RAF El Geneina

  WWII to present

  Sudan

CITY: El Geneina

IATA/ICAO CODES: EGN / HSGN

COORDINATES: 13°29'N / 22°28'E

OTHER NAMES: RAF El Geneina (WWII), Geneina, Al Junaynah (present)

RAF El Geneina came to existence in 1942 as a technical stop on the West African Reinforcement (WAR) route through Darfur. At that time, the WAR route was a vital lifeline to Egypt for warplanes, and thence crucial in the North African campaign. Funding for communications in Darfur, until then derisorily parsimonious, flowed freely. El Geneina's runway was extended in 1942 to accomodate large aircraft, and a control tower was added in 1943. At the RAF's request, extensive work raised the main provincial roads (El Geneina - El Fasher - Nyala - Nahud) to all-weather status before the 1942 rainy season, as aviation fuel had to be trucked in from the east. Much of the traffic was short-hop fighters and bombers, but also transport aircraft as the WAR route was also operated by the Air Transport Command.

Activity increased until the North African campaign came to an end in 1943, but the WAR route remained in use until 1945. When the war ended, El Geneina was left by the RAF as an excellent airfield, of which little use was made: by 1952, there was only one weekly service to El Geneina from Khartoum.

1207^th AAF Base Unit (El Geneina)

Air Transport Command, Central African Wing