AERODROME - KALNCIEMS
NOTES
- Situated in the west end of Riga, beside the Kalnciems highway, the Kalnciems airfield was constructed by the Latvian Civil Aviation authority. It originally had one concrete hangar and was intended for the use of the Aizsargi and the Aero Club. Today it is known as Riga - Skulte (see Riga airfields file).
- May 25, 1939 - the Riga and Jelgava glider pilots schools are unified and form one school, based at Kalnciems.
- July 4, 1939 - 1st Lt. E.Veldre is named Commander of the Kalnciems aerodrome. The airfield now has two hangars, a workshop, and garage faciities for vehicles and other equipment. The area in front of the hangars is now asphalt and the grass landing/takeoff fields have been landscaped for drainage.
- It was unveiled on April 28, 1940, but the airfield was turned over to the Soviets in the autumn of 1940. Years later, when this airfield was being used by the Germans as they retreated from the Baltic, it was repeatedly overflown by Soviet pilots but they reportedly never attacked the airfield itself (though they frequently bombed and strafed others). It is believed that they wished to keep it intact for their own use when the Germans withdrew.
- The Jelgava glider club transferred its building materials and equipment to the airfield shortly after it opened. During the occupation these materials remained, essentially undisturbed throughout the first Soviet occupation and the beginning of the German occupation. In 1943 this airfield was turned over to the German aviation industry and they cleaned out the leftover Latvian materials. Later, it was used as an occasional airfield for NSG 12.
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