RAF Heliopolis

RAF Heliopolis
RAF Heliopolis
Heliopolis, Cairo, Cairo Governorate in Egypt
	RAF Heliopolis Shown within Egypt
Coordinates	30°05′01″N 31°18′49″E / 30.08361°N 31.31361°E
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Operator	Royal Air Force
Site history
Built	1916
In use	1916–1944
Battles/wars	Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Runways
00/00	Grass field

Royal Air Force Heliopolis or more simply RAF Heliopolis is a former Royal Air Force station located to the east of Cairo City centre, Cairo Governorate, Egypt.

During World War I the aerodrome was operated by the British Royal Flying Corps, housing several squadrons as well as a training wing, and then the Royal Air Force, being designated RAF Heliopolis in April 1918.^[1] In the inter-war period it remained an active RAF base, housing several squadrons, including No. 208 Squadron RAF which was based there almost continuously from 1927 until 1942.^[1]

At the end of a training regime from January to mid-March 1942 (involving the handling of Italian and German weapons, sabotage and parachutism), the French SAS company executed a surprise mock attack against the aerodrome of Heliopolis without the knowledge of the garrison and its commander.^[2]

History

The following RAF squadrons were also here at some point:

Detachment from No. 6 Squadron RAF between February and April 1941 with the Hawker Hurricane I^[3]
Detachment from No. 11 Squadron RAF between May and June 1940 with the Bristol Blenheim I^[4]
No. 14 Squadron RAF between 12 April and 1 May 1941 with the Blenheim IV^[5]
No. 17 Squadron RAF between 18 December 1915 and 2 July 1916 with the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2C^[6]
No. 30 Squadron RAF between 19 and 25 February 1942 with the Hurricane I^[7]
No. 33 Squadron RAF between 29 September and 3 October 1938 with the Gloster Gladiator I^[8]
No. 39 Squadron RAF between 7 and 13 May 1940 with Blenheim I^[9]
No. 40 Squadron RAF between 13 and 20 January 1943 with the Vickers Wellington IC^[9]
No. 45 Squadron RAF between 25 April and 21 October 1927 with the Airco DH.9A^[10]
No. 55 Squadron RAF between 15 February and 10 March 1941 with the Blenheim IV^[11]
No. 58 Squadron RAF between 2 May 1919 and 1 February 1920 with the Handley Page Type O/400 and the Vickers Vimy^[12]
No. 64 Squadron RAF between 1 March and 9 April 1936 with the Hawker Demon^[13]
No. 67 Squadron RAF between 12 September and 17 December 1916 with the B.E.2C and the Avro 504K^[14]
No. 70 Squadron RAF between 1 February 1920 and 16 January 1922 with the HP 0/400^[14]
No. 73 Squadron RAF between 30 November and 30 December 1940 with the Hurricane I^[15]
Detachment from No. 80 Squadron RAF between November 1943 and January 1944 with the Spitfire IX^[16]
No. 84 Squadron RAF between 24 September and 16 November 1940 with the Blenheim I^[17]
No. 92 (East India) Squadron RAF between 30 April and 4 August 1942 without any aircraft^[18]
No. 113 Squadron RAF between 11 May and 29 September 1938 with the Hawker Hind^[19]
No. 173 Squadron RAF between 9 July 1942 and 29 February 1944 with multiple aircraft^[20]
No. 206 Squadron RAF between 19 and 27 June 1919 with the DH.9^[21]
No. 208 Squadron RAF between 27 October 1927 and 24 January 1936 with the Hawker Audax^[21]
No. 211 Squadron RAF between 23 and 27 April 1941 with Blenheim I^[22]
No. 216 Squadron RAF between 15 April 1921 and 7 October 1941 with multiple aircraft^[23]
No. 267 Squadron RAF between 20 August 1940 and 18 August 1942 with multiple aircraft^[24]
Detachment from No. 272 Squadron RAF between March and November 1942 with the Bristol Beaufighter IC^[25]
Detachment from No. 417 Squadron RCAF between October 1942 and January 1943 with the Spitfire VC^[26]
No. 451 Squadron RAAF between 27 January and 16 February 1942 with Hurricane I^[27]

Current use

After the Second World War, the site was turned into an army barracks then, turned into the Egyptian Air Force Headquarters.

References

^ ^a ^b Barrass, M. B. (22 May 2014). "RAF Stations (H)". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
^ Le Mire, Henri (1980). Histoire des parachutistes français : la guerre para de 1939 à 1979. Paris: A. Michel. p. 21. ISBN 2-226-00890-X. OCLC 6774791.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 25.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 27.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 28.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 29.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 34.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 36.
^ ^a ^b Jefford 1988, p. 38.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 39.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 42.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 43.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 45.
^ ^a ^b Jefford 1988, p. 46.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 47.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 49.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 50.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 52.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 56.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 65.
^ ^a ^b Jefford 1988, p. 69.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 70.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 71.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 81.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 82.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 91.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 93.

Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

[rafweb-1] Barrass, M. B. (22 May 2014). "RAF Stations (H)". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 3 September 2016.

[2] Le Mire, Henri (1980). Histoire des parachutistes français : la guerre para de 1939 à 1979. Paris: A. Michel. p. 21. ISBN 2-226-00890-X. OCLC 6774791.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198825-3] Jefford 1988, p. 25.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198827-4] Jefford 1988, p. 27.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198828-5] Jefford 1988, p. 28.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198829-6] Jefford 1988, p. 29.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198834-7] Jefford 1988, p. 34.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198836-8] Jefford 1988, p. 36.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198838-9] Jefford 1988, p. 38.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198839-10] Jefford 1988, p. 39.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198842-11] Jefford 1988, p. 42.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198843-12] Jefford 1988, p. 43.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198845-13] Jefford 1988, p. 45.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198846-14] Jefford 1988, p. 46.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198847-15] Jefford 1988, p. 47.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198849-16] Jefford 1988, p. 49.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198850-17] Jefford 1988, p. 50.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198852-18] Jefford 1988, p. 52.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198856-19] Jefford 1988, p. 56.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198865-20] Jefford 1988, p. 65.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198869-21] Jefford 1988, p. 69.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198870-22] Jefford 1988, p. 70.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198871-23] Jefford 1988, p. 71.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198881-24] Jefford 1988, p. 81.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198882-25] Jefford 1988, p. 82.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198891-26] Jefford 1988, p. 91.

[FOOTNOTEJefford198893-27] Jefford 1988, p. 93.

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History

Current use

See also

References