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RAF Habbaniya

September 24, 2023

Royal Air Force Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya (Arabic: قاعدة الحبانية الجوية), (originally RAF Dhibban), was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about 55 miles (89 km) west of Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah. It was developed from 1934, and was operational from October 1936 until 31 May 1959 when the RAF finally withdrew after the July 1958 Revolution made the British military presence no longer welcome. It was the scene of fierce fighting in May 1941 when it was besieged by the Iraqi Military following the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état.

RAF Habbaniya
قاعدة الحبانية الجوية (Arabic: Of the oleander)[1]
Habbaniya in Iraq
Habbaniya airfield, circa 1941
Station badge (Infestos ferimus
Latin: We strike the troublesome[2])
RAF Habbaniya
Coordinates33°22′56.99″N 43°34′23.71″E / 33.3824972°N 43.5732528°E / 33.3824972; 43.5732528
TypeFlying station
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byRAF Iraq Command
Site history
Built1934 (1934)
In use1936–1959 (1959)
Garrison information
Past
commanders
Airfield information
Runways
Direction Length and surface
2,000 yards (1,829 m) 

It is currently a major Iraqi military airbase.

History Edit

Originally called RAF Dhibban, the station was built on the west bank of the Euphrates at a cost of £1,750,000 (equivalent to £126,500,795 in 2021), and opened on 19 October 1936.[5][1] It was the British Royal Air Force (RAF) base built "West of the Euphrates" in accordance with Article 5 of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930.[6] It was on the West bank of the Euphrates between Ramadi and Fallujah, and was a major military and air base for the entire British Empire. The squadrons, units and headquarters and the hospital gradually moved in from RAF Hinaidi, Baghdad, which was then finally vacated by the British on 21 December 1937 and renamed "Rashid Airfield" by the Iraqis.[7] RAF Dhibban was originally named after the nearby village of Sin el Dhibban, in Arabic "Teeth of the Fly", but was renamed, more appropriately, RAF Habbaniya on 1 May 1938.[8] Not long after its renaming, an aircraft went missing on a flight from Habbaniya. The aircraft, a bomber of No. 30 Squadron, left on 10 December 1938, and was found 11 days later some 60 miles (97 km) north of Habbaniya. All six occupants were dead.[9]

RAF Habbaniya was extensive and, as well as the airfield, included the Air Headquarters of RAF Iraq Command,[10] communication facilities, maintenance units, an aircraft depot, an RAF hospital, RAF Iraq Levies barracks, the RAF Armoured Car Company depot as well as fuel and bomb stores.[11]

There were numerous billets, messes and a wide range of leisure facilities including swimming pools, cinemas and theatres, sports pitches, tennis courts and riding stables. It was self-contained with its own power station, water purification plant and sewage farm.[12] Water taken from the Euphrates for the irrigation systems enabled green lawns, flower beds and even ornamental Botanical Gardens.[13] After World War II the families of British personnel started living at Habbaniya and a school was started.[14]

Within the camp perimeter was the Civil Cantonment which provided the accommodation for the families of the RAF Iraq Levies and the civilian workers and their families. The cantonment population of about 10,000 had their own schools, hospital, mosques, churches, temples, cinema and bazaars. The base had extended to some 28 square miles (73 km2), which required a taxi service to get people around.[14] Just outside the perimeter was the village of Humphreya in which more locally employed civilians and their families lived. It was the original construction camp for the company which built the base, Messrs Humphreys of Knightsbridge, London (and from which the name Humphreya arose).[15]

There was a 7-mile (11 km) perimeter fence round the base but this did not enclose the airfield which was outside.[16] In 1952 a second airfield was built on the plateau to cope with the long range and jet aircraft using the base (this subsequently became the Iraqi Air Force Al Taqaddum airbase).

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.[17]

 
Map of Iraq in World War II

The station was a large flying training school in the Second World War, as well as a transport staging airfield. In the Rashid Ali rebellion in 1941, the airfield was besieged by units from the Royal Iraqi Army encamped on the overlooking plateau.[18] On 2 May 1941, British forces from the airfield launched pre-emptive airstrikes on Iraqi forces throughout Iraq and the Anglo-Iraqi War began.[19] 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,[20] Number 1 Armoured Car Company RAF and the RAF's 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.[21]

Later in the Second World War, 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. The United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command used Habbaniya as a stopover point between the large Lend-Lease aircraft assembly facility at Abadan Airport, Iran, and Payne Field, Cairo. Also ATC operated a transport route from Habbaniya to Mehrabad Airport, Tehran. After the Second World War, 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. In 1949, Habbaniya was assessed as having six hangars and two metal runways, the longest being 2,000 yards (1,800 m) in length.[22]

