Laon-Couvron Air Base
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| Laon-Couvron Air Base | |||
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| IATA: - ICAO: | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 263 ft (80 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 3/21 | 7,900 | 2,407 | Concrete |
Laon-Couvron Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Aisne département of France, less than one mile southeast of the village of Couvron and 6 miles northwest of Laon.
During the Cold War, Laon-Couvron was a front-line base for the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).
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[edit] Origins
Laon Air Base was developed from a 1930's French Air Force airfield that was briefly used by the Royal Air Force before being overrun by the Germans during the Battle of France in 1940. The Luftwaffe moved in shortly afterwards and used it during the occupation as a base for fighters attacking the USAAF Eighth Air Force bombing attacks of France and Germany.
In August 1944, the Laon area was liberated by the Third Army and the USAAF Ninth Air Force used the base until the German surrender in May 1945.
USAAF Groups which used Laon AB were the 366th Fighter Group, flying P-47 "Thunderbolts" and the 409th Light Bombardment Group, flying the A-26C Douglas "Invader".
After World War II, Laon Air Base was returned to the French on 23 October 1945 and the facility was unused for several years.
[edit] NATO Acquisition
With the outbreak of the Cold War in the late 1940's, with the Berlin Airlift and the ongoing threat from the Soviet Union to Western Europe, negotiations began in November 1950 between NATO and the United States to establish air bases and station combat wings in France to meet European defense needs.
During the negotiations for selection sites, the World War II airfield at Laon was one of the first facilities offered by the French Government for expansion into a modern air base.
It was agreed that Laon Air Base would be developed and that a USAF light bomber wing would be stationed there as soon as possible.
[edit] USAF Use
On 15 June 1951 construction began to upgrade the wartime facilities to NATO standards. Water wells were dug and new water lines and sewage pipes were laid. A new water treatment plant, along with upgrading roads were built. A new jet runway was constructed over the existing wartime secondary runway.
The design of the airfield was to space parked aircraft as far apart as possible by the construction of a circular marguerite system of hardstands that could be revetted later with earth for added protection. Typically the margueriete consisted of fifteen to eighteen hardstands around a large central hangar. Each hardstand held one or two aircraft, and allowed the planes to be spaced approximately 150 feet (50 meters) apart. Each squadron was assigned to a separate hangar/hardstand complex. This construction can be seen clearly in the satellite image link at the bottom of this article.
By 1954 the base was ready for use by operational Air Force Wings.
[edit] 126th Bombardment Wing (Light)
The first USAF unit to use Laon AB was the activated Air National Guard 126th Bombardment Wing, flying the World War II vintage Douglas B-26B/C "Invader" light bomber.
The wing consisted of the 108th, 168th and 180th Bomb Squadrons (Light). The aircraft were marked by various color bands on the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Black/Yellow/Blue for the 108th; Black/Yellow/Red for the 168th, and Black/Yellow/Green for the 180th.
The 126th BW was called to active service on 1 April 1951 and was initially deployed to Bordeaux AB in November 1951. On 25 May 1952 the wing was relocated to Laon, with Bordeaux becoming a support base. A total of 5 B-26Bs, 6 TB-26Bs, and 26 B-26Cs were transferred from Bordeaux, and an additional 48 B-26C's painted black and equipped for night missions were deployed from CONUS to Laon.
At Laon, the 126th used its B-26's for training and maneuvers at Laon until December until being relieved from active duty and transferred, without personnel and equipment, back to the control of the Illinois Air National Guard on 1 January 1953.
[edit] 38th Tactical Bombardment Wing
On 1 January 1953, the flying assets of the 126th Bomb Wing were transferred to the 38th Tactical Bombardment Wing. The 38th's squadrons were designated the 71st, 405th, and 822nd Bomb Squadrons. The wing continued flying the B-26's until 1956.
In April 1955 the 38th Bomb Wing converted to the Martin B-57 "Canberra". The B-57 was a replacement for aging Douglas B-26 "Invader", and with their arrival, the B-26's were returned to CONUS. Because English Electric was unable to meet the USAF delivery schedule, the design was licensed to Martin for US manufacture. A total of 49 B-57B and 8 2-seat B-57C models were deployed to Laon.
The mission of the B-57 was to provide a nuclear deterrent for NATO and to deliever nuclear weapons against pre-selected targets, day or night. The aircraft at Laon were painted a gloss black. An acrobatic team was organized and named the Blak Knights using five B-57's. The Black Knights performed at several air shows around Western Europe, including the 1957 Paris Air Show. The Black Knights were the only tactical bomber show team in the world.
