The airfield section of the Biržai–Pandėlys road
Infrastructure
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It is located near Papilys, on the Biržai-Pandėlys road (KK123), near the villages of Galintiškis and Miliškiai.
According to the plans of the Soviet Army leadership, construction of the following four road airfields was scheduled in Lithuania to enable military aircraft to use these roads for take-off and landing: next to Biržai (on the Biržai-Pandėlys road), Kartena (on the Šiauliai-Palanga road), Kropiai (on the Naujoji Akmene-Kruopiai road) and Šakiai (on the Šakiai-Slavikai road). These sections of the road had to be widened and have asphalted areas at the ends to enable the aircraft to turn around. The Kartena and Šakiai sections were built in the 1970s and repaired (at least the Kartena section) in the 1990s. It is known that on 20 June 1983, the Kartena section was tested after repairs by landing a military fighter on it. The Biržiai and Kropiai sections had to be built in the 1990s. A 2-km-long and approximately 20-m-wide section of Biržai has been preserved. The road has been widened, has a more solid base and thicker asphalt surface, and there are still aircraft turning areas at the ends of the section.
Used sources and references:
Arlauskaitė Inga, Kšanytė-Armstrong Raminta, Occupation army in Lithuania, Vilnius: Versus Aureus, 2007, p. 119; 1982 and 1983 photocopies of documents.
