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{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force station in Iraq (1936–1959)}}
{{coord|33|22|37.0|N|43|34|4.0|E|region:IQ_type:airport|display=title}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2022}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox Military Unit
{{Infobox military installation
|unit_name = Royal Air Force Station Habbaniya
|image =
| name = RAF Habbaniya
|caption = Station crest
| ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
|dates = 1936 - 1959
| ensign_size = 90px
| native_name = قاعدة الحبانية الجوية ({{langx|ar|Of the oleander}}){{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|p=82}}
|country = [[Iraq]]
| location = Habbaniya
|allegiance = {{flagicon|UK}}[[United Kingdom|UK]]: [[British Armed Forces]]
|branch = [[Royal Air Force]]
| country = Iraq
| image = Habbaniya airfield, circa 1941.jpg
|command_structure = [[RAF Iraq Command|British Forces in Iraq]]
|type = [[flight|Flying]] station
| alt = A black and white image of some hangars, tentage and hard standings in a desert
|role =
| caption = Habbaniya airfield, circa 1941
|size =
| image2 = RAF Habbaniya Unit Badge.jpg
|current_commander =
| alt2 = The heraldic badge of RAF Habbaniya
| caption2 = [[Heraldic badges of the Royal Air Force|Station badge]] (''Infestos ferimus''<br />{{langx|la|We strike the troublesome}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pine |first1=L.&nbsp;G. |title=A Dictionary of mottoes |date=1983 |publisher=Routledge & K. Paul |location=London |isbn=0-7100-9339-X |page=113}}</ref>)
|garrison = [[Habbaniyah]], [[Iraq]]
|garrison_label = Based near
| type = Flying station
| coordinates = {{Coord|33|22|56.99|N|43|34|23.71|E|region:IQ_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
|ceremonial_chief =
|ceremonial_chief_label =
| pushpin_map = Iraq
| ownership = [[Air Ministry]]
|colonel_of_the_regiment =
| operator = [[Royal Air Force]]
|colonel_of_the_regiment_label =
|nickname =
| controlledby = [[RAF Iraq Command]]
|motto =
| built = {{Start date|1934}}
|colors = [[Image:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|175px]]
| used = 1936–{{End date|1959}}
| past_commanders = {{plainlist|
|colors_label = [[Royal Air Force Ensign]]
*[[Hugh Hamilton Brookes|H H Brookes]] (1954–1956)<ref name="TT">{{cite news |editor-last1=Wilson|editor-first1=Charles|editor-link=Charles Wilson (journalist)|title=Air Vice-Marshal H. H. Brookes |work=The Times |issue=63055 |date=14 April 1988 |page=16|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
|march = [[Royal Air Force March Past]]
*[[Hughie Edwards]] (1956–58)<ref name="AU">{{cite web |title=Edwards, Hughie Idwal VC, DSO, OBE, DFC (Air Commodore, b.1914 - d.1982) |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C91220 |website=www.awm.gov.au |access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>
|mascot =
}}
|equipment =
|battles =
| r1-number =
| r1-length = {{Convert|2,000|yard|0}}
|notable_commanders = [[Harry George Smart]]<br>[[John D'Albiac]]
|identification_symbol =
| r1-surface =
|identification_symbol_label = Station crest
|anniversaries =
}}
}}
'''Royal Air Force Habbaniya''', more commonly known as '''RAF Habbaniya''' ({{langx|ar|قاعدة الحبانية الجوية}}), (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 developed from 1934, and was operational from October 1936 until 31 May 1959 when the RAF finally withdrew after the [[14 July Revolution|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]].


