 Schleswig-Jagel
After
the British left
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The last RAF units left Jagel in
1958, when the airfield was handed over to the newly
founded Marineflieger (MFG). Ironically, the last
British aircraft to leave Schleswig-Jagel were the
deHavilland Mosquitos - the former direct opponent of
the last German aircraft operating at Schleswig-Jagel,
the Heinkel He-219.
In the following
years both MFG 1 and MFG 2 operated out of Schleswig-Jagel,
until MFG 2 moved to Nordholz in 1962. Since then MFG 1
was the only occupant of Germany's largest military
airfield until the unit disbanded on 31st December 1993
and Schleswig-Jagel taken over by AG51. |
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The hangers, which housed the
Messerschmitt Bf 110 night-fighters
remain today, their disguise as farm buildings still very convincing.
These ex hangers, connected by the weed infested taxiways, are now used
as storerooms. |
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Drawing shows the hanger as it would have
looked with a Messerschmitt Me110 inside.
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Recent photo of the hanger. The formerly
open front has been bricked up. |
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The airfield at Jagel is today the largest and busiest Luftwaffe
base in Germany and a regular venue for Air Shows. However, much of its wartime past is still
clearly visible.
Unfortunately, the Kommandantur was recently demolished and the site
used for a large concrete command centre. |
 |
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Interestingly, in the town of Schleswig, the low
brick wall where the pilots of II/NJG3 would sit wearing their dark
glasses whilst waiting for the transport to the airfield, still remains.
Photograph by
local historian Alex Herz. |
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With sincere
thanks to Malcolm Brooke for permission to show the
photos, and for much of
the information on this page.
Visit Malcom's
website. |
