notes:
Rakvere, in the Russian chronicles Rakovor, the German name Wesenberg (German Wesenberg) is a city in the north of Estonia, the administrative center of the county of Lääne-Virumaa, the sixth largest and most populated city in Estonia. It is located on the river Kiyula.
First mentioned in the XIII century, founded near a feudal castle.
In prehistoric times and early Middle Ages, the Estonians have called this town Tarbapea (Rus. Bull's head). According to an ancient Estonian legend, once the world there was a bull, which was the size of a large part of Estonia. And when he was caught, his head hit the Rakvere and torso in Tartu (Tarbat).
At 7 km from the city on February 18, 1268, there was a battle of Russian troops with the combined forces of German and Danish crusaders (Rakovorska battle).
In 1347-1558 the city was owned by the Livonian Order. The city was then owned by Russia, Rzeczpospolita and Sweden.
During the Northern War in 1710, he moved to Russia.
In 1919-1940 and since 1991 - as part of independent Estonia. In 1950-1991 he was the center of Rakvere district.
At the end of the 1920s on the northern outskirts of the Defense Forces of the Republic of Estonia was built airfield. Here was based a separate division of the Rakvere Air Force of the Republic of Estonia.
During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the airfield was used aircraft and the Luftwaffe units' defense helpers ". February 26, 1944 on the airfield was struck by aviation from the Leningrad front, as a result of which the airfield was put into non-working condition.
After the war the airfield was rebuilt. During the period from July 1945 to 1954, parts of the 277th Aviation Krasnoselskaya Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov divisions were deployed at the airfield on the Il-2 and Il-10 aircraft. In 1954, the regiments relocated to the Pribilovo airfield (Leningrad region), and the airfield was transferred to the 6th Rakvere border guard of the Order of the Red Star to the detachment of the Baltic Border District.
In 1983, the shooting of the feature film "Anxious Departure" was conducted at the airfield.
Since the withdrawal of Russian troops from Estonia since 1993, the airfield is not used.
