Mellaha Air Base
| Wheelus Air Base | |||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | United States Air Force | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Tripoli | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 36 ft / 11 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°53′42″N 13°16′49″E / 32.89500°N 13.28028°ECoordinates: 32°53′42″N 13°16′49″E / 32.89500°N 13.28028°E | ||||||||||||||
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 Wheelus Air Base
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Wheelus Air Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Kingdom of Libya. At one time it was the largest US military facility outside the US. It had an area of 20 sq miles on the coast of Tripoli. The base had a beach club, the largest military hospital outside the US, a multiplex cinema, a bowling alley and a high school for 500 students. The base had a radio and TV station, and a shopping mall and fast food outlets. At its height it had over 15,000 military personnel and their dependents. Wheelus Air Base was originally built by the Italian Air Force in 1923 and was known as Mellaha Air Base. Today the facility is known as Mitiga International Airport.
The airbase was constructed in 1923 and used by the Italian Air Force. In 1933 the roads around the air base and the neighbouring Mellaha Lake became the home for the Tripoli Grand Prix motor race.
Mellaha was used by the German Luftwaffe during the North African Campaign. The Germans using it for short range recon units, and coastal and naval recon units. Special weather recon units also existed at Mehalla. The main Luftwaffe unit stationed at the base was the 2nd Staffel of the Aufklärungsgruppe (H) 14 or 2.(H)/14.
The squadron was equipped with 12 single-engined Henschel Hs 126, an aircraft with 2-man crews, which could cover approx 710 km, with a maximum speed of 360 km/h, as well as three Fieseler Fi 156 Storch liaison aircraft, and a Junkers Ju 52 for transport of men and materiel.
The airbase was captured by the British 8th Army in January 1943.
The US Army Air Force began using Mellaha as a base in January 1943. It was used by the 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the 12th Air Force for B-24 bomb missions into Italy and southern parts of Germany.
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Wikipedia