History - WWII

Six tanks took part in Spilve Airport invasion during the Occupation Latvia on June 17 1940 at 12:00, on June 18 Soviet Air Force planes landed in Spilve. In 1940 the passenger flights to Tallinn, Leningrad, and Moscow were restored. The German Junkers Ju-52 aircraft and Soviet Po-2 were used. Already on the first day of the German attack on USSR on June 22, 1941 the German military aircraft bombed the Spilve airfield. Airport hangars were destroyed and later reconstructed for the German military aviation needs, during years 1941 to 1944 Spilve airport was used mainly as a military airport. However, in October 27, 1941 "Lufthansa" resumed also civilian flights to Riga and Helsinki. On October 11, 1944 Spilve airfield was again destroyed.