In 1958, General De Gaulle announced that all nuclear weapons and delivery aircraft had to be removed from French soil by July 1958. Since NATO strategy had evolved into "massive nuclear retaliation" this meant all tactical fighter and bombing wings had to depart France. The 38th TBW was inactivated at Laon on 18 June 1958 and redesignated as the 38th Tactical Missile Wing at Hahn Air Base West Germany, operating and maintaining the TM-67A "Matador" cruise missile.
The support personnel of the 38th were reassigned to the incoming 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing.
The B-57's were returned to CONUS and transferred to the Air National Guard and some were converted into various other versions (reconnaissance, electronic warfare) of the B-57. Aircraft from Laon were assigned to the following units:
- 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Kansas ANG, Hutchinson, KS.
- 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Arkansas ANG, Little Rock, AK
- 165th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Kentucky ANG, Louisville, KY
- 172nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Michigan ANG, Battle Creek, MI.
Many of these aircraft were deployed to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. By 1973, most of the surviving B-57s had been consigned to the boneyards at Davis Monthan AFB.
[edit] 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
With the forced withdrawal of the nuclear-equipped B-57's from France, USAFE decided to move the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing to Laon. In 1955 the 66th TRW was assigned to Sembach AB in West Germany, however the flying facilities were inadequate and the base was too small to support flying operations. This move was also in accordance with USAFEs plan to realign the posture of various bases in anticipation of aircraft conversion. The 66th was to convert to the RF-101 Voodoo.
On 10 July 1958 66th TRW Wing Headquarters was transferred to Laon, however it's flying squadrons, the 32nd, 38th, 302nd and 303rd were located at Phalsbourg AB until considerable runway improvements, in particular the preparation of runway overuns could be made at Laon.
In September, the 64 RF-84F "Thunderstreak" tactical reconnaissance aircraft of the 66th arrived at Laon. Just prior to the move, in a public relations exercise, the 302nd engaged in some large scale oblique photo coverage of all towns and cities within a 30 mile radius of Laon. The processed photos were presented to the various town and city officials as a means of introducing the newcomers to the community.
In early 1959 it was announced that the 302nd and 303rd TRS were to be deactivated and their places in the 66th taken by the 17th and 18th TRS from Shaw AFB, South Carolina. These two units arrived at Laon in May, 1959, with the 302nd and 303rd officially deactivated on 20 June. All the RF-84s were ferried to the IRAN facility at Naples for eventual distribution to NATO forces.
In January 1959 the announcement was made that the 32nd and 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons were to receive the McDonnell RF-101C "Voodoo". Many of the pilots of the 302nd and 303rd squadrons were transferred to the new Voodoo squadrons.
[edit] USAF Closure
On 7 March 1966, Gen Charles De Gaulle announced that France would withdraw from NATO's military structure but not leave the political organization. He gave NATO forces one year (until 1 April 1967) to depart France.
On 10 June 1966 the 7379th Tactical Group was activated at Laon AB to facilitate the closure of the base. There was no space available in Germany to relocate the 66th TRW, so the Strategic Air Command's standby base at RAF Upper Heyford, England, was transferred to USAFE and the wing relocated to the UK after eight years at Laon AB.
The relocation of the 66th TFW was completed by November 1966. On 17 March 1967 the remaining USAF equipment and personnel were transferred out of Laon and the base was returned to the French.
[edit] Current Uses
With the withdrawal of the USAF, the French Army moved into Laon Air Base and renamed the facility Quartier Mangin sur l'ancienne base de Couvron. Since 1980 it has been the home of the 1er Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (1er RAMa) self propelled Marine Artillery Regiment.
Many of the old USAF buildings remain and are used by the French. The three large hangars have been removed. New buildings have been erected and the facility is well maintained. The main runway is used for helicopter operations.
[edit] References
- McAuliffe, Jerome J: U.S. Air Force in France 1950-1967 (2005), Chapter 13, Laon-Couvron Air Base.
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
- Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
- USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to Present [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- 126th Bombardment Wing (Light)
- 38th Bomb Wing Black Knights
- 66th Air Base Wing
- 66th Supply Squadron Website
- Welcome To Laon Air Base Website
- 1er régiment d'artillerie de marine Website (In French)
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
