiz Tunisia Ben Gardane Bou Grara Chekira Hani Hazbub Hergla El Djem El Haouaria Kairouan Medenine Menzel Heurr Sfax Soltane United Kingdom Aldermaston Andover Andrews Field Ashford Balderton Barkston Heath Beaulieu Birch Bisterne Boreham Bottesford Boxted Charmy Down Chalgrove Chilbolton Chipping Ongar Christchurch Cottesmore Earls Colne Exeter Folkingham Fulbeck Gosfield Great Dunmow Greenham Common Grove High Halden Headcorn Holmsley South Hurn Ibsley Kingsnorth Langar Lashenden Little Walden Lymington Matching Membury Merryfield Middle Wallop North Witham Ramsbury Raydon Rivenhall Saltby Scorton Staplehurst Spanhoe Stansted Stoney Cross Thruxton Upottery Warmwell Welford Weston Zoyland Wethersfield Winkton Woodchurch Wormingford Europe Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany too numerous.
Units	Commands 9th Air Division (was IX Bomber Command) IX Air Defense IX Fighter IX Tactical Air IX Troop Carrier XIX Tactical Air XXIX Tactical Air Wings Bombardment 97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment Fighter 8th Fighter 9th Fighter 70th Fighter 71st Fighter 84th Fighter 100th Fighter 303d Fighter Troop carrier 50th Troop Carrier 52d Troop Carrier 53d Troop Carrier Groups Bombardment 12th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment Group 340th Bombardment Group 344th Bombardment Group 376th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 416th Bombardment Fighter 36th Fighter 48th Fighter 50th Fighter 57th Fighter 79th Fighter 324th Fighter 354th Fighter 358th Fighter 365th Fighter 362d Fighter 363d Fighter 366th Fighter 367th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 406th Fighter 474th Fighter Troop carrier 61st Troop Carrier 64th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier IX Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional) Reconnaissance 10th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance Squadrons Liaison 14th Liaison 47th Liaison Night fighter 422d Night Fighter 425th Night Fighter
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

• Airports in Egypt
• World War II airfields in Egypt
• Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Egypt
• Military airbases established in 1915