It is currently a major Iraqi military [[airbase]].
[[Image:IraqWWII en.svg|thumb|right|300px|Map of Iraq during World War II]]


==History==
'''Royal Air Force Station Habbaniya''', more commonly known as '''RAF Habbaniya''', (originally '''RAF Dhibban''') was a [[Royal Air Force]] [[RAF station|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 [[History_of_iraq#Iraqi_republic|July 1958 Revolution]].
Originally called '''RAF Dhibban''', the station was built on the west bank of the [[Euphrates]] in the then [[Kingdom of Iraq|Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq]] at a cost of £1,750,000 ({{Inflation|UK|1,750,000|1936|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}), and opened on 19 October 1936.<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Dawson |editor-first1=Geoffrey |editor-link=Geoffrey Dawson|title=Royal Air Force Dhibban station renamed |work=The Times |issue=47974 |date=21 April 1938 |page=7|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>{{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|p=82}} It was the British [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) base built "West of the Euphrates" in accordance with Article 5 of the [[Anglo-Iraqi Treaty (1930)|Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930]].<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Dawson |editor-first1=Geoffrey |editor-link=Geoffrey Dawson|title=More troops in Iraq |work=The Times |issue=48915 |date=2 May 1941 |page=4|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> 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.<ref>The National Archives UK AIR 28/330, FO 624/10/137 (& appendices) et al</ref> 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.<ref>The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/50</ref> Not long after its renaming, an aircraft went missing on a flight from Habbaniya. The aircraft, a bomber of [[No. 30 Squadron RAF|No. 30 Squadron]], left on 10 December 1938, and was found 11 days later some {{convert|60|mi}} north of Habbaniya. All six occupants were dead.<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Dawson |editor-first1=Geoffrey |editor-link=Geoffrey Dawson|title=Missing RAF bomber found |work=The Times |issue=48184 |date=22 December 1938 |page=12|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>


RAF Habbaniya was extensive and, as well as the airfield, included the Air Headquarters of [[RAF Iraq Command]],<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Casey |editor-first1=William Francis |editor-link=William Francis Casey|title=Middle East Command|work=The Times |issue=51571 |date=22 December 1949 |page=5|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> 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.{{sfn|Guedalla|1944|pp=138–139}}
It remained a major Iraqi military [[airbase]].


There were numerous [[billet]]s, [[mess]]es 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.{{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|p=86}} Water taken from the Euphrates for the irrigation systems enabled green lawns, flower beds and even ornamental [[botanical garden]]s.{{sfn|Mackie|2001|p=201}} After the [[Second World War]] the families of British personnel started living at Habbaniya and a school was started.{{sfn|Mackie|2001|p=226}}
==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 [[RAF Hinaidi]], Baghdad, which was vacated by the British and re-named "Rashid Airfield" by the Iraqis. Originally called RAF Dhibban, the station was renamed RAF Habbaniya on 1 May 1938. The station was a large flying training school during [[World War II]], as well as a transport staging airfield. During the [[Rashid Ali al-Kaylani|Rashid Ali]] [[1941 Iraqi coup d'état|rebellion in 1941]] the base was besieged by the [[Iraqi Army]] encamped on the overlooking plateau. On 2 May, British forces from the base launched pre-emptive [[airstrikes]] on Iraqi forces throughout Iraq and the [[Anglo-Iraqi War]] began. 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, [[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.


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 {{convert|28|mi2}}, which required a taxi service to get people around.{{sfn|Mackie|2001|p=226}} 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).<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.habbaniya.org/history.html |website=www.habbaniya.org |access-date=20 February 2022}}</ref>
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. 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]].


There was a {{convert|7|mi|adj=on}} perimeter fence round the base but this did not enclose the airfield which was outside.{{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|pp=82–83}} 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).
[[Image:Lake Habbaniya Sailing Club.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Lake Habbaniya Sailing Club]]
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 Empire]]s. The lake provided the necessary landing area for these aircraft in the middle of the [[Mesopotamian]] desert.
[[Image:Rest & Leave Centre Lake Habbanyia.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Rest and Leave Centre]]
[[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.