No. 6 Squadron RAF, No. 8 Squadron RAF and No. 73 Squadron RAF were the last flying squadrons to depart the base in the mid-1950s.[23] Although the British presence continued until 1959, on 2 May 1955, command of the base was handed over to the Iraqi government.[24]

During the Cold War, from 1 August 1946, GCHQ ran a large signals intelligence (SIGINT) monitoring station at Habbaniya staffed by 276 Signals Unit until 31 July 1958.[25] It also operated SIGINT aircraft over Iran and the Caspian Sea to monitor the Soviet Union.[26]

On 14 July 1958, the July 1958 Revolution took place. At that time, Habbaniya had 900 personnel and the uprising in Baghdad had caused the loss of one British life and the burning of the embassy.[27] By the start of 1959, the base was host to 600 RAF staff with 60 dependants. The dependants were flown back to the United Kingdom in early April 1959. The base closed on 31 May 1959 when the RAF finally withdrew after the July 1958 Revolution made the presence of British military no longer welcome.[28][29] On abandonment of the base, a question was asked in the UK Parliament concerning the cost of the base over the 23 years of its operational life. It was estimated that it had the amount was £3.5 million (equivalent to £86,629,287 in 2021).[30]

In June 1961 there were two Iraqi Air Force squadrons at the base:[31]

  • No.1 Squadron, Venom FB.1, based at Habbaniyah AB, CO Capt. A.-Mun’em Ismaeel
  • No.6 Squadron, Hunter, based at Habbaniyah AB, CO Capt. Hamid Shaban

The airbase was bombed in Operation Kaman 99 on the second day of the Iran–Iraq War, just after the Iraqi invasion of Iran.[32]

Tom Cooper's book Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat describes Habbaniya as a base for Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s by 1990.[33]

RAF Hospital Habbaniya Edit

As part of the treaty of 1930, the RAF were required to withdraw from Hinaidi and Mosul, so the hospital at Hinaidi was also relocated to Habbaniya in 1937 with 500 beds.[34] Sometimes referred to as No. 6 RAF Hospital, it operated as a general hospital until 1956, being downgraded to a station hospital until 1958.[35][36] In 1942, the commanding officer of the hospital, Group Captain Gerard Hanly, was killed in an aircraft crash.[37][38]

Current use Edit

According to the Federation of American Scientists the site was used to produce Mustard gas (a chemical weapon). The site was built in 1983–84. The factory produced the gas for use against Iran in the Iran–Iraq War. The factory produced 60–80 tonnes per year.[39] Alwan Hassoun Alwan al-Abousi was Base Commander 1985-1988.

 
May 2007 view of the Habbaniyah Olympic pool

After 2003, the former British airfield was 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 revitalised much of the base.

In December 2008, the U.S. Army and all civilian contractors, less twelve contractors from MPRI, departed Camp Habbaniyah. U.S. Marines had stayed behind to provide the Iraqi Army with additional perimeter security until a time TBD.

On 16 April 2009, a suicide-bomber dressed as an Iraqi 1st Lieutenant detonated a bomb among a group of Iraqi soldiers at a canteen.

In 2015, Habbaniya was a base for Shia militias, the Iraqi army and its American trainers, in their ongoing campaign against ISIS.[40]

 
British media and service members make a brief visit to the cemetery for Remembrance Day ceremonies

289 British and Commonwealth personnel, along with women, children and babies, remain buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cemetery in Habbaniya. The register of those buried is held by the RAF Habbaniya Association. In 2019, the site was renovated and 289 replacement Portland stone grave markers were installed.[41]

