H-3 Air Base
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| Also known as | H3 Airfield; Al Walid Airbase (GlobalSecurity heading); Codes 202C / 202D; H-3 Main, H-3 Northwest, H-3 Southwest |
|---|---|
| Location | Western desert of Anbar Governorate near the Syrian and Jordanian borders, about 435 km from Baghdad |
| Type | Former Iraqi Air Force base cluster; coalition-seized airfield used for training |
| Category | U.S. installation in Iraq |
| Opened | Airstrip established 1935; seized by coalition special forces in March 2003 |
| Closed or transferred | No formal transfer date found in sources read; Marine Reserve trainers ran their last mission at H3 Airfield on 23 February 2009 |
| Coordinates | 32.92944, 39.74389 (32°55′46.0″N 39°44′38.0″E) |
Overview
H-3 is a cluster of former Iraqi Air Force airfields in Iraq's remote western desert, close to the Syrian border and near the highway linking Jordan with Baghdad. The Iraq Petroleum Company established the original airstrip in 1935 as a landing ground for pumping station H3 on the Mosul-Haifa oil pipeline. H-3 Main is supported by two dispersal airfields, H-3 Northwest and H-3 Southwest, plus a highway strip 42 kilometers to the west.
In the 1970s the base was upgraded under Iraq's 'Super-Base' program, with Yugoslav-built hardened aircraft shelters. Iranian F-4 Phantoms struck the complex in a long-range raid on 4 April 1981, and coalition aircraft targeted it heavily during the 1991 Gulf War, when U.S. intelligence reported chemical weapons stored there. On 5 September 2002, coalition aircraft enforcing the southern no-fly zone bombed an air defense command and control facility at the airfield.
In March 2003, British SAS squadrons and the Australian SASR moved on the H-2 and H-3 airfields. H-3 was defended by an Iraqi battalion and many anti-aircraft guns. Joined by Delta Force operators and, on 24 March, Green Beret teams from the 5th Special Forces Group, they called in 24 hours of precision airstrikes that forced the defenders to flee, then seized about 80 anti-aircraft guns and large stocks of ammunition. A company of Army Rangers and Royal Marines of 45 Commando flew in from Jordan to take over the airfields.
Sources read for this entry describe little permanent U.S. basing at H-3 itself after the invasion. In February 2009 Reserve Marines of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines used H3 Airfield to train soldiers of the Iraqi Army's 7th Division before withdrawing to Al Asad. Recent imagery cited by Wikipedia shows the airfield structures largely intact but the runways blocked by obstacles.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1935 | Iraq Petroleum Company built the H3 airstrip for a pipeline pumping station. |
| 1970s | Upgraded with hardened aircraft shelters under the Iraqi 'Super-Base' program. |
| 1981 | Iranian F-4s struck the H-3 complex on 4 April, destroying or damaging dozens of Iraqi aircraft. |
| 1991 | H-3 was a priority coalition target in the Gulf War; chemical weapons bunkers there were damaged or destroyed. |
| 2002 | Coalition aircraft struck an air defense command and control site at H3 on 5 September. |
| Mar 2003 | British and Australian SAS, Delta Force and 5th Special Forces Group teams seized H-3 after a day of airstrikes; Rangers and 45 Commando took over the base. |
| May 2003 | Elements of the 54th Engineer Battalion moved to FOB Buzz, between Ar Rutbah and H3 Airfield. |
| Feb 2009 | Company E, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines trained Iraqi soldiers at H3 Airfield on its last mission before leaving Iraq. |
Units stationed at H-3 Air Base
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from H-3 Air Base. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.
| # | Unit | When | Role at the base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B and D Squadrons, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (United Kingdom) | March 2003 | Infiltrated western Iraq and took part in the seizure of H-2 and H-3 | link |
| 2 | 1 Squadron, Special Air Service Regiment (Australia) | March 2003 | Took part in the seizure of H-2 and H-3 | link |
| 3 | Delta Force | March 2003 | Joined the British and Australian SAS in operations against H-3 | link |
| 4 | Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group | From 24 March 2003 | Green Beret ODAs that called in airstrikes on H-3 | link |
| 5 | 75th Ranger Regiment (one company) | Late March 2003 | Flew in from Jordan to hold the captured air bases | link |
| 6 | 45 Commando, Royal Marines | Late March 2003 | Flew in from Jordan to reinforce and hold the captured air bases | link |
| 7 | 2nd Platoon, Company B, 54th Engineer Battalion (reinforced) | May 2003 | Moved to FOB Buzz between Ar Rutbah and H3 Airfield; route and bridge reconnaissance | link |
| 8 | Company E, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 8 | February 2009 | Reserve Marines trained Iraqi Army soldiers at H3 Airfield | link |
| 9 | 3rd Battalion, 29th Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division | February 2009 | Iraqi infantry trained by Marines at H3 Airfield | link |
Notable events and facts
- The H-3 name comes from pumping station H3 on the Mosul-Haifa oil pipeline.
- The Iranian raid of 4 April 1981 penetrated more than 1,000 kilometers into Iraq to strike the H-3 airfields.
- The 5 September 2002 strike on H3 was the first attack on a target in western Iraq during southern no-fly zone patrols.
- Coalition special forces captured about 80 anti-aircraft guns and a large amount of ammunition at H-3 in March 2003.
- GlobalSecurity groups nearby Camp Korean Village, a Marine camp near Ar Rutbah used from 2004, with its H-3 airfield entry, though it states only that the camp was believed to be at one of the H-3 facilities.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at H-3 Air Base
No names have been added yet. This roll call is built from the people who served here, one post at a time.
Message board: H-3 Air Base
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Sources
- H-3 Air Base - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-3_Air_Base
- H-3 Airfield - GlobalSecurity.org. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/h-3.htm
- Wikimedia Commons: USMC-090223-M-0493G-012 (training at H3 Airfield). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-090223-M-0493G-012.jpg
- Wikimedia Commons: Category H-3 Airbase. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:H-3_Airbase