Chharra Airfield
Chharra Airfield | |||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Purulia | ||||||||||||||
Location | Chharra, Purulia, West Bengal, India | ||||||||||||||
Built | 1942 | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 23°21′56.95″N 086°26′12.84″E / 23.3658194°N 86.4369000°E | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Chharra Airfield (IATA: none, ICAO: none) is an abandoned military airfield in Purulia, West Bengal, India, which was built in 1942 and was used until 1945, used during World War II. It was a part of the Twentieth Air Force and the Tenth Air Force of the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF), and was the bases of 677th Bomb Squadron, or what was called as the "Round Robin Rosie", and the 444th Bombardment Squadron, both of RIAF. It is located 8 km (5.0 mi) north-east from the city centre.
To support and facilitate development along with connectivity, employment and tourism in the region, the airstrip is being constructed into a commercial airport, consisting of a passenger terminal, a runway with taxiways connecting to it, a helipad, a passenger terminal, a flying club, an
History
During
On 11 April 1944, the 444th arrived after a month-long deployment over the
Almost immediately upon arrival, the groups B-29s were grounded due to engine fires, which were caused by the engines not being designed to operate at ground temperatures higher than 115 °F (46 °C), which were typically exceeded in India. Modifications had to be made to the engines and also to the cowl flaps. After these modifications, B-29 flights were resumed.
From India, the 444th Bomb Group planned to fly missions against
However, all the supplies of fuel, bombs, and spares needed to support operations from Kwanghan had to be flown 1,200 mi (1,900 km) from India over "
The first combat mission by the group finally took place on 5 June, when squadrons of the group took off from India to attack the Makasan railroad yards at Bangkok, Thailand. This involved a 2,261 mi (3,639 km) round trip, the longest bombing mission yet attempted during the war.
Difficulties encountered at Chharra forced the unit to move to
The post-war history of the airfield is unclear; however, today it is long abandoned. No structures remain though traces of runways and taxiways can be viewed from the air. Some small villages appear to have taken over the former billeting areas.
In the present century, the airfield has been considered to be rebuilt and redeveloped to make it a commercial airport and handle passenger traffic.[2][3]
Development
To improve socio-economic development, tourism and connectivity in the western part of West Bengal, the airfield was considered to be revived and redeveloped as a commercial airport to operate passenger traffic in the early 2010s, and was cleared by the
As of February 2023, there is no specific deadline given for the completion of the airport's development project, however, the Government of West Bengal has given an assurance that the work is progressing.[9]
As of March 2023, the airport is under construction, and will include a dimension measuring 1,722 m (5,650 ft) in length and 350 m (1,150 ft) in width of the existing runway 10/28. However, to handle modern day large aircraft, it will host a new longer runway which is under evaluation. It is being built at a cost of around ₹ 300 crore, and the date of completion of the project has been set to mid-2025.[10]
See also
References
- ^ "First airport is being built in Purulia district using British airstrip". Sangbad Pratidin (in Bengali). 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ Basu, Pritesh (20 January 2018). "Bengal govt looking to bring back Chharra airfield in Purulia". Millennium Post. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Chanda, Aishik (21 January 2018). "Despite 'deserted' airports, Mamata Banarjee plans to revive WWII airbase - The New Indian Express". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Basu, Pritesh (20 January 2018). "Bengal govt looking to bring back Chharra airfield in Purulia". Millennium Post. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Chanda, Aishik (21 January 2018). "Despite 'deserted' airports, Mamata Banarjee plans to revive WWII airbase - The New Indian Express". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Sengupta, Sulagna (15 April 2022). "Bengal to pitch setting up of flying institute in Purulia at BGBS". Millennium Post. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Basu, Pritesh (20 January 2018). "Bengal govt looking to bring back Chharra airfield in Purulia". Millennium Post. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- Ei Samay(in Bengali). Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "CM Mamata Banerjee said that airports at Malda and Purulia are undergoing upgradation". JetArena. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "First airport is being built in Purulia district using British airstrip". Sangbad Pratidin (in Bengali). 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- 444th Bomb Group Website