Notable personnel Edit

Flying Units and Aircraft Edit

Ground Units Edit

See also Edit

References Edit

Citations Edit

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. ^ a b Fairbairn 1991, p. 82.
  2. ^ Pine, L. G. (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge & K. Paul. p. 113. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Charles, ed. (14 April 1988). "Air Vice-Marshal H. H. Brookes". The Times. No. 63055. p. 16. ISSN 0140-0460.
  4. ^ a b "Edwards, Hughie Idwal VC, DSO, OBE, DFC (Air Commodore, b.1914 - d.1982)". www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  5. ^ Dawson, Geoffrey, ed. (21 April 1938). "Royal Air Force Dhibban station renamed". The Times. No. 47974. p. 7. ISSN 0140-0460.
  6. ^ Dawson, Geoffrey, ed. (2 May 1941). "More troops in Iraq". The Times. No. 48915. p. 4. ISSN 0140-0460.
  7. ^ The National Archives UK AIR 28/330, FO 624/10/137 (& appendices) et al
  8. ^ The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/50
  9. ^ Dawson, Geoffrey, ed. (22 December 1938). "Missing RAF bomber found". The Times. No. 48184. p. 12. ISSN 0140-0460.
  10. ^ Casey, William Francis, ed. (22 December 1949). "Middle East Command". The Times. No. 51571. p. 5. ISSN 0140-0460.
  11. ^ Guedalla 1944, pp. 138–139.
  12. ^ Fairbairn 1991, p. 86.
  13. ^ Mackie 2001, p. 201.
  14. ^ a b Mackie 2001, p. 226.
  15. ^ "History". www.habbaniya.org. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  16. ^ Fairbairn 1991, pp. 82–83.
  17. ^ Dudgeon 2010, p. 41.
  18. ^ Guedalla 1944, p. 141.
  19. ^ Armitage, M. J. (1998). The Royal Air Force : an illustrated history. London: Brockhampton Press. p. 126. ISBN 1860198511.
  20. ^ Fairbairn 1991, p. 83.
  21. ^ Guedalla 1944, p. 145.
  22. ^ Casey, William Francis, ed. (20 December 1949). "R.A.F. In Middle East". The Times. No. 51569. p. 3. ISSN 0140-0460.
  23. ^ Jefford 2001, pp. 29, 30, 53.
  24. ^ Haley, William, ed. (3 May 1955). "Transfer Of Air Base In Iraq". The Times. No. 53210. p. 8. ISSN 0140-0460.
  25. ^ The National Archives, Kew, London AIR 29/1952, AIR 29/2283/1 & AIR29/2550
  26. ^ Aldrich, Richard J. (2011). GCHQ. London: Harper Press. pp. 160–162. ISBN 978-0-007312-665.
  27. ^ Goktepe, Cihat (October 1999). "The 'Forgotten Alliance'? Anglo-Turkish Relations and CENTO, 1959-65". Middle Eastern Studies. London. 35 (4): 103. doi:10.1080/00263209908701288. ISSN 0026-3206. OCLC 1049994615.
  28. ^ Casey, William Francis, ed. (6 April 1959). "Habbaniya Families Leave To-Day". The Times. No. 54427. p. 10. ISSN 0140-0460.
  29. ^ Casey, William Francis, ed. (7 April 1959). "R.A.F. Families Leave Habbaniya". The Times. No. 54428. p. 10. ISSN 0140-0460.
  30. ^ "Habbaniya". hansard.parliament.uk. 15 July 1959. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  31. ^ Tom Cooper Kuwait Emergency, Air Combat Information Group
  32. ^ "آشنایی با عملیات البرز (کمان ۹۹)". همشهری آنلاین. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  33. ^ David Nicolle, Tom Cooper, Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat, Volume 44 of Osprey Combat Aircraft, Osprey Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1841766550, 9781841766553, 78.
  34. ^ Mackie 2001, pp. 82–83.
  35. ^ "RAF Hospital: Habbaniya (formerly No 6 RAF Hospital). With appendices". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  36. ^ Mackie 2001, p. 368.
  37. ^ Fairbairn 1991, p. 84.
  38. ^ "Hanly, Gerard Joseph (1900 - 1942)". livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  39. ^ . Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on 13 February 2005. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  40. ^ "The successful campaign provides a blueprint for future battles — with Fallujah and Mosul the next to come". The Economist. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  41. ^ Milmo, Cahal (29 September 2019). "Iraqi war cemetery restored after decades of destruction". I News. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  42. ^ Jacobs, Peter (2011). Stay the distance : the life and times of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham. London: Frontline Books. p. 66. ISBN 978-1848325524.
  43. ^ Pike, Richard (2014). Hunter boys : true tales from pilots of the Hawker Hunter. London. p. 69. ISBN 978-1909808034.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  44. ^ "Harold James Charles Swan | RCP Museum". history.rcplondon.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  45. ^ Oransky, Ivan (March 2005). "H Jeremy C Swan". The Lancet. 365 (9465): 1132. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71865-1. PMID 15822167. S2CID 30607045.
  46. ^ Thomson, Robert, ed. (29 June 2006). "Wing Commander George Unwin". The Times. No. 68739. p. 63. ISSN 0140-0460.
  47. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 29.
  48. ^ a b Jefford 2001, p. 30.
  49. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 31.
  50. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 38.
  51. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 43.
  52. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 44.
  53. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 45.
  54. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 49.
  55. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 50.
  56. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 51.
  57. ^ a b Jefford 2001, p. 53.
  58. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 55.
  59. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 61.
  60. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 66.
  61. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 69.
  62. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 70.
  63. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 72.
  64. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 75.
  65. ^ Lake 1999, p. 237.
  66. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 80.
  67. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 82.
  68. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 103.
  69. ^ a b Jefford 2001, p. 105.
  70. ^ Fairbairn 1991, p. 85.
  71. ^ Lake 1999, p. 87.
  72. ^ Lake 1999, p. 88.
  73. ^ Lake 1999, p. 106.
  74. ^ Lake 1999, p. 307.
  75. ^ The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/2052
  76. ^ The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/1052/2 & AIR 29/1540
  77. ^ "RAF Habbaniya". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  78. ^ The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/1045, AIR 29/1537 & AIR 29/2055/1
  79. ^ The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/3027
  80. ^ AIR 29/1952, The National Archives, Kew
  81. ^ Warwick, Nigel W. M. (2014). IN EVERY PLACE: The RAF Armoured Cars in the Middle East 1921-1953. Rushden, Northamptonshire, England: Forces & Corporate Publishing Ltd. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-9574725-2-5.
  82. ^ AIR 29/943, The National Archives, Kew

