Information Sign and Bench former Air Strip B.91 Kluis

Airstrip in Malden – Airstrip B91
The airstrip in Malden, officially known as Airstrip B91 or "De Kluis", was a temporary military airfield built by the British during the final phase of World War II. The airfield was located between Malden and Nijmegen and played an important role in Operation Varsity, the largest airborne operation ever carried out in a single day, in which 16,000 paratroopers were dropped east of the Rhine as part of the Rhineland Offensive.

Construction and use:
Construction of the airfield began in March 1945 and was completed in just five days. The runway was approximately 1,400 metres long and 40 metres wide, constructed from perforated steel plates (PSP). Thirteen houses had to be demolished for construction, and the residents had little time to find shelter. The Malden windmill also had to remove its sails because of the danger to the aircraft.

The first aircraft took off on 21 March 1945. Squadrons of the 123rd and 135th Wings of the Royal Air Force (RAF), part of the 84th Group, were stationed at the airfield. They carried out reconnaissance flights and investigated the German anti-aircraft defences. The airfield was one of the first places on the European mainland where the Gloster Meteor, a modern jet fighter, was used operationally. In addition, larger aircraft such as the Dakotas, which transported wounded and prisoners of war to England, also landed and took off there.

After the war:
The airfield was only in use for a few weeks and was decommissioned at the end of April 1945. The buildings disappeared, but the perforated metal plates that formed the base were reused by local residents, for example in building houses or as fences. Eyewitnesses recall that Field Marshal Montgomery once landed and showed the village children the cockpit. The last plane to land there was that of Prince Bernhard in May 1945.

Memory and walking routes:
Nowadays there is little left to see of the former airfield, but its history is kept alive by a memorial and information boards in the area. A 7.5 km walking route has been set out, called "Kop van Malden", which takes you past the memorial and other interesting locations between Malden and Nijmegen. The route description is available on the Heemkunde Malden website and brochures are available at the starting point Coffyn.

For those interested in local history, the Airstrip B91 is a special piece of heritage from the Second World War.

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Source

• Text: Arjan Vrieze, RJArmy.nl
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), RJ Army (6, 7, 8)