De Kiek decoy airfield
Gilze-Rijen air base was frequently bombed by the Allies. To prevent the airfield from being destroyed, a decoy airfield, De Kiek, was constructed between Alphen and Riel. From the air it looked identical to Gilze-Rijen, and just like Gilze-Rijen it was b
Show all 4 photos
Gilze-Rijen air base was frequently bombed by the Allies. To prevent the airfield from being destroyed, a decoy airfield, De Kiek, was constructed between Alphen and Riel. From the air it looked identical to Gilze-Rijen, and just like Gilze-Rijen it was built next to a railway line, the Bels Line. It was a good attempt to mislead the frequently tired and disoriented Allied pilots. De Kiek was therefore bombed several times.
Whereas many of these fake airfields have since disappeared, a large pa…
Gilze-Rijen air base was frequently bombed by the Allies. To prevent the airfield from being destroyed, a decoy airfield, De Kiek, was constructed between Alphen and Riel. From the air it looked identical to Gilze-Rijen, and just like Gilze-Rijen it was built next to a railway line, the Bels Line. It was a good attempt to mislead the frequently tired and disoriented Allied pilots. De Kiek was therefore bombed several times.
Whereas many of these fake airfields have since disappeared, a large part of De Kiek was fenced off after the war. It was used during the Cold War as a military surveillance base. Nowadays the area is used to render unexploded ordinance safe, and military exercises are still held here. Unusually, there is still a bunker on the site. There are also photos from the beginning of the war which show how the locals and the soldiers ‘got on well’ with each other, even though that was forbidden at the time.
This is how to reach De Kiek decoy airfield
Oude Tilburgsebaan
5131 RJ Riel Plan your route
Starting point: from your location