Bibliography Edit

  • Dudgeon, Air Vice-Marshal A.G., CBE,DFC (Retd). Hidden Victory: The Battle of Habbaniya, May 1941. Stroud, UK: Tempus Publishing., 2001. ISBN 0-7524-2037-2.
  • Dudgeon, M. (2010). "No. 4 SFTS and Raschad Ali's War - Iraq 1941". Journal of the Royal Air Force Historical Society. London, UK: Royal Air Force Historical Society (48). ISSN 1361-4231.
  • Fairbairn, T. (1991). Action stations overseas. Sparkford, UK: P. Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-319-4.
  • Guedalla, P. (1944). Middle East : 1940-1942 : a study in air power. London, UK: Hodder & Stoughton. OCLC 715284147.
  • Jefford, C. G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
  • Lake, A. (1999). Flying Units of the RAF – The ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
  • Mackie, M. (2001). Sky wards : a history of the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service. London, UK: Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7090-6976-6.
  • Sturtivant, R., ISO and John Hamlin. RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.

Further reading Edit

  • Dunford Wood, C. (2020). Big Little Wars: The War Diaries of Colin Dunford Wood, 1939-41, India and Iraq. London, UK: Independent Publishing Network. ISBN 978-1838538484.
  • Lee, Air Chief Marshal Sir David. Flight from the Middle East: A History of the Royal Air Force in the Arabian Peninsula and Adjacent Territories 1945–1972. London, UK: Ministry of Defence: Air Historical Branch, RAF, 1981 ISBN 978-0117723566

External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Habbaniya.
  • RAF Habbaniya Association
  • Dunford Wood, Colin. "Habbaniya Campaign, Iraq 1941". A Story of War. – diary entries for May and June 1941 by an RAF pilot officer stationed at Habbaniya
  • Dunford Wood, Colin (4 March 2012). "RAF Habbaniya Daily Intelligence Bulletins". A Story of War. – daily intelligence reports from May 1941

