Cerklje ob Krki Air Base

Cerklje ob Krki Air Base Zračna baza Cerklje
IATA: none – ICAO: LJCE
Summary
Airport type		Military Air Base
Operator		Slovenian Armed Forces, NATO Yugoslav People's Army (1945-1991), Nazi German Wehrmacht (1941-1945), Royal Yugoslav Army (1930s-1941)
Location		Cerklje ob Krki, Slovenia
Elevation AMSL		157 m / 510 ft
Coordinates		45°53′59″N 15°30′55″E / 45.89972°N 15.51528°E / 45.89972; 15.51528Coordinates: 45°53′59″N 15°30′55″E / 45.89972°N 15.51528°E / 45.89972; 15.51528
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
09/27	2,420	7,939	Asphalt
	2,000	6,561	Grass

Cerklje ob Krki Air Base is an active Air Force Base in Slovenia.

History

The Beginnings

The earliest existence of the airport in Cerklje ob Krki was in the 1930s, where a grass runway created an auxiliary airfield. The military authorities of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia decided to build an airport in the location due to technical data based on favorable weather and geographical conditions. Whilst there were several airports in Slovenia at the time, only Cerklje was used strictly for military purposes. Due to this, less archival material exists to testify the airport's construction and development, though it is known to have taken place after larger facilities in Ljubljana and Maribor. Permanent infrastructure was built slowly following the grass runway was established, with wooden hangars.

WWII

In 1941 the Axis forces unexpectedly attacked the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the first wave took place from the air. In April War, the air forces of the axis in a few days destroyed Kingdom of Yugoslavia Army Aviation. At the airport was then housed unit 6th air patrol group of Army Aviation, which operated for the purposes of the 7th Army. Army aviation units were on combat operations very poorly equipped for combat with their opponents. On the first day of the war early in the morning, the unit lost nine aircraft and is the remaining planes, the three Breguet XIX and a Fieseler Fi-156 "Stork", presented at the airport in a hillock nearby.

The German occupying forces in the Autumn of 1941 carried out further consolidation, expanded and extended the landing-runway and built three brick buildings. Construction was completed in spring 1942. German occupying aviation is through the act of war against the rebels in battle facts, reconnaissance and in support of land forces with a number of different units. Very important is the role of play in the German operation "Roselsprung" and landing on the 25th Drvar May 1944.

As an extremely strategic position was also attractive to partisans attacks by war twice in the attack, at the end of the war, however, attacked the partisan and the axis aviation. The airport was liberated 9th May 1945.

Yugoslav Era

F-84G Thunderjet Pilot prepares for a School flight

Upon the completion of the second World War, the airport was taken over by the Yugoslav People's Army. By then the airfield was modified only by the updating of the runway at the tightening of the west neighbor in the so-called crisis in Trieste in 1953. That year the Yugoslav air force increased the number of aircraft and troops. At the end of the crisis, the airport remained a key for the defense of the Northwest airspace of Yugoslavia. In the events in 1991 all of the Yugoslav units retreated to BiH and Serbia.

The airport has been the base for the following aircraft: Messerschmitt Bf 109, Ilyushin Il-2 šturmovik, P-47 Thunderbolt, F-84G Thunderjet, J-20 Kraguj, vulture J-21 Jastreb J-22 Orao.

Slovenian war of independnce

During the summer of 1991 the deep rooted grievances that had been threatening the unity of the Federal state for some time finally came to a head when Slovenia initiated moves towards independence. At the end of June 1991 the JRViPVO was tasked with transporting soldiers and federal police to Slovenia. The Slovenes resisted this re-imposition of central control, which rapidly escalated into an armed conflict. Two air force helicopters were shot down, while the JRViPVO launched air strikes on TV transmitters and Slovenian territorial defence positions. After a political agreement, the federal forces left Slovenia and took all JRViPVO equipment with them.

Modern History

Slovenian Pilatus PC9M at Cerklje

On 7 December 2006 Slovene minister of defence Karl Erjavec, together with other ministers, signed a protocol which would transform Cerklje ob Krki into a support facility for NATO aircraft (e.g., aircraft maintenance and resupply).^[1] The building of this base is unpopular among local residents, who are concerned that the base would cause environmental and economic disruption.^[2]

References

1. ^ [1].
2. ^ Limun.hr - The Government is keeping the arrival of a NATO base to the border a secret