Keent Airfield had been used by the army and navy for more than a decade before the Second World War. The airfield proved to be a good addition to Volkel air base for the Germans during the war. There are more of these Ausweichplätze (alternative sites) or Schattenplätze (shadow sites) in Kessel, De Rips, and Boxmeer, among others.
Keent Airfield had been overlooked during the planning of Operation Market Garden.…
Keent Airfield had been used by the army and navy for more than a decade before the Second World War. The airfield proved to be a good addition to Volkel air base for the Germans during the war. There are more of these Ausweichplätze (alternative sites) or Schattenplätze (shadow sites) in Kessel, De Rips, and Boxmeer, among others.
Keent Airfield had been overlooked during the planning of Operation Market Garden. An American unit only noticed the airfield during the operation. Too late for Market Garden, but Keent proved to be useful for the rest of the war. At the end of September 1944 one of the landing strips was adapted so it could be used by fighter aircraft. But by 7 October 1944 the planes were relocated to Volkel as bad weather had put Keent out of action. Nowadays only the memorial erected in 1995 reminds us of the activities of the Allies.