September 24, 2023
habbaniya, royal, force, habbaniya, more, commonly, known, arabic, قاعدة, الحبانية, الجوية, originally, dhibban, royal, force, station, habbaniyah, about, miles, west, baghdad, modern, iraq, banks, euphrates, near, lake, habbaniyah, developed, from, 1934, oper. Royal Air Force Habbaniya more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya Arabic قاعدة الحبانية الجوية originally RAF Dhibban was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah about 55 miles 89 km west of Baghdad in modern day Iraq on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah It was developed from 1934 and was operational from October 1936 until 31 May 1959 when the RAF finally withdrew after the July 1958 Revolution made the British military presence no longer welcome It was the scene of fierce fighting in May 1941 when it was besieged by the Iraqi Military following the 1941 Iraqi coup d etat RAF Habbaniyaقاعدة الحبانية الجوية Arabic Of the oleander 1 Habbaniya in IraqHabbaniya airfield circa 1941Station badge Infestos ferimusLatin We strike the troublesome 2 RAF HabbaniyaCoordinates33 22 56 99 N 43 34 23 71 E 33 3824972 N 43 5732528 E 33 3824972 43 5732528TypeFlying stationSite informationOwnerAir MinistryOperatorRoyal Air ForceControlled byRAF Iraq CommandSite historyBuilt1934 1934 In use1936 1959 1959 Garrison informationPastcommandersH H Brookes 1954 1956 3 Hughie Edwards 1956 58 4 Airfield informationRunwaysDirection Length and surface2 000 yards 1 829 m It is currently a major Iraqi military airbase Contents 1 History 1 1 RAF Hospital Habbaniya 2 Current use 3 Notable personnel 4 Flying Units and Aircraft 5 Ground Units 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Citations 7 2 Bibliography 7 3 Further reading 8 External linksHistory EditOriginally called RAF Dhibban the station was built on the west bank of the Euphrates at a cost of 1 750 000 equivalent to 126 500 795 in 2021 and opened on 19 October 1936 5 1 It was the British Royal Air Force RAF base built West of the Euphrates in accordance with Article 5 of the Anglo Iraqi Treaty of 1930 6 It was on the West bank of the Euphrates between Ramadi and Fallujah and was a major military and air base for the entire British Empire The squadrons units and headquarters and the hospital gradually moved in from RAF Hinaidi Baghdad which was then finally vacated by the British on 21 December 1937 and renamed Rashid Airfield by the Iraqis 7 RAF Dhibban was originally named after the nearby village of Sin el Dhibban in Arabic Teeth of the Fly but was renamed more appropriately RAF Habbaniya on 1 May 1938 8 Not long after its renaming an aircraft went missing on a flight from Habbaniya The aircraft a bomber of No 30 Squadron left on 10 December 1938 and was found 11 days later some 60 miles 97 km north of Habbaniya All six occupants were dead 9 RAF Habbaniya was extensive and as well as the airfield included the Air Headquarters of RAF Iraq Command 10 communication facilities maintenance units an aircraft depot an RAF hospital RAF Iraq Levies barracks the RAF Armoured Car Company depot as well as fuel and bomb stores 11 There were numerous billets messes and a wide range of leisure facilities including swimming pools cinemas and theatres sports pitches tennis courts and riding stables It was self contained with its own power station water purification plant and sewage farm 12 Water taken from the Euphrates for the irrigation systems enabled green lawns flower beds and even ornamental Botanical Gardens 13 After World War II the families of British personnel started living at Habbaniya and a school was started 14 Within the camp perimeter was the Civil Cantonment which provided the accommodation for the families of the RAF Iraq Levies and the civilian workers and their families The cantonment population of about 10 000 had their own schools hospital mosques churches temples cinema and bazaars The base had extended to some 28 square miles 73 km2 which required a taxi service to get people around 14 Just outside the perimeter was the village of Humphreya in which more locally employed civilians and their families lived It was the original construction camp for the company which built the base Messrs Humphreys of Knightsbridge London and from which the name Humphreya arose 15 There was a 7 mile 11 km perimeter fence round the base but this did not enclose the airfield which was outside 16 In 1952 a second airfield was built on the plateau to cope with the long range and jet aircraft using the base this subsequently became the Iraqi Air Force Al Taqaddum airbase 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 17 nbsp Map of Iraq in World War IIThe station was a large flying training school in the Second World War as well as a transport staging airfield In the Rashid Ali rebellion in 1941 the airfield was besieged by units from the Royal Iraqi