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 Empire]]s. The lake provided the necessary landing area for these aircraft in the middle of the [[Mesopotamian]] desert.{{sfn|Dudgeon|2010|p=41}}
Among the Units located at Habbaniya at various times were:
[[File:IraqWWII en.svg|thumb|left|300px|Map of Iraq during the [[Second World War]].]]
* No4 Service Flying Training School;
The station was a large flying training school in the [[World War II|Second World War]], as well as a transport staging airfield. In the [[Rashid Ali al-Kaylani|Rashid Ali]] [[1941 Iraqi coup d'état|rebellion in 1941]], the airfield was besieged by units from the [[Iraqi Army|Royal Iraqi Army]] encamped on the overlooking plateau.{{sfn|Guedalla|1944|p=141}} On 2 May 1941, British forces from the airfield launched pre-emptive [[airstrikes]] on Iraqi forces throughout Iraq and the [[Anglo-Iraqi War]] began.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Armitage |first1=M. J. |title=The Royal Air Force : an illustrated history |date=1998 |publisher=Brockhampton Press |location=London |isbn=1860198511 |page=126}}</ref> 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,{{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|p=83}} [[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 (region)|Palestine]], then a British mandate, combined with the Habbaniya units to force the rebel forces to retreat to Baghdad.{{sfn|Guedalla|1944|p=145}}
* 115 Maintenance Unit;

* 134 Maintenance Unit;
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 B-24 Liberator|Consolidated Liberator]] transports. The [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[Air Transport Command (United States Air Force)|Air Transport Command]] used Habbaniya as a stopover point between the large [[Lend-Lease]] aircraft assembly facility at [[Abadan-Ayatollah Jami International Airport|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 {{convert|2,000|yard}} in length.<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Casey |editor-first1=William Francis |editor-link=William Francis Casey|title=R.A.F. In Middle East|work=The Times |issue=51569 |date=20 December 1949 |page=3|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
* [[123 Signals Unit]];

* [[276 Signals Unit]];
[[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.{{sfn|Jefford|2001|pp=29,30,53}} Although the British presence continued until 1959, on 2 May 1955, command of the base was handed over to the Iraqi government.<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Haley |editor-first1=William|editor-link=William Haley|title=Transfer Of Air Base In Iraq |work=The Times |issue=53210 |date=3 May 1955 |page=8|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
* Squadrons Nos 8, 30, 70, 84, 244, 249, 683;

* [[Number 1 Armoured Car Company RAF]];
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.<ref>The National Archives, Kew, London AIR 29/1952, AIR 29/2283/1 & AIR29/2550</ref> It also operated SIGINT aircraft over Iran and the [[Caspian Sea]] to monitor the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="aldrich-2011" >{{cite book |pages=160–162 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l9i5bt1-7HYC |last=Aldrich|first=Richard J. |year=2011 |title=GCHQ |location=London |publisher=Harper Press |isbn=978-0-007312-665}}</ref>
* [[No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment|Number 2 Squadron RAF Regiment]];

* [[King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|1st Battalion King's Own Royal Regiment]].
On 14 July 1958, the [[14 July Revolution|July 1958 Revolution]] took place, which brought down the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goktepe |first1=Cihat |title=The 'Forgotten Alliance'? Anglo-Turkish Relations and CENTO, 1959-65 |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |date=October 1999 |volume=35 |issue=4 |page=103 |location=London |doi=10.1080/00263209908701288 |issn=0026-3206 |oclc=1049994615}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Casey |editor-first1=William Francis |editor-link=William Francis Casey|title=Habbaniya Families Leave To-Day|work=The Times |issue=54427 |date=6 April 1959 |page=10|issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Casey |editor-first1=William Francis |editor-link=William Francis Casey|title=R.A.F. Families Leave Habbaniya|work=The Times |issue=54428 |date=7 April 1959 |page=10|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> On abandonment of the base, a question was asked in the UK [[Houses of Parliament|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&nbsp;million ({{Inflation|UK|3,500,000|1959|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Habbaniya |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1959-07-15/debates/0e9a2bb4-cbc4-46fa-ad4f-e27af6613def/Habbaniya?highlight=habbaniya#contribution-e086784f-3274-498f-88fa-87920291eeda |website=hansard.parliament.uk |access-date=19 February 2022 |date=15 July 1959}}</ref>
* [[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.

