Ludwigslust (Fliegerhorst)

53°17'54"N 011°30'52"E

flying field: ../.. - ...x..m - grass

Air field Ludwigslust (German: Fliegerhorst Ludwigslust-Techentin, also known as Flugplatz Ludwigslust) was an airfield 100 kilometers east-southeast of Hamburg, Germany.
The airfield was built between 1934 and 1935. It did not have any runways, but (as was common at the time) only a grass flying field. 3 large hangars were located on the southeastern side and two more on the north side. Flight control was located at the southeast side and the barracks were on the northeast side.
On 1 July 19435 piloting school Ludwiglust was set up, later renamed to piloting scool C Ludwiglust. The school was relocated to Neubrandenburg in September 1939 however. They were briefly (a little over two weeks) replaced by II./Lehrgeschwader (Training Wing) 1. By the end of October IV./KG30 was stationed at the airfield, remaining until June 1941.
In April 1941 Aufklaungsschule (Reconnaissance Training School) 3 set up on the base for the period of one year (May 1942). It then became silent at the airfield, with no units assigned until late October 1943. The new resident was II./JG301, renumbered to II./JG302 a month later.

III./JG54 and 4./JG54 joined them in December and remained until the following February. Almost immediately they were replaced by Ergänzungs-Nachtjagdstaffel, renamed to I./Ergänzungs-Nachtjagdgruppe and joined by the new II./Ergänzungs-Nachtjagdgruppe and Stab./Ergänzungs-Nachtjagdgruppe in July 1944.
From 21 July the airbase also took on 20 Finnish pilots, who were to be trained in flying night-fighters. Their course at the airfield lasted until 24 August and they left 3 days later by train. Al three units left the base on 15 Oktober 1944.
Fleeing from the Red Army the next unit at the base was Stab./ and I./Schlachtgeschwader111 from Stubendorf on 16 January 1945. Later that month they were joined by 2./, 4./ and 5./SG111. 5./ left the field on 1 March, Stab./ on 2 March and 4./ disbanded on 15 March 1945
During the final months of the war things were hectic at the airfield. Adding to the already present squadrons, the airfield became home to Stab./KG76 and 3./Transportgruppe30 in March. Adding even more units, they were joined by Stab./ and I./JG1 in early April. Jagdgeschwader1 left two weeks later. By this time the once mighty Luftwaffe was no longer an effective fighting force anymore.
The airfield was conquered by units of the 8th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division on 3 May 1945. In July the airfield was handed over to the Red Army at part of their occupation zone.

The Red Army kept most of the airfield intact, but did not use it as an airfield. They did set up a (wartime) emergency airfield only two kilometers to the northeast though. Additionally the former airfield was used by a Soviet electronic intelligence gathering station and as a small arms shooting range. Presumably it was for these units that U.S. Army Major Arthur D. Nicholson Jr. was present at the location on 24 March 1985. Major Nicholson was a member of the U.S. Military Liaison Mission to East Germany. He was shot and killed by a Soviet sentry during a reconnaissance mission in the area.
            

Overview of the airfield in 2000, with the 3 large hangars to the southeast. The easternmost has since been demolished (Google Earth).

The buildings were returned to Germany in 1990 after the reunification. Their state had deteriorated due to lack of mainenance and the new owner had no interest in maintaining them. In 2005 one of the hangars and the flight control had nbeen torn down. Although at least one hangar is known to have existed until at least July 2010, the remaining buildings are to be torn down too, to make room for an industrial area.


One of hte hangars in July 2010 (Panoramio).