Martuba Airbase is a Libyan Air Force (Arabic: القوات الجوية الليبية, Berber: Adwas Alibyan Ujnna) base in the Derna District of Libya, located approximately 27 kilometres (17 mi) south-southeast of Derna, and 268 kilometres (167 mi) east-northeast of Benghazi.
Martuba Airbase Martuba Airport  | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Libyan National Army | ||||||||||
| Operator | Libyan Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | Martuba, Libya | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,235 ft / 376 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°32′30″N 22°44′40″E / 32.54167°N 22.74444°E | ||||||||||
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  DNF Location in Libya | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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History
editDuring World War II the airfield, then known as Martuba Airfield, was used as a military airfield by the United States Army Air Force 57th Fighter Group, during the North African Campaign against Axis forces. The 57th flew P-40 Warhawks from the airfield 16 November-3 December 1942.[4]
Following the British victory at El Alamein during the Second World War, the airfield at Maturba[5][6] saw heavy fighting in 1942,[7][8] as Rommel's Afrika Korps was pushed back from the Egyptian border.
Military use
editThe airbase's primary use is by the Libyan Air Force, which has two sections at the base. The first section contains the main buildings and the hangars that house Mil Mi-2 and Mil Mi-8 helicopters. The second section is the flight-line containing taxiways, a ramp, and a single runway. The runway has an additional 300 metres (980 ft) paved overrun on each end.
An Aeritalia G.222 is stored on the ramp, but this section of the base appears to be a reserve facility.
Civilian use
editThe site is also used for the transportation of oil field workers from production facilities in the area.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Airport information for Martubah Airport at Great Circle Mapper.
- ^ "Martubah Airport". World Airport Codes. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Martubah Airport". Google Maps. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
- ^ Roy Conyers Nesbit, The Armed Rovers: Beauforts and Beaufighters Over the Mediterranean p45-46.
- ^ Frederick Grice, War's Nomads: A Mobile Radar Unit in Pursuit of Rommel during the Western (Casemate, 2015).p11.
- ^ Christopher Shores, Giovanni Massimello, A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945: Volume 2: North African Desert, February 1942 - March 1943(Grub Street Publishing, 19 Jul. 2014).
- ^ Ken Delve Delve, The Desert Air Force in World War II: Air Power in the Western Desert, 1940-1942 (Pen and Sword, 31 Mar. 2017).
External links
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