Flugplatz Maldegem

51°11'47"N003°28'10"E
Runway - ??? - concrete

Flugplatz Maldegem (Dutch: vliegveld Maldegem or vliegplein Maldegem) was a WW-II airfield in Maldegem near Bruges in West-Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen), 75 kilometer northwest of Brussels.
The airfield was built by the Belgian Army in 1939 in preparation for World War II. 
After the German invasion of 1940 the Luftwaffe took over the airfield and began expanding it. Amongst others they gave the airfield a concrete runway. Between October 1940 and April 1941 the airfield was used by Fiat G.50s of the Corpo Aereo Italiano. From 1941 onwards Luftwaffe squadrons (III./JG53 and II./JG26) began operating from the airfield.

In 1944 the airfield was liberated and put into use as Maldegem Airfield (B-65). It became home to 135Wing.



Flugplatz Maldegem today, not much remains of this WW_II airfield.

After the war the airfield was redeveleoped into an industrial area around the "Vliegplein" road (English: lit. Air Square, or Air Field). The runway was broken up and its remains taken off the airfield. The concrete rubble was used to build a pilgrimage site dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the nearby village of Kleit.
Some of the buildings have survived though, even with inscriptions in German, Italian and English inside the former hangars. The local municipality, having recognised their historical value has ordered these buildings to remain as they are, and prohibits the painting over of the inscriptions.

Photos of remaining shelters, hangars and bunkers can be viewed here.