In June 1961 there were two [[Iraqi Air Force]] squadrons at the base:<ref>Tom Cooper [http://www.acig.info/artman/publish/article_203.shtml Kuwait Emergency], Air Combat Information Group</ref>
* 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 by the [[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force]] in [[Operation Kaman 99]] on the second day of the [[Iran–Iraq War]], just after the Iraqi invasion of Iran.<ref name=hamshahri>{{cite web|url=http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/200435/آشنایی-با-عملیات-البرز-کمان-۹۹|title=آشنایی با عملیات البرز (کمان ۹۹)|date=6 February 2013|website=همشهری آنلاین|access-date=30 June 2019}}</ref>

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

===RAF Hospital Habbaniya===
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.{{sfn|Mackie|2001|pp=82–83}} Sometimes referred to as [[List of RAF hospitals#Hospitals outside the United Kingdom|''No. 6 RAF Hospital'']], it operated as a general hospital until 1956, being downgraded to a station hospital until 1958.<ref>{{cite web |title=RAF Hospital: Habbaniya (formerly No 6 RAF Hospital). With appendices |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101960?descriptiontype=Full&ref=AIR+29/2250 |website=discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk |access-date=20 February 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Mackie|2001|p=368}} In 1942, the commanding officer of the hospital, Group Captain Gerard Hanly, was killed in an aircraft crash.{{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|p=84}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Hanly, Gerard Joseph (1900 - 1942) |url=https://livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk/client/en_GB/lives/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ASSET$002f0$002fSD_ASSET:376331/one?qu=%22rcs%3A+E004148%22&rt=false%7C%7C%7CIDENTIFIER%7C%7C%7CResource+Identifier |website=livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk |access-date=20 February 2022}}</ref>


==Current use==
==Current use==
According to the [[Federation of American Scientists]] the site was used to produce [[Sulfur mustard|Mustard gas]] (a chemical weapon). The production site was built in 1983–84 and provided the gas used in the [[Iran–Iraq War]]. The factory produced 60–80 tonnes per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/gulf/cia/960517/60886_01.htm|title=Iraqi facilities at Habbaniya|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050213210558/https://fas.org/irp/gulf/cia/960517/60886_01.htm|access-date=30 June 2019|archive-date=13 February 2005}}</ref> [[Alwan Hassoun Alwan al-Abousi]] was Base Commander 1985-1988.
Following the departure of the RAF, the Iraqi Military took control and renamed it [[Al Taqaddum]].


[[File:RAF Habbaniyah Olympic Pool.JPG|thumb|May 2007 view of the then derelict Habbaniyah Olympic pool]]
According to the [[Federation of American Scientists]] the site was used to produce [[Sulfur mustard|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.
After 2003, the former British airfield was used by both the [[Military of the United States|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 (Iraq)|1st Division]]. Ongoing Coalition and Iraqi construction projects have revitalised much of the base.
<ref>http://www.fas.org/irp/gulf/cia/960517/60886_01.htm</ref>


In December 2008, the [[U.S. Army]] and all civilian contractors, including less than 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.
[[Image:RAF Habbaniyah Olympic Pool.JPG|thumb|May 2007 view of the Habbaniyah Olympic pool]]


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 present times, the former British base is used by both the [[Military of the United States|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.


In 2015, Habbaniya was a base for [[Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq)|Shia militias]], the Iraqi Army and its American trainers, in their ongoing campaign against [[ISIS]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The successful campaign provides a blueprint for future battles — with Fallujah and Mosul the next to come|url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21684689-successful-campaign-provides-blueprint-future-battleswith-fallujah-and|access-date=29 December 2015|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=28 December 2015}}</ref>
On April 16, 2009, a suicide-bomber dressed as an Iraqi 1st Lieutenant detonated a bomb among a group of Iraqi soldiers at a canteen.


