Tealing
TEALING: Military aerodrome
Note: The first two pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©. The local area and area views are from my Google Earth © derived database.
Military users: RAF Flying Training Command 21 Group
56 OTU [Operational Training Unit] (Hawker Hurricanes, Miles Master & Westland Lysanders)
9 (P) AFU [Pilot Advanced Flying Unit] (Miles Master, later North American T-6 Harvards)
1 TEU [Tactical Exercise Unit] (Hawker Hurricanes & Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
Location: S of Kirkton on Tealing, W of Inveraldie and the A929, 4nm N of Dundee
Period of operation: 1942 to 1945
Runways: 09/27 1372x46 hard 03/21 1006x46 hard
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The pictures of the Pe-8 are courtesy of atchistory. The control tower is from Canmore.
THE RUSSIAN CONNECTION
Further delving appears to reveal a quite extraodinary event happening here. It now seems that in May 1942 TEALING had a most unusual visitor - a Petlyakov Pe-8 four-engine bomber. The only four-engine bomber design built by the Russians in WW2. This aircraft had been adapted to carry passengers and was being flown by Endel Puusepp, carrying a Soviet delegation to Washington. Routing via TEALING, PRESTWICK, Reykjavik and Goose Bay. Why TEALING remains a mystery.
Included in the passengers was Vyacheslav Molotov, Russian Foreign Minister and Deputy Chairman of the State Commitee of Defence. (Remember his idea of what a cocktail involved?)
NOTES: These 'hard' runway surfaces are described as being concrete with wood chippings. The use of wood chippings being incorporated into various runway surfaces was quite common in WW2, apparently under the delusion that it helped to camouflage them - which it most certainly did not. It appears that the downside was that when it rained, the surface became so slippery, it was amost like landing on ice!
This said, I have often come across remarks to this effect applying to wood chippings in bitumen; perhaps it was different with concrete?
We'd love to hear from you, so please scroll down to leave a comment!
Leave a comment ...
Copyright (c) UK Airfield Guide
