RAF Shandur

OwnerAir Ministry

OperatorRoyal Air Force

ControlledbyAir Command, South East Asia

ConditionDemolished into farmland

RAF Shandur

قاعدة شندور الجوية

Shandur, Suez Governorate in Egypt

6 Sqn RAF Pilot with a Hurricane IID at Shandur c1942

Site information

Owner

Air Ministry

Operator

Royal Air Force

Controlled by

Air Command, South East Asia

Condition

Demolished into farmland

Location

RAF Shandur

Shown within Egypt

Coordinates

30°11′17″N 32°32′39″E / 30.18806°N 32.54417°E

Site history

Built

1941

In use

1941 - 1947

Fate

Closed

Garrison information

Garrison

16th Parachute Brigade, 4th Royal Tank Regiment

Airfield information

Runways
Direction	Length and surface
N/S	1,420 metres (4,659 ft)

Royal Air Force Shandur or more simply RAF Shandur (LG-214) is a former Royal Air Force station located in Shandur, Suez Governorate, Egypt.

Post-war Usage

RAF Shandur was originally known as Station "X", and was renamed to Shandur on 22 January 1940.^[1]

From 1941 to 1942, RAF Shandur provided training for RAF crews who operated Martin Marylands. In May 1943, the No. 70 Operating Training Unit was under the control of No. 203 Squadron RAF, and moved to the airfield for training operations until January 1945 when it was disbanded. There was also a Royal Canadian Air Force unit presence here.^[2] According to German maps, RAF Shandur may have been mistaken as RAF Shaluffa.^[3]

On 25 September, 1945, RAF Shandur was reopened. It was headquartered by AHQ Eatern Mediterranean from 25 September until 15 August, 1946. On 15 August, 1946, the station HQ was disbanded and closed.^[1] In late 1947, the ex-RAF station began serving as the base for the 4th Royal Tank Regiment equipped with Cromwell, Comet, and Sherman tanks. It was also equipped with American Jeeps and Chevrolet 3-ton vehicles (‘B’ vehicles). In 1951, near the airfield was Camp Shandur, where the 16th Parachute Brigade of the 3rd Battalion was stationed. Shortly afterwards, operations were moved to Moascar Garrison.^[4] RAF Shandur experienced extreme weather conditions, such as snow falling in March 1950, and heavy rainfall that led to flooding in the Nissen huts. The 4th RTR remained at the base until 1950, and was the only complete tank regiments trained there, remaining in the area until 1954. Due to the increasing Suez Crisis in 1956, the remaining units were withdrawn from the base. The airfield eventually fell into neglect; facing little Egyptian usage.^[5]

Units

The following units based at RAF Shandur at one point.

Royal Canadian Air Force

No. 417 Squadron RCAF, reformed at Shandur on 5 September 1942
No. 417 Squadron RCAF, 5 September 1942 - 10 October 1942

Royal Air Force

No. 39 Squadron RAF, 21 March 1941 - 8 May 1941
No. 223 Squadron RAF, 17 April 1941 - 16 April 1942^[6]
No. 213 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF detachment, July 1941 - December 1941
No. 223 Squadron RAF, May 1941 - January 1942, equipped with Marylands.
No. 89 Squadron RAF detachment, December 1941 - January 1943
No. 6 Squadron RAF detachment, June 1942 - December 1942
No. 42 Squadron RAF detachment, June 1942 - October 1942
No. 39 Squadron RAF detachment, August 1942 - October 1942
No. 6 Squadron RAF, 28 April 1942 - 4 June 1942
No. 127 Squadron RAF, 14 June 1942 - 27 June 1942
No. 221 Squadron RAF, 30 June 1942 - 11 August 1942
No. 73 Squadron RAF, 31 July 1942 - 22 August 1942
No. 47 Squadron RAF, 8 September 1942 - 29 January 1943
No. 160 Squadron RAF, 8 November 1942 - 15 January 1943
No. 147 Squadron RAF, 18 November 1942 - 15 February 1943
No. 178 Squadron RAF, 15 January 1943 - 4 March 1943
No. 134 Squadron RAF, 22 January 1943 - 6 February 1943
No. 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF, 6 February 1943 - 17 February 1943
No. 108 Squadron RAF, 10 March 1943 - 3 June 1943
No. 178 Squadron RAF, formed at Shandur on 15 January 1943
No. 178 Squadron RAF detachment, March 1943 - October 1943
No. 108 Squadron RAF, reformed at Shandur on 15 March 1943

Units

Groupe De Chasse No. 1 'Alsace' Free French Air Forces (FFAF) (attached to the RAF), 5 May 1941 and August 1942^[7]
Escadrille Bombardment No. 2 FFAF, 22 May 1941 and 12 June 1941^[8]
Groupe 'Lorraine' FFAF, 23 October 1941 and 12 November 1941^[7]
No. 21 Sector RAF,^[9] May 1942 - xxxx
Special Operations (Liberator) Flight RAF, 3 January 1943 - 22 February 1943^[10]
No. 70 Operational Training Unit RAF, 21 May 1943 - 16 July 1945, equipped with Marauders and later Bristol Blenheims^[11]
Baltimore Photographic Flight RAF, 25 June 1945 - 18 July 1945, equipped with Baltimores^[12]
Shandur Station Flight RAF with a Hawker Hurricane^[13]

Non-flying units^[14]

No. 4607 (Works) Flight, January 1943 — March 1943
No. 21 Sector Operations Room, January 1943 — February 1944
No 10 Meteorological Forecast Unit

Post-war Usage

Units

See also

References

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