Fürth Germany

Mission Summaries > February 1944 > Airfields in Feb 44

Fürth-Industrie (GER)

(a.k.a. Fürth-Hardhöhe)

(49 28 55 N – 10 57 30 E)

General: factory airfield (Industriehafen) located 2 km WNW of Fürth town center in Bavaria.

History: the airfield dates from 1919-20 when Gothaer Waggon-und Flugzeugfabrik established an aircraft manufacturing plant there. Gothaer was later renamed Bachmann, Blumenthal & Co. but continued producing aircraft and components. During the war years, those components were for the Ju 87, Bf 110 and the Me 262, while overhaul and repair work was carried out on Bf 110s.

Dimensions: approx. 960 x 730 meters (1050 x 800 yards) with an oval shape.

Surface and Runway: extensive work was underway in late 1943 to improve the landing area around the runway. Had one approx. 1190 meter (1300 yards) concrete runway aligned ESE/WNW that was completed in Sep 43.

Infrastructure: factory assembly shop, offices, major components shop, transformer house, flight hangar with a paved hangar apron, boiler house, metal treatment shops, machine shop, forge, stores and light machine shops formed a compact group at the E boundary. An additional group of stores huts was off the N boundary. A special branch rail line served the factory buildings.

Dispersal: no organized dispersals.

Defenses: protected by 4 heavy Flak positions (three of them with 6 guns each) and 10 light Flak positions.

Satellites and Decoys:

Fürth-Veitsbronn (GER)
(49 31 00 N – 10 54 15 E).

Dummy 5.7 km NW of Fürth factory airfield, 4.5 km WNW of Fürth airfield and 1.2 km NE of the village of Veitsbronn. Mock-up included a group of stage-prop buildings simulating a factory airfield with dummy aircraft parked nearby.

Remarks:

25 Feb 44: Fürth aircraft components plant bombed by 172 B-24 Liberators. Post raid photos showed extensive damage and destruction to the factory buildings along the E boundary of the airfield. (445th Bomb Group Mission #29 - 12 of 17 B-24's dropped 680 x 120 lb. AN-M86 Fragmentation bombs).
10 Sep 44: 60 B-17s bombed the Fürth aircraft components factory. By April 1945, the airfield had been heavily damaged and largely bombed out.

Operational Units: none identified.

Station Commands: Flugplatzkdo. of Fl.H.Kdtr. A(o) 16/XII Fürth (Apr-Jun 44); Flugplatzkdo. of Fl.H.Kdtr. A(o) 32/VII Fürth (1944-45).

Station Units (on various dates – not complete): Koflug Fürth (Jul 39 – Mar 41); Koflug 1/XIII (Apr 41 – Feb 43); Koflug 11/XII (Feb 43 – Jun 44); Koflug 14/VII (Jun-Dec 44); 5. Flugh.Betr.Kp./KG 2; Werft-Abt.(o) 2/XII (1944-45); schw.Feldwerft-Abt. IV/70 (Mar 45); Flak-Abt. Fürth (1933-35); I./Flak-Rgt. 8 (Apr 35 – Nov 38?); I./Flak-Rgt. 9 (Nov 38 – Aug 39); Flakscheinw.Abt. 686(v) (May 42); schw.Flak-Abt. 697(v) (May 43 – Feb 44); gem.Flak-Abt. 901(v) (Aug 39); Res.Flak-Abt. 902 (Aug 39 – 1940); schw.Flak-Abt. 903(o) (Aug 39); Res.Flak-Abt. 905 (Apr, Nov 40); Flakscheinw.Abt. 908(o) (Aug 39); 2./le.Flak-Abt. 951 (Sep 44 – 1945); Flak-Ers.Abt. 5 (1940-42); Flak-Scheinwerfer-Ausb.Abt. 5 (1942-43); Flak-Ers.Abt. 9 ((1942-45); Flak-Geräteausgabestelle Fürth (1940); Flak-Trsp.Abt. 13 (1939-40); III.(Ausb.Abt.f.Ln.Helferinnen)/Luftgau-Nachr.Rgt. 12 (Unterfürberg – 1943-45); Lw.-Bau-Btl. 7/XIII (Apr 40); Lw.-Bau-Btl. 13/XIII (Apr 40); Munitionsausgabestelle d.Lw. 2/XIII (Fürth-Bernbach – 1944); E- Hafen-Ausrüstungs-Kolonne (mot) Fürth; Traktorenzug d.Lw. 11/XII (1944); Lw.-San.Abt. 14/VII (Jun-Dec 44); Flieger-Ers.Btl. XII (c.Oct/Nov 44 – 1945).

Fürth-Industrie factory airfield (Industriehafen)

Note: Origionally named Gothaer Waggon-und Flugzeugfabrik and later renamed Bachmann, Blumenthal & Co. and produced components for the Ju 87, Bf 110 and the Me 262, while overhaul and repair work was carried out on Bf 110s.