Rumbeke airfield

During the First World War, aviation played a major role in warfare for the first time. In Rumbeke and its surroundings, too, the air force was very active.

Airfields in Rumbeke
In the hinterland of the front, the belligerent nations built numerous military airfields. In Rumbeke, too, the air force was very active. Many inhabitants had to move out of their homes to make way for it.

The air war
Aeroplanes were a new, technological resource in the First World War. Initially, aeroplanes were used only for reconnaissance missions. As the war went on, aeroplanes were increasingly used to carry out aerial bombardments. From 1917, Rumbeke also suffered such bombardments with increasing frequency, with numerous civilian casualties.

Pilots as celebrities
The most successful pilots were termed 'Aces'. To become an Ace, you had to shoot down a significant number of enemy aircraft.

Toerisme Roeselare