| Azeville Airfield (A-7) |
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| Basse-Normandie Region, France
Azeville Airfield
Azeville Airfield (France)
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| Type | Military Airfield |
| Built by | IX Engineering Command |
| Construction materials |
Square-Mesh Track (SMT) |
| In use | June-September 1944 |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Battles/wars | Western Front (World War II) Normandy Campaign Northern France Campaign |
Azeville Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Azeville in the Basse-Normandie region of northern France.
Located just outside of Azeville, the United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield shortly after D-Day on 16 June 1944, shortly after the Allied landings in France The airfield was one of the first established in the liberated area of Normandy, being constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 819th Engineer Aviation Battalion.
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The area was formerly home to a German gun battery, which consisted of four captured French 105mm guns. The battery was captured on 9 June 1944 by the U.S. 22nd Infantry Regiment (4th Division) moving inland from Utah Beach.
Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-7", the airfield consisted of a single 5000' (1500m) Square-Mesh Track runway aligned 08/26. In addition, with tents were used for billeting and also for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; a dump for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with a drinkable water and minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting.[1]
Combat units stationed at the airfield were the 365th Fighter Group, which based P-47 Thunderbolt fighters at Azeville from 28 June through 15 August 1944, and the 363d Fighter Group, which based P-51 Mustang fighters at the airfield during August and September 1944.[2]
The fighter planes flew support missions during the Allied invasion of Normandy, patrolling roads in front of the beachhead; stafing German military vehicles and dropping bombs on gun emplacements, anti-aircraft artillery and concentrations of German troops in Normandy and Brittany when spotted.
After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied Armies, the airfield was closed on 15 September 1944. Today the airfield is a mixture of agricultural fields.[3]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.