[[Image:British Cemetary Habbaniyah.jpg|thumb|British media and service members make a brief visit to the cemetery for Remembrance Day ceremonies]]
[[File:British Cemetery Habbaniyah.jpg|thumb|British media and service members make a brief visit to the cemetery for [[Remembrance Day]] ceremonies]]
289 British and [[Commonwealth of Nations|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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Milmo |first1=Cahal |title=Iraqi war cemetery restored after decades of destruction |url=https://www.inews.co.uk/news/uk/wwii-cemetery-in-iraq-restored-after-decades-of-destruction-344654/ |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=I News |date=29 September 2019}}</ref>


==Units and aircraft==
==Notable personnel==
*[[Michael Beetham]], later Marshal of the Royal Air Force, served at Habbaniya in 1951 on detachment<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jacobs |first1=Peter |title=Stay the distance : the life and times of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham |date=2011 |publisher=Frontline Books |location=London |isbn=978-1848325524 |page=66}}</ref>
* [[No. 6 Squadron RAF]] (1950-1954) [[de Havilland Vampire|de Havilland Vampire FB5 & FB9]]
*[[Hugh Hamilton Brookes]], commanding officer, 1954–1956<ref name="TT"/>
* [[No. 8 Squadron RAF]] (1956) de Havilland Vampire FB4
*[[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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pike |first1=Richard |title=Hunter boys : true tales from pilots of the Hawker Hunter |date=2014 |location=London |isbn=978-1909808034 |page=69}}</ref>
* [[No. 11 Squadron RAF]] (1941) [[Bristol Blenheim|Bristol Blenheim IV]]
*[[Hughie Edwards]], commanding officer, 1956–1958<ref name="AU"/>
* [[No. 14 Squadron RAF]] (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
*[[Jeremy Swan]], was a medical officer at Habbaniya in the 1940s<ref>{{cite web |title=Harold James Charles Swan {{!}} RCP Museum |url=https://history.rcplondon.ac.uk/inspiring-physicians/harold-james-charles-swan |website=history.rcplondon.ac.uk |access-date=20 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Oransky |first1=Ivan |title=H Jeremy C Swan |journal=The Lancet |date=March 2005 |volume=365 |issue=9465 |pages=1132 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71865-1|pmid=15822167 |s2cid=30607045 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
* [[No. 30 Squadron RAF]] (??)
*[[George Unwin]], officer commanding No. 84 Squadron in 1949<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Thomson|editor-first1=Robert|editor-link= Robert Thomson (executive)|title=Wing Commander George Unwin |work=The Times |issue=68739 |date=29 June 2006 |page=63|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
* [[No. 45 Squadron RAF]] (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV

