Brumowski Air Base

Coordinates: 48°19′16″N 016°06′43″E / 48.32111°N 16.11194°E / 48.32111; 16.11194
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Fliegerhorst Brumowski

Brumowski Air Base
AMSL
594 ft / 180 m
Coordinates48°19′16″N 016°06′43″E / 48.32111°N 16.11194°E / 48.32111; 16.11194
Map
LOXT is located in Austria
LOXT
LOXT
Location of Fliegerhorst Brumowski in Austria
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 1,400 4,593 Asphalt
08/26 Grass
13/31 Grass
05/23 Grass

Fliegerhorst Brumowski (Brumowski Air Base) is an

Tulln; about 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Vienna
.

Units currently based there are the

Bell OH-58B Kiowa of 3rd Helicopter Squadron, Flight Regiment 1.[1]

In addition, the base is the headquarters of the Luftunterstützungsgeschwader (Air Support Wing);[1] it also houses the Bundesfachschule für Flugtechnik (Federal School for Aeronautical Engineering) and Fliegerwerft 1, responsible for overhauls and maintenance.

History

Luftwaffe

The construction of Fliegerhorst Brumowski was started in June 1938 for the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) and on 1 October 1939, the first military personnel arrived.

When the war with Yugoslavia started in 1941, the airfield served as a jumping off point for aerial attacks against that country. The Air-war School VII, commanded by Major General Volkmann, was established in the summer of 1942. Base strength was about 2000 personnel, including 120 cadets and about 60 officers. The Germans were trained only in light aircraft as part of primary and basic flight training. Aircraft assigned included

. In the first week of April 1945, the Russians were moving into Austria and the German forces started pulling out.

American operation

As part of the

Rainbow Division, were brought in to do the cleaning up of rubble and housekeeping duties. The first occupation troops at Tulln were assigned to the 10th and 81st Airdrome Squadrons.[2]

The major USAAF units assigned to Tulln Air Base were the troop carrier units from 1946 on, which flew

C-47 Skytrains under European Air Transport Service.[3] Until 1947, the individual squadrons were detached to other locations in Germany and Italy.[4][5][6]
Other American units assigned were:

  • 501st Air Service Group
    , August 1945-1 Jun 1946
743d Air Materiel Squadron
919th Air Engineering Squadron
  • 10th Airdrome Squadron, Jul 45 - ca. 11 May 1947
  • 18th Airdrome Squadron, Jul 45 - ca. 11 May 1947
  • 516th Troop Carrier Group
    , 10 July 1946 - 30 September 1946
87th Transport Squadron
  • 313th Troop Carrier Group
    , 30 September 1946 – 25 June 1947
29th Troop Carrier Squadron[4]
47th Troop Carrier Squadron[5]
48th Troop Carrier Squadron[6]
  • 790th AAF Base Unit (later 790th AF Base Unit), replaced by the 160th AACS Squadron (later the 1948th AACS Squadron), 1 September 1947 - 1 February 1953 (These units operated a system of airways communications and ground electronic aids to air operations to meet the requirements established by their headquarters) In 1945-1946 air traffic control systems were operated by a detachment of the 747th AAF Base Unit.[7]
  • 7909th AAF Base Unit, 20 December 1947 -1 July 1948
  • Detachment,
    61st Troop Carrier Group, 1 July-10 August 1948, Group stationed Rhein-Main AFB, Germany

In addition,

Pan American World Airways
operated commercial airline service from the airfield (known as Tulln Airport) from May 1946-May 1955.

In December 1947, USAFE activated the 7909th AAF Base Unit to augment the 81st Airdrome Squadron in operating Tulln. On 1 July 1948, all USAFE personnel at Tulln were transferred to the 7360th Base Complement Squadron. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the mission of the 7360th was to maintain an aerial port of entry in support of Headquarters, USAFE; to include maintenance of a pool of aircraft to be used in the mission of the U.S. High Commissioner, Austria. and to maintain an aerial port of entry for American International air carriers as may be designated by competent authority. Detachments of the 21st Weather Squadron, then the 19th, and finally the 18th Weather Squadron[8] provided weather observation and forecasting service. This unit had Austrian weather civilian personnel in training to reestablish the Austrian Weather Service, which had been disorganized by the war. These trainees continued to work in conjunction with Air Force weather personnel until relieved in early 1950.

Return to Austrian control

The 7360th Base Complement Squadron was inactivated on 15 March 1954 and control of the base was turned over to the U.S., Allied Commission for Austria (USACA).[9][10] Remaining USAF Personnel were assigned to Detachment 1, 7351st Air Base Squadron until transfer was complete. After signing of the Peace Treaty between Austria and the Four Powers, Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, and the United States in 1955, Tulln Air Base was handed over to the Austrian police (B-Gendarmerie), because there were no Austrian military services at that time.

The first Austrian aircraft to arrive were

Godwin Brumowski
in 1967.

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ a b c "Bundesheer - Die österreichischen Luftstreitkräfte - Luftunterstützungsgeschwader". www.bundesheer.at. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  2. ^ Abstract, History of Tulln Army Air Base, Jul 1945-Sep 1946 (accessed 18 June 2012)
  3. ^ Abstract, History of Tulln Air Base, April 1947 (accessed 18 June 2012)
  4. ^ a b AFHRA Factsheet, 29th Weapons Squadron Archived 2015-09-28 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 18 June 2012)
  5. ^ a b AFHRA Factsheet, 47th Airlift Flight Archived 2013-02-26 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 18 June 2012)
  6. ^ a b AFHRA Factsheet, 48th Airlift Squadron Archived 2013-02-26 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 18 June 2012)
  7. ^ See Abstract, History of 117th AACS Squadron Detachment at Tulln Airfield (accessed 18 June 2012)
  8. ^ These were administrative reassignments of the base weather station rather than actual changes of unit
  9. ^ Abstract, History of 7360th Base Complement Squadron, Jan 1954-inactivation
  10. ^ Abstract, History of 7351st Air Base Squadron, Jan-Jun 1954 (accessed 18 June 2012)

External links