Stützpunkt IXb L – Flugplatz [airfield] Texel

Vliegpark (airdrome) Texel had only been operational since 1939. German military activity on the site is first reported in early 1942, with the start of bunker construction and the installation of artillery. These were intended for the defense of the airfield. Its strategic importance was considerable during the early years of the war. 

Customary practice with reused Dutch airfields, was for the Germans to build Küverbunkers. The same happened on and around Texel airfield. The design was more or less standardized, allowing rapid construction with minimal on-site planning. The responsible building agency was the Luftgaukommando Holland. It ordered the erection of fifteen Küverbunkers of various sizes as well as a number of other structures, including Lebensmittelbunker and Munitionsbunker [bunkers for food storage and ammunition].

In 1943, it became clear that the aerial threat was difficult to counter and the airfield was decommissioned. Wooden stakes, sometimes strung with barbed wire, were installed on the take-off and landing strips. After that, the obstacle was known by the name of Tannenberg and the latest reference the site under its tactical name IXb L is in maps dated November 1943. The airfield was left to fall into disrepair with the exception of the clusters of bunkers, which were redesignated Widerstandsnester 20b H and 20c H.

Nearby meadows and fields were also made inaccessible by the installation of “Lufthindernisse” [air obstacles], although some locations were kept clear of stakes and wire, and these were prepared as drop zones.

The careful investigator can still locate a few bunkers. The most noticeable one is probably the “Fliegerhorst Gefechtstand”, a command post that played an important role in the Georgian Uprising. It suffered a great deal of damage that is still visible today.