* [[No. 52 Squadron RAF]] (1941-1942) [[Hawker Audax]]
==Flying Units and Aircraft==
* [[No. 55 Squadron RAF]] (1937-1939) [[Vickers Vincent]] Bristol Blenheim I
* [[No. 70 Squadron RAF]] (1937-1939) [[Vickers Valentia]]
* [[No. 6 Squadron RAF]] (1950–1954) [[de Havilland Vampire]] FB5 & FB9{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=29}}
* [[No. 73 Squadron RAF]] (1953-1955) de Havilland Vampire FB9 & FB1
* [[No. 8 Squadron RAF]] (1956) de Havilland Vampire FB4{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=30}}
* [[No. 74 Squadron RAF]] (1943) [[Hawker Hurricane|Hawker Hurricane I]]
* [[No. 11 Squadron RAF]] (1941) [[Bristol Blenheim]] IV{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=30}}
* [[No. 82 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1951-1952) [[Avro Lancaster|Avro Lancaster PR1]]
* [[No. 14 Squadron RAF]] (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=31}}
* [[No. 84 Squadron RAF]] (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
* [[No. 30 Squadron RAF]] (1938) [[Hawker Hart#Hardy|Hawker Hardy]], later Bristol Blenheim I{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=38}}
* [[No. 94 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1941) [[Gloster Gladiator]]
* [[No. 45 Squadron RAF]] (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=43}}
* [[No. 123 Squadron RAF]] (1942) Gloster Gladiator
* [[No. 52 Squadron RAF]] (1941–1942) [[Hawker Audax]]{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=44}}
* [[No. 162 Squadron RAF]] (1942) Bristol Blenheim IV
* [[No. 55 Squadron RAF]] (1937–1939) [[Vickers Vincent]] Bristol Blenheim I{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=45}}
* [[No. 185 Squadron RAF]] (1952-1952) de Havilland Vampire FB5
* [[No. 70 Squadron RAF]] (1937–1939) [[Vickers Valentia]]{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=49}}
* [[No. 203 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV
* [[No. 73 Squadron RAF]] (1953–1955) de Havilland Vampire FB9 & FB1{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=50}}
* [[No. 208 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1941) [[Hawker Audax]]
* [[No. 74 Squadron RAF]] (1943) [[Hawker Hurricane]] I{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=51}}
* [[No. 216 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1942) [[Lockheed Hudson|Lockheed Hudson IV]]
* [[No. 82 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1951–1952) [[Avro Lancaster]] PR1{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=53}}
* [[No. 223 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1942) [[Martin Baltimore]]
* [[No. 84 Squadron RAF]] (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=53}}
* [[No. 244 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 94 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1941) [[Gloster Gladiator]]{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=55}}
* [[No. 249 Squadron RAF]] (1946) [[de Havilland Mosquito|de Havilland Mosquito FB26]] [[Hawker Tempest|Hawker Tempest F6]]
* [[No. 123 Squadron RAF]] (1942) Gloster Gladiator{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=61}}
* [[No. 261 Squadron RAF]] (1941) [[Gloster Gladiator]] Hawker Hurricane I
* [[No. 162 Squadron RAF]] (1942) Bristol Blenheim IV{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=66}}
* [[No. 651 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1948) [[Auster AOP6]]
* [[No. 185 Squadron RAF]] (1952) de Havilland Vampire FB5{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=69}}
* [[No. 680 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1945-1946) [[Fairchild 24|Fairchild Argus]]
* [[No. 203 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1941) Bristol Blenheim IV{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=70}}
* [[No. 683 Squadron RAF]] (1952-1953) [[Vickers Valetta|Vickers Valetta C1]]
* [[No. 208 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1941) [[Hawker Audax]]{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=72}}
* [[No. 1412 Flight RAF|No. 1412 (Meteorological Flight) RAF]] (1942-1946) [[Gloster Gladiator]] [[Hawker Hurricane]]
* [[No. 216 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1942) [[Lockheed Hudson]] IV
* [[No. 1434 Flight RAF|No. 1434 (Photo Survey) Flight RAF]] (1942) [[Bristol Blenheim]]
* [[No. 223 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1942) [[Martin Baltimore]]{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=75}}
* [S' Squadron RAF Formed Habbaniya 1939 & re-designated [[No. 244 Squadron RAF]] on move to [[RAF Shaibah]] on 1 November 1940.{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=237}}
* [[No. 4 Flying Training School RAF]] (1939-1941)
* [[No. 249 Squadron RAF]] (1946) [[de Havilland Mosquito]] FB26 [[Hawker Tempest]] F6{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=80}}
* [[No. 104 Maintenance Unit RAF]] (1954-1956)
* [[No. 261 Squadron RAF]] (1941) [[Gloster Gladiator]] Hawker Hurricane I{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=82}}
* [[No. 115 Maintenance Unit RAF]] (1945-1948)
* [[No. 134 Maintenance Unit RAF]] (1942 and 1943-1946)
* [[No. 651 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1948) [[Auster AOP6]]{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=103}}
* [[No. 680 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1945–1946) [[Fairchild 24|Fairchild Argus]]{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=105}}
* [[No. 683 Squadron RAF]] (1952–1953) [[Vickers Valetta]] C1{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=105}}
* [[No. 1415 Flight RAF|No. 1415 (Meteorological Flight) RAF]] (1942–1946) [[Gloster Gladiator]], [[Hawker Hurricane]]{{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|p=85}}{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=87}}
* [[No. 1434 Flight RAF|No. 1434 (Photo Survey) Flight RAF]] (1942) [[Bristol Blenheim]]{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=88}}
* [[No. 4 Flying Training School RAF]] (1939–1941){{sfn|Lake|1999|p=106}}
* A Communications Flight (with various designations) was based at Habbaniya from 1936 until 1 April 1958.{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=307}}