Army encamped on the overlooking plateau 18 On 2 May 1941 British forces from the airfield launched pre emptive airstrikes on Iraqi forces throughout Iraq and the Anglo Iraqi War began 19 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 20 Number 1 Armoured Car Company RAF and the RAF s 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 21 Later in the Second World War 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 The United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command used Habbaniya as a stopover point between the large Lend Lease aircraft assembly facility at Abadan Airport Iran and Payne Field Cairo Also ATC operated a transport route from Habbaniya to Mehrabad Airport Tehran After the Second World War 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 In 1949 Habbaniya was assessed as having six hangars and two metal runways the longest being 2 000 yards 1 800 m in length 22 No 6 Squadron RAF No 8 Squadron RAF and No 73 Squadron RAF were the last flying squadrons to depart the base in the mid 1950s 23 Although the British presence continued until 1959 on 2 May 1955 command of the base was handed over to the Iraqi government 24 During the Cold War from 1 August 1946 GCHQ ran a large signals intelligence SIGINT monitoring station at Habbaniya staffed by 276 Signals Unit until 31 July 1958 25 It also operated SIGINT aircraft over Iran and the Caspian Sea to monitor the Soviet Union 26 On 14 July 1958 the July 1958 Revolution took place At that time Habbaniya had 900 personnel and the uprising in Baghdad had caused the loss of one British life and the burning of the embassy 27 By the start of 1959 the base was host to 600 RAF staff with 60 dependants The dependants were flown back to the United Kingdom in early April 1959 The base closed on 31 May 1959 when the RAF finally withdrew after the July 1958 Revolution made the presence of British military no longer welcome 28 29 On abandonment of the base a question was asked in the UK Parliament concerning the cost of the base over the 23 years of its operational life It was estimated that it had the amount was 3 5 million equivalent to 86 629 287 in 2021 30 In June 1961 there were two Iraqi Air Force squadrons at the base 31 No 1 Squadron Venom FB 1 based at Habbaniyah AB CO Capt A Mun em Ismaeel No 6 Squadron Hunter based at Habbaniyah AB CO Capt Hamid ShabanThe airbase was bombed in Operation Kaman 99 on the second day of the Iran Iraq War just after the Iraqi invasion of Iran 32 Tom Cooper s book Arab MiG 19 and MiG 21 Units in Combat describes Habbaniya as a base for Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 21s by 1990 33 RAF Hospital Habbaniya Edit As part of the treaty of 1930 the RAF were required to withdraw from Hinaidi and Mosul so the hospital at Hinaidi was also relocated to Habbaniya in 1937 with 500 beds 34 Sometimes referred to as No 6 RAF Hospital it operated as a general hospital until 1956 being downgraded to a station hospital until 1958 35 36 In 1942 the commanding officer of the hospital Group Captain Gerard Hanly was killed in an aircraft crash 37 38 Current use EditAccording to the Federation of American Scientists the site was used to produce Mustard gas a chemical weapon The site was built in 1983 84 The factory produced the gas for use against Iran in the Iran Iraq War The factory produced 60 80 tonnes per year 39 Alwan Hassoun Alwan al Abousi was Base Commander 1985 1988 nbsp May 2007 view of the Habbaniyah Olympic poolAfter 2003 the former British airfield was 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 revitalised much of the base In December 2008 the U S Army and all civilian contractors less twelve contractors from MPRI departed Camp Habbaniyah U S Marines had stayed behind to provide the Iraqi Army with additional perimeter security until a time TBD On 16 April 2009 a suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi 1st Lieutenant detonated a bomb among a group of Iraqi soldiers at a canteen In 2015 Habbaniya was a base for Shia militias the Iraqi army and its American trainers in their ongoing campaign against ISIS 40 nbsp British media and service members make a brief visit to the cemetery for Remembrance Day ceremonies289 British and Commonwealth personnel along with women children and babies remain buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission CWGC cemetery in Habbaniya The register of those buried is held by the RAF Habbaniya Association In 2019 the site was renovated and 289 replacement Portland stone grave markers were installed 41 Notable personnel EditMichael Beetham later Marshal of the Royal Air Force served at Habbaniya in 1951 on detachment 42 Hugh Hamilton Brookes commanding officer 1954 1956 3 Roald Dahl was stationed there in 1940 as described in his book Going Solo but his opinion rather was unfavourable compared with that of most personnel