Carentan Airfield

Carentan Airfield
Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-10
Basse-Normandie Region, France

P-47 Thunderbolts, including (2N-U, serial number 42-25904) nicknamed "Lethal Liz II", of the 50th Fighter Group, with cows at Carentan Airfield (A-10), France, Summer 1944
Carentan Airfield
Carentan Airfield (France)
Coordinates 49°18′18″N 001°10′46″W / 49.30500°N 1.17944°W
Type Military Airfield
Site information
Controlled by   United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built by IX Engineering Command
In use June–November 1944
Materials Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing (PHS)
Battles/wars Western Front (World War II)
  Normandy Campaign
  Northern France Campaign
  Eastern France Campaign
Garrison information
Garrison   Ninth Air Force

Carentan Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Carentan in the Basse-Normandie region of northern France.

Located just outside of Carentan, the United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield 15 June 1944, nine days after the first Allied landings in France on D-Day and only three days after the capture of Carentan. The airfield was one of the first established in the liberated area of Normandy, being constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 826th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

History

Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-10", the airfield consisted of a single 5000' (1500m) Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing runway aligned 08/26.

In addition, tents were erected for billeting and also for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; a dump was created for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with a drinkable water; and a minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting was installed.[1]

Combat units stationed at the airfield were the 50th Fighter Group, which based P-47 Thunderbolt fighters at Carentan from 20 June through 23 August 1944, and the 370th Fighter Group, which based P-38 Lightning fighters at the airfield from 25 June through 16 August 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 when spotted.

After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied Armies, the airfield was used for resupply and casualty evacuation. It was closed on 4 November 1944.[3]

Today, the Normandy Tank Museum utilises part of the original site of the old A10 Airfield of Carentan, first aerodrome re-opened since 1944. It presents tanks and planes in the museum and on the operational runway to preserve this exceptional heritage dedicated to the conquest of freedom.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. ↑ IX Engineer Command ETO Airfields, Airfield Layout
  2. ↑ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
  3. ↑ Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

    External links