==Ground Units==
* [[List of Royal Air Force Maintenance units#No. 101 MU – No. 200 MU|No. 104 Maintenance Unit RAF]] (1954–1956)<ref>The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/2052</ref>
* [[List of Royal Air Force Maintenance units#No. 101 MU – No. 200 MU|No. 134 Maintenance Unit RAF]] (1942 and 1943 to 1946)<ref>The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/1052/2 & AIR 29/1540</ref>
* [[List of Royal Air Force Maintenance units#No. 101 MU – No. 200 MU|No. 115 Maintenance Unit RAF]] (1945 to 1958)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-H.htm#Habbaniya |title=RAF Habbaniya|publisher=Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation|access-date=10 June 2012}}</ref><ref>The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/1045, AIR 29/1537 & AIR 29/2055/1</ref>
* [[No. 123 Signals Unit RAF]] (1 January 1956 to 31 October 1958)<ref>The National Archives, Kew, London. AIR 29/3027</ref>
* [[No. 276 Signals Unit RAF]] (1946–1958)<ref>AIR 29/1952, The National Archives, Kew</ref>
* 19 Topographical Squadron R.E.
* [[No. 1 Armoured Car Company RAF]] (1936–1946)<ref>{{cite book| first=Nigel W. M.|last=Warwick| title=IN EVERY PLACE: The RAF Armoured Cars in the Middle East 1921-1953| publisher=Forces & Corporate Publishing Ltd| location=Rushden, Northamptonshire, England| year=2014 | page=4 | isbn=978-0-9574725-2-5}}</ref>
* [[No. II Squadron RAF Regiment|Number 2 Squadron RAF Regiment]] (1948–1955)
* [[King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|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.<ref>AIR 29/943, The National Archives, Kew</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

{{Commonscat|Royal Air Force}}
* [[List of RAF stations]]
*[[List of former Royal Air Force stations]]
* [[Anglo-Iraqi Treaty (1930)#Article 5.|Article 5 of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty]]
*[[Anglo-Iraqi Treaty (1930)#Article 5.|Article 5 of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty]]
* [[Anglo-Iraqi War]]
*[[Al Taqaddum]]
* [[123 Signals Unit RAF]]
* [[Al Taqaddum]]


==References==
==References==
===Notes===
===Citations===
{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
* http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6107681.ece