who served there 43 Hughie Edwards commanding officer 1956 1958 4 Jeremy Swan was a medical officer at Habbaniya in the 1940s 44 45 George Unwin officer commanding No 84 Squadron in 1949 46 Flying Units and Aircraft EditNo 6 Squadron RAF 1950 1954 de Havilland Vampire FB5 amp FB9 47 No 8 Squadron RAF 1956 de Havilland Vampire FB4 48 No 11 Squadron RAF 1941 Bristol Blenheim IV 48 No 14 Squadron RAF 1941 Bristol Blenheim IV 49 No 30 Squadron RAF 1938 Hawker Hardy later Bristol Blenheim I 50 No 45 Squadron RAF 1941 Bristol Blenheim IV 51 No 52 Squadron RAF 1941 1942 Hawker Audax 52 No 55 Squadron RAF 1937 1939 Vickers Vincent Bristol Blenheim I 53 No 70 Squadron RAF 1937 1939 Vickers Valentia 54 No 73 Squadron RAF 1953 1955 de Havilland Vampire FB9 amp FB1 55 No 74 Squadron RAF 1943 Hawker Hurricane I 56 No 82 Squadron RAF detachment 1951 1952 Avro Lancaster PR1 57 No 84 Squadron RAF 1941 Bristol Blenheim IV 57 No 94 Squadron RAF detachment 1941 Gloster Gladiator 58 No 123 Squadron RAF 1942 Gloster Gladiator 59 No 162 Squadron RAF 1942 Bristol Blenheim IV 60 No 185 Squadron RAF 1952 de Havilland Vampire FB5 61 No 203 Squadron RAF detachment 1941 Bristol Blenheim IV 62 No 208 Squadron RAF detachment 1941 Hawker Audax 63 No 216 Squadron RAF detachment 1942 Lockheed Hudson IV No 223 Squadron RAF detachment 1942 Martin Baltimore 64 S Squadron RAF Formed Habbaniya 1939 amp re designated No 244 Squadron RAF on move to RAF Shaibah on 1 November 1940 65 No 249 Squadron RAF 1946 de Havilland Mosquito FB26 Hawker Tempest F6 66 No 261 Squadron RAF 1941 Gloster Gladiator Hawker Hurricane I 67 No 651 Squadron RAF detachment 1948 Auster AOP6 68 No 680 Squadron RAF detachment 1945 1946 Fairchild Argus 69 No 683 Squadron RAF 1952 1953 Vickers Valetta C1 69 No 1415 Meteorological Flight RAF 1942 1946 Gloster Gladiator Hawker Hurricane 70 71 No 1434 Photo Survey Flight RAF 1942 Bristol Blenheim 72 No 4 Flying Training School RAF 1939 1941 73 A Communications Flight with various designations was based at Habbaniya from 1936 until 1 April 1958 74 Ground Units EditNo 104 Maintenance Unit RAF 1954 1956 75 No 134 Maintenance Unit RAF 1942 and 1943 to 1946 76 No 115 Maintenance Unit RAF 1945 to 1958 77 78 No 123 Signals Unit RAF 1 January 1956 to 31 October 1958 79 No 276 Signals Unit RAF 1946 1958 80 19 Topographical Squadron R E No 1 Armoured Car Company RAF 1936 1946 81 Number 2 Squadron RAF Regiment 1948 1955 1st Battalion King s Own Royal Regiment Iraq Levies HQ 1st 2d 3d 4th and 5th Assyrian Levies and 8th Levy All companies of 125 men plus their dependents totaling 2 000 people RAF Hawker Hunter Servicing Flight Royal Iraqi Air Force 1957 1958 RAF Hospital Habbaniya variously named General Hospital No 6 RAF Hospital Station Hospital Transferred from RAF Hinaidi December 1937 82 See also Edit nbsp World War II portalList of former Royal Air Force stations Article 5 of the Anglo Iraqi Treaty Al TaqaddumReferences EditCitations Edit nbsp This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency a b Fairbairn 1991 p 82 Pine L G 1983 A Dictionary of mottoes London Routledge amp K Paul p 113 ISBN 0 7100 9339 X a b Wilson Charles ed 14 April 1988 Air Vice Marshal H H Brookes The Times No 63055 p 16 ISSN 0140 0460 a b Edwards Hughie Idwal VC DSO OBE DFC Air Commodore b 1914 d 1982 www awm gov au Retrieved 19 February 2022 Dawson Geoffrey ed 21 April 1938 Royal Air Force Dhibban station renamed The Times No 47974 p 7 ISSN 0140 0460 Dawson Geoffrey ed 2 May 1941 More troops in Iraq The Times No 48915 p 4 ISSN 0140 0460 The National Archives UK AIR 28 330 FO 624 10 137 amp appendices et al The National Archives Kew London AIR 29 50 Dawson Geoffrey ed 22 December 1938 Missing RAF bomber found The Times No 48184 p 12 ISSN 0140 0460 Casey William Francis ed 22 December 1949 Middle East Command The Times No 51571 p 5 ISSN 0140 0460 Guedalla 1944 pp 138 139 Fairbairn 1991 p 86 Mackie 2001 p 201 a b Mackie 2001 p 226 History www habbaniya org Retrieved 20 February 2022 Fairbairn 1991 pp 82 83 Dudgeon 2010 p 41 Guedalla 1944 p 141 Armitage M J 1998 The Royal Air Force an illustrated history London Brockhampton Press p 126 ISBN 1860198511 Fairbairn 1991 p 83 Guedalla 1944 p 145 Casey William Francis ed 20 December 1949 R A F In Middle East The Times No 51569 p 3 ISSN 0140 0460 Jefford 2001 pp 29 30 53 Haley William ed 3 May 1955 Transfer Of Air Base In Iraq The Times No 53210 p 8 ISSN 0140 0460 The National Archives Kew London AIR 29 1952 AIR 29 2283 1 amp AIR29 2550 Aldrich Richard J 2011 GCHQ London Harper Press pp 160 162 ISBN 978 0 007312 665 Goktepe Cihat October 1999 The Forgotten Alliance Anglo Turkish Relations and CENTO 1959 65 Middle Eastern Studies London 35 4 103 doi 10 1080 00263209908701288 ISSN 0026 3206 OCLC 1049994615 Casey William Francis ed 6 April 1959 Habbaniya Families Leave To Day The Times No 54427 p 10 ISSN 0140 0460 