RAF Habbaniya

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name = Royal Air Force Station Habbaniya


caption = Station crest
dates = 1936 - 1959
country = Iraq
allegiance = flagicon|UKUK: British Armed Forces
branch = Royal Air Force
command_structure = ??
type = Flying station
role =
size =
current_commander =
garrison = Habbaniyah, Iraq
garrison_label = Based near
ceremonial_chief =
ceremonial_chief_label =
colonel_of_the_regiment =
colonel_of_the_regiment_label =
nickname =
motto =
colors =
colors_label = Royal Air Force Ensign
march = Royal Air Force March Past
mascot =
equipment =
battles =
notable_commanders =
identification_symbol =
identification_symbol_label = Station crest
anniversaries =

Royal Air Force Station Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya, (originally RAF Dhibban) was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about convert|55|mi|km west of Baghdad in modern day Iraq, on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah. It was operational from October 1936 until the 31 May 1959 when the British were finally forced to withdraw following the July 1958 Revolution.

It remained a major Iraqi military airbase.

History

RAF Habbaniya was constructed on the west bank of the Euphrates and opened on 19 October 1936. Squadrons, units and headquarters and the hospital gradually moved in from Hinaidi Cantonment, Baghdad, which was vacated by the British. Originally called RAF Dhibban, on 1 May 1938 it was renamed RAF Habbaniya. It was a large flying training school during World War II, as well as a transport staging airfield. During the Rashid Ali rebellion in 1941 the base was besieged by the Iraqi Army encamped on the overlooking plateau. The siege was lifted by the units based at Habbaniya, including pilots from the training school, a battalion of the King's Own Royal Regiment flown in at the last moment, No. 1 RAF Armoured Car Company and the RAF Iraq Levies. The subsequent arrival of a relief column (Kingcol), part of Habforce sent from Palestine, then a British mandate, combined with the Habbaniya units to force the rebel forces to retreat to Baghdad. Later in World War II Habbaniya became an important stage on the southern air route between the UK and the USSR. British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) ran a regular passenger service via North Africa and the Middle East using Consolidated Liberator transports.

In the late 1930s Imperial Airways established a staging post on Lake Habbaniya for the flying boat service from the UK to British India using Short Empires. The lake provided the necessary landing area for these aircraft in the middle of the Mesopotamian desert.
Roald Dahl was stationed there in 1940, as described in his book, "Going Solo". After WWII, BOAC discontinued the flying boat service and the hotel buildings at the lake were acquired by the RAF and used as a Rest and Recreation Centre.

Among the Units located at Habbaniya at various times were:
* No4 Service Flying Training School;
* 115 Maintenance Unit;
* 134 Maintenance Unit;
* 123 Signals Unit;
* 276 Signals Unit;
* Squadrons Nos 8, 30, 70, 84, 244, 249, 683;
* No 1 Company RAF Armoured Cars;
* No 2 Armoured Car Squadron RAF Regiment;
* 1st Battalion King's Own Royal Regiment.

According to the Federation of American Scientists the site was used to produce Mustard Gas (a chemical weapon). The site was built in 1983 - 1984. The factory produced the gas for use against the Iranians during the Iran-Iraq war. The factory produced 60-80 tonnes per year. [http://www.fas.org/irp/gulf/cia/960517/60886_01.htm]

Current use

Following the departure of the RAF, the Iraqi Military took control and renamed it Tammuz Airbase.

In present times, the former British base is used by both the United States Armed Forces and the New Iraqi Army as a forward operating base, and is now known as Camp Habbaniyah. From this outpost, combat operations are run from the outskirts of Fallujah to the outskirts of Ramadi. Since 2006 Camp Habbaniyah has grown into a Regional Training and Regional Support Center as well as the headquarters for the Iraqi Army 1st Division. On going Coalition and Iraqi construction projects have revitalized much of the base.

Units and aircraft

* No. 6 Squadron RAF (1950-1954) de Havilland Vampire FB5 & FB9
* No. 8 Squadron RAF (1956) de Havilland Vampire FB4
* No. 11 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
* No. 14 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
* No. 30 Squadron RAF (??)
* No. 45 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
* No. 52 Squadron RAF (1941-1942) Hawker Audax
* No. 55 Squadron RAF (1937-1939) Vickers Vincent Bristol Blenheim I
* No. 70 Squadron RAF (1937-1939) Vickers Valentia
* No. 73 Squadron RAF (1953-1955) de Havilland Vampire FB9 & FB1
* No. 74 Squadron RAF (1943) Hawker Hurricane I
* No. 82 Squadron RAF detachment (1951-1952) Avro Lancaster PR1
* No. 84 Squadron RAF (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
* No. 94 Squadron RAF detachment (1941) Gloster Gladiator
* No. 123 Squadron RAF (1942) Gloster Gladiator
* No. 162 Squadron RAF (1942) Bristol Blenheim IV
* No. 185 Squadron RAF (1952-1952) de Havilland Vampire FB5
* No. 203 Squadron RAF detachment (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
* No. 208 Squadron RAF detachment (1941) Hawker Audax
* No. 216 Squadron RAF detachment (1942) Lockheed Hudson IV
* No. 223 Squadron RAF detachment (1942) Martin Baltimore
* No. 244 Squadron RAF
* No. 249 Squadron RAF (1946) de Havilland Mosquito FB26 Hawker Tempest F6
* No. 261 Squadron RAF (1941) Gloster Gladiator Hawker Hurricane I
* No. 651 Squadron RAF detachment {1948) Auster AOP6
* No. 680 Squadron RAF detachment (1945-1946) Fairchild Argus
* No. 683 Squadron RAF (1952-1953) Vickers Valetta C1
* No. 1412 (Meteorological Flight) RAF (1942-1946) Gloster Gladiator Hawker Hurricane
* No. 1434 (Photo Survey) Flight RAF (1942) Bristol Blenheim
* No. 4 Flying Training School RAF (1939-1941)
* No. 104 Maintenance Unit RAF (1954-1956)
* No. 115 Maintenance Unit RAF (1945-1948)
* No. 134 Maintenance Unit RAF (1942 and 1943-1946)

ee also

* List of RAF stations
* Anglo-Iraqi War
* 123 Signals Unit RAF
* Al Taqaddum

References

* G G Jefford, "RAF Squadrons", second edition 2001, Airlife Publishing, UK, ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
* Ray Sturtivant, "Flying Training And Support Units since 1912, 2007, Air-Britain, UK, ISBN 0 85130 365 x

External links

* [http://www.habbaniya.org/ RAF Habbaniya Association]