===Bibliography===
===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]],BA,RAF (Retd). ''RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
* Dudgeon, Air Vice-Marshal A.G., [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]], DFC (Retd). ''Hidden Victory: The Battle of Habbaniya, May 1941''. [[Stroud]], UK: Tempus Publishing., 2001. {{ISBN|0-7524-2037-2}}.
*{{cite journal |last1=Dudgeon |first1=M. |title=No. 4 SFTS and Raschad Ali's War - Iraq 1941 |journal=Journal of the Royal Air Force Historical Society |date=2010 |issue=48|publisher=Royal Air Force Historical Society |location=London, UK |issn=1361-4231}}
* Sturtivant, Ray, [[Imperial Service Order|ISO]] and John Hamlin. ''RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.
*{{cite book |last1=Fairbairn |first1=T. |title=Action stations overseas |date=1991 |publisher=P. Stephens |location=[[Sparkford]], UK |isbn=1-85260-319-4}}
{{refend}}
*{{cite book |last1=Guedalla |first1=P. |title=Middle East : 1940-1942 : a study in air power |date=1944 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |location=London, UK|oclc=715284147}}
* {{cite book|last=Jefford|first=C.&nbsp;G.|title=RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912|location=[[Shrewsbury]], UK|publisher=Airlife Publishing|date=2001|isbn=1-84037-141-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Lake|first=A.|title=Flying Units of the RAF – The ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912|publisher=Airlife|location=[[Shrewsbury]], UK|date= 1999 |isbn=1-84037-086-6}}
*{{cite book |last1=Mackie |first1=M. |title=Sky wards : a history of the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service |date=2001 |publisher=Robert Hale |location=London, UK|isbn=0-7090-6976-6}}
* Sturtivant, R., [[Imperial Service Order|ISO]] and John Hamlin. ''RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912''. [[Tonbridge]], UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. {{ISBN|0-85130-365-X}}.
{{Refend}}

===Further reading===
* {{cite book |last=Dunford Wood |first=C. |year=2020 |title=Big Little Wars: The War Diaries of Colin Dunford Wood, 1939-41, India and Iraq |place=London, UK |publisher=Independent Publishing Network |isbn=978-1838538484}}
* [[David Lee (RAF officer)|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==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.habbaniya.org/ RAF Habbaniya Association]
* [http://www.habbaniya.org/ RAF Habbaniya Association]
* {{cite web |url= http://storyofwar.com/category/habbaniya-campaign-iraq-1941/ |last=Dunford Wood |first=Colin |title=Habbaniya Campaign, Iraq 1941 |work=A Story of War}} – diary entries for May and June 1941 by an RAF pilot officer stationed at Habbaniya
* {{cite web |url= http://storyofwar.com/background/raf-habbaniya-daily-intelligence-bulletins/ |last=Dunford Wood |first=Colin |title=RAF Habbaniya Daily Intelligence Bulletins |work=A Story of War|date=4 March 2012 }} – daily intelligence reports from May 1941

{{Royal Air Force}}
{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Habbaniyah}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habbaniyah}}
[[Category:Al Anbar Governorate]]
[[Category:History of Al Anbar Governorate]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in India]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Military history of Iraq]]
[[Category:Military history of Iraq]]
[[Category:Defunct World War II USAAF Fields]]
[[Category:World War II airfields in Iraq]]
[[Category:Military history of the United States during World War II]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces]]
[[Category:Iraq–United Kingdom relations]]

[[Category:Airports established in 1936]]
[[it:RAF Habbaniyya]]
[[Category:1936 establishments in the British Empire]]

Latest revision as of 14:53, 24 November 2024

RAF Habbaniya
قاعدة الحبانية الجوية (Arabic: Of the oleander)[1]
Habbaniya in Iraq
A black and white image of some hangars, tentage and hard standings in a desert
Habbaniya airfield, circa 1941
The heraldic badge of RAF Habbaniya
Station badge (Infestos ferimus
Latin: We strike the troublesome[2])
RAF Habbaniya is located in Iraq
RAF Habbaniya
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) 

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.

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 in the then Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq at a cost of £1,750,000 (equivalent to £150,192,104 in 2023), 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 the Second World War 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 during the Second World War.

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, which brought down the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. 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 £102,853,384 in 2023).[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 by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force 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 production site was built in 1983–84 and provided the gas used 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 then derelict 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. Ongoing Coalition and Iraqi construction projects have revitalised much of the base.

In December 2008, the U.S. Army and all civilian contractors, including less than 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]

Public Domain 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. 35 (4). London: 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. ^ "Iraqi facilities at Habbaniya". 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.
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  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.
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  50. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 38.
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  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 (48). London, UK: Royal Air Force Historical Society. 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
[edit]
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