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Muqeible Airfield | |
|---|---|
RAF Muqeible | |
| Muqeible in West Bank | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Owner | Royal Air Force |
| Operator | Royal Air Force United States Army Air Force (WWII) |
| Condition | Abandoned |
| Location | |
  Muqeible Airfield Location in the West Bank | |
| Coordinates | 32°30′11″N035°17′21″E / 32.50306°N 35.28917°E /32.50306; 35.28917 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1917 (1917) |
| Built for | Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Force) |
| In use | 1917–1945 |
| Materials | Concrete runways |
| Fate | Abandoned, partially repurposed for agriculture |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Megiddo (1918) Western Desert Campaign (1941–1943) |
Muqeible Airfield is an abandoned military airfield located in the northernWest Bank, approximately 1 km southwest of the village ofMuqeible,Israel and 3 km north ofJenin,Palestine.
Muqeible Airfield was originally built in 1917 in theOttomanDistrict of Jerusalem (Ottoman Palestine) by theGermanLuftstreitkräfte. In 1918, after theBattle of Megiddo, the airport was used as a military airfield by theRoyal Air Force, being designatedRAF Muqeible. In July 1941, 12 Blenheims of theNo. 45 Squadron RAF were sent there for use as a forward base for the assault onBeirut.[1] It was also used by theUnited States Army Air Forces during theWorld War IINorth African Campaign. USAAFNinth Air Force units were assigned to the airfield upon their initial arrival in the area, and once assembled were reassigned to combat airfields inEgypt to fly missions against the Axis forces in Western Egypt andLibya. Known USAAF units which used the airfield were:
After the war, the airfield appears to have been abandoned. Today, the airfield consists of two crumbling concrete runways, one aligned northeast–southwest about 02/20, the other east–west 09/27. The east–west still remaining full width and length, with a road laid down over the runway. Agricultural fields have been formed from the grassy areas of the airfield but no structures remain of the support base. Small concrete farm roads in the vicinity of the airfield runways are the remainders of taxiways.[citation needed]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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