Casey William Francis ed 7 April 1959 R A F Families Leave Habbaniya The Times No 54428 p 10 ISSN 0140 0460 Habbaniya hansard parliament uk 15 July 1959 Retrieved 19 February 2022 Tom Cooper Kuwait Emergency Air Combat Information Group آشنایی با عملیات البرز کمان ۹۹ همشهری آنلاین 6 February 2013 Retrieved 30 June 2019 David Nicolle Tom Cooper Arab MiG 19 and MiG 21 Units in Combat Volume 44 of Osprey Combat Aircraft Osprey Publishing 2004 ISBN 1841766550 9781841766553 78 Mackie 2001 pp 82 83 RAF Hospital Habbaniya formerly No 6 RAF Hospital With appendices discovery nationalarchives gov uk Retrieved 20 February 2022 Mackie 2001 p 368 Fairbairn 1991 p 84 Hanly Gerard Joseph 1900 1942 livesonline rcseng ac uk Retrieved 20 February 2022 Iraqi facilities at Habbaniya Federation of American Scientists Archived from the original on 13 February 2005 Retrieved 30 June 2019 The successful campaign provides a blueprint for future battles with Fallujah and Mosul the next to come The Economist 28 December 2015 Retrieved 29 December 2015 Milmo Cahal 29 September 2019 Iraqi war cemetery restored after decades of destruction I News Retrieved 20 February 2022 Jacobs Peter 2011 Stay the distance the life and times of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham London Frontline Books p 66 ISBN 978 1848325524 Pike Richard 2014 Hunter boys true tales from pilots of the Hawker Hunter London p 69 ISBN 978 1909808034 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Harold James Charles Swan RCP Museum history rcplondon ac uk Retrieved 20 February 2022 Oransky Ivan March 2005 H Jeremy C Swan The Lancet 365 9465 1132 doi 10 1016 S0140 6736 05 71865 1 PMID 15822167 S2CID 30607045 Thomson Robert ed 29 June 2006 Wing Commander George Unwin The Times No 68739 p 63 ISSN 0140 0460 Jefford 2001 p 29 a b Jefford 2001 p 30 Jefford 2001 p 31 Jefford 2001 p 38 Jefford 2001 p 43 Jefford 2001 p 44 Jefford 2001 p 45 Jefford 2001 p 49 Jefford 2001 p 50 Jefford 2001 p 51 a b Jefford 2001 p 53 Jefford 2001 p 55 Jefford 2001 p 61 Jefford 2001 p 66 Jefford 2001 p 69 Jefford 2001 p 70 Jefford 2001 p 72 Jefford 2001 p 75 Lake 1999 p 237 Jefford 2001 p 80 Jefford 2001 p 82 Jefford 2001 p 103 a b Jefford 2001 p 105 Fairbairn 1991 p 85 Lake 1999 p 87 Lake 1999 p 88 Lake 1999 p 106 Lake 1999 p 307 The National Archives Kew London AIR 29 2052 The National Archives Kew London AIR 29 1052 2 amp AIR 29 1540 RAF Habbaniya Air of Authority A History of RAF Organisation Retrieved 10 June 2012 The National Archives Kew London AIR 29 1045 AIR 29 1537 amp AIR 29 2055 1 The National Archives Kew London AIR 29 3027 AIR 29 1952 The National Archives Kew Warwick Nigel W M 2014 IN EVERY PLACE The RAF Armoured Cars in the Middle East 1921 1953 Rushden Northamptonshire England Forces amp Corporate Publishing Ltd p 4 ISBN 978 0 9574725 2 5 AIR 29 943 The National Archives Kew Bibliography Edit Dudgeon Air Vice Marshal A G CBE DFC Retd Hidden Victory The Battle of Habbaniya May 1941 Stroud UK Tempus Publishing 2001 ISBN 0 7524 2037 2 Dudgeon M 2010 No 4 SFTS and Raschad Ali s War Iraq 1941 Journal of the Royal Air Force Historical Society London UK Royal Air Force Historical Society 48 ISSN 1361 4231 Fairbairn T 1991 Action stations overseas Sparkford UK P Stephens ISBN 1 85260 319 4 Guedalla P 1944 Middle East 1940 1942 a study in air power London UK Hodder amp Stoughton OCLC 715284147 Jefford C G 2001 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 84037 141 2 Lake A 1999 Flying Units of the RAF The ancestry formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912 Shrewsbury UK Airlife ISBN 1 84037 086 6 Mackie M 2001 Sky wards a history of the Princess Mary s Royal Air Force Nursing Service London UK Robert Hale ISBN 0 7090 6976 6 Sturtivant R ISO and John Hamlin RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912 Tonbridge UK Air Britain Historians Ltd 2007 ISBN 0 85130 365 X Further reading Edit Dunford Wood C 2020 Big Little Wars The War Diaries of Colin Dunford Wood 1939 41 India and Iraq London UK Independent Publishing Network ISBN 978 1838538484 Lee Air Chief Marshal Sir David Flight from the Middle East A History of the Royal Air Force in the Arabian Peninsula and Adjacent Territories 1945 1972 London UK Ministry of Defence Air Historical Branch RAF 1981 ISBN 978 0117723566External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Habbaniya RAF Habbaniya Association Dunford Wood Colin Habbaniya Campaign Iraq 1941 A Story of War diary entries for May and June 1941 by an RAF pilot officer stationed at Habbaniya Dunford Wood Colin 4 March 2012 RAF Habbaniya Daily Intelligence Bulletins A Story of War daily intelligence reports from May 1941 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title RAF Habbaniya amp oldid 1175937276, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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