On May 7, 1945, the war ended with the surrender of the German troops in the Cuxhaven sector. On May 5, 1945, the Nordholz air base was handed over to the Allied troops without a fight. After a brief occupation by the British units, the US Air Force took over the airfield. On June 5, 1945, the 406th Fighter Group moved from Handorf to Nordholz and stayed there until August 1946. The unit then moved to Manston in England. The 86th FG. of the 12th/USAAF then took over the Nordholz airfield on August 20, 1946 and stayed there until December 1, 1946. In the meantime, other squadrons of various aircraft types also moved to the location in Wursterheide for a short time, including a group of Northrop P 61 "Black Widow". The night fighters of the 415 NFS were deployed from August 7, 1945 to protect the US enclave of Bremerhaven. In 1992, veterans of the US fighter squadrons returned to Europe and visited the locations of their squadrons where they had been stationed in the meantime. Among them was the Nordholz air base, which was the last stop for many USAAF members in their military flying careers. According to their statements, the personnel left the air base at the end of August 1946, but without their fighter planes. Shortly before departure, these were driven to a deep V-shaped ditch through which a naval railway track ran. The planes were then pushed into this ditch and covered with earth, as is said to have happened to the remaining German fighter planes as well as some tanks and other equipment. The former pilots assured at the time that this was how the equipment was disposed of. According to their statements, they had paid money to be allowed to dig up their machines again.
US soldiers from the 'Nordholz Air Base' lined up in front of the residential barracks. These are probably the buildings of the northern accommodation area.Source: Thorsten Perl
Captain AL Rideout, Captain RS Grace and Lt. SJ Wyglendowski of the 406th.Source: Thorsten Perl
Source: Thorsten Perl
Source: Thorsten Perl
Source: Thorsten Perl
Apparently a crashed German Messerschmitt BF 110 with American insignia. It is known that after the war the American pilots test flew the last airworthy machines at the airfield.
Source: Thorsten Perl
The same machine, obviously a total loss.
What: NN
A crashed P 47 in Nordholz. Here too, it occasionally happened that aircraft crashed during training and control flights.
Source: Thorsten Perl
Source: Thorsten Perl
Another P 47 'Thunderbold' of the American squadron.
Source: Thorsten Perl
I would like to thank the Imperial War Museum/American Air Museum in Duxford, England, for permission to use the photo series in the three lower rows.
After the Americans withdrew and military aviation ended, the entire area was demilitarized and dismantled on the orders of the British occupying forces. The concrete runways were blown up and the area was then used for agricultural purposes again. Sources: AFHRA A5257A p.619 (1944/45), Wurster Land kill list.