Ebba Ksour Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Part of Twelfth Air Force | |
| Coordinates | 35°57′53.86″N008°49′06.48″E / 35.9649611°N 8.8184667°E (Approximate) |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942-1943 |
Ebba Ksour Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, located near El Ksour, in Kef province, approximately 150 km South-West of Tunis.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
Tunisia (officially the Republic of Tunisia) is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa, covering 165,000 square kilometres. Its northernmost point, Cape Angela, is the northernmost point on the African continent. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia's population was 11.435 million in 2017. Tunisia's name is derived from its capital city, Tunis, which is located on its northeast coast.
El Ksour القصور is a town and commune in the Kef Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 5,357. It is located 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) by road to the southeast of Dahmani. The Ancient Roman site Vicus Maracitanus is located to the south. The town contains some fine Berber architecture.
The airfield was built as a temporary wartime field by Army Engineers, using Pierced Steel Planking (PSP) for runways and parking and dispersal areas, and support structures being quickly constructed out of wood or tents. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces Twelfth Air Force 33d Fighter Group between 12 April and 9 June 1943 during the North African Campaign flying P-40 Warhawks. After the 33d moved east to Menzel Temime, the airfield was dismantled by engineers.
The United States Army Air Forces, informally known as the Air Force,or United States Army Air Force, was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army during and immediately after World War II (1939/41–1945), successor to the previous United States Army Air Corps and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force of today, one of the five uniformed military services. The AAF was a component of the United States Army, which in 1942 was divided functionally by executive order into three autonomous forces: the Army Ground Forces, the Services of Supply, and the Army Air Forces. Each of these forces had a commanding general who reported directly to the Army Chief of Staff.
The Twelfth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The North African Campaign of the Second World War took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria, as well as Tunisia.
The precise location of the airfield is undetermined. The land around El Ksour is a mixture of desert and agriculture and the land has largely either returned to its natural state or been developed into agriculture after the war. Today, there is little or no evidence remaining of the airfield's existence after 60 years.
