Mandal Airfield ( no, Mandal flyplass) was a

military air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

situated at Vestnes in

Lindesnes Lindesnes ( en, the Naze) is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mandal. Other villages in Lindesnes include Åvik, Høll ...

municipality,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It featured a wooden runway measuring . Built by the German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

in 1940 after Nazi Germany occupied Norway, it remained in use for the rest of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Lista Air Station opened in April 1941, after which Mandal remained only a reserve airfield. A 1950 proposal to rejuvenate it as a civilian airport was turned down by the municipal council.

History

Following the

German invasion of Norway German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

on 9 April 1940, the Luftwaffe secured

Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik Kristiansand Airport ( no, Kristiansand lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about by road and by air from th ...

and

Sola Air Station Sola Air Station ( no, Sola flystasjon) is a base for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. It is located in Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Rescue Helicopter Service is stationed at Sola along with Helicopter Squadron 330. Also located ...

, the two land airports along the south coast of Norway. The Luftwaffe quickly assessed that there would be need for an additional airfield located between

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

and

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

. Work therefore commenced on building Mandal Airfield, which was completed in August 1940. Mandal

The airfield remained an important site for

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

which participated in the Norwegian Campaign. However, by Mandal's completion the Luftwaffe had concluded that

Lista Lista is a former municipality located in the old Vest-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1965. The administrative centre was the village of Vanse where Vanse Church is located. Lista municipa ...

would be a more suitable site for a major air base. Planning started in August 1940 and Mandal remained in use until April 1941. It was then closed down and operations moved to Lista Air Station. A further expansion of Mandal took place in 1944, with more taxiways and aircraft stands, although these were never used. No squadrons were ever stationed at Mandal and it was closed at the end of the war in 1945. Civilian interest in the airfield arose in 1950. The struggling Kristiansand-based airline

Sørfly Sørfly A/S was a general aviation airline based in Kristiansand, Norway. It operated from 1946 to 1962 with a base at Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik. Sørfly operated a fleet of three Auster Autocrats, a Republic Seabee and a Miles Gemini. For mo ...

proposed that it could use Mandal as a base for

charter flights Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flights r ...

. The issue was discussed by Mandal Municipal Council, but it decided not to allow the reopening of the airfield.

Facilities

Mandal Airfield was situated at Vestnes, located just west of the town center of Mandal. It featured a wooden runway which measured .

References

{{Portal bar, Aviation, World War II, Norway Airports in Agder Defunct airports in Norway Luftwaffe airports in Norway Lindesnes 1940 establishments in Norway 1945 disestablishments in Norway Airports established in 1940 Military installations in Agder