Oran Tafraoui Airport

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Oran Tafaraoui Airport

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Summary
Airport typePublic/Military
Owner People’s National Army
Operator Algerian Air Force
Serves Oran, Algeria
Elevation  AMSL 112 m / 367 ft
Coordinates 35°32′30″N000°32′00″W / 35.54167°N 0.53333°W / 35.54167; -0.53333
Map
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Oran Tafaraoui
Location of airport in Algeria
Oran Tafraoui Airport
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
08/262,7549,035 Asphalt
Source:World Aero Data [1] [2]

Oran Tafaraoui Airport is a joint civil/military airport in Oran Province, Algeria ( IATA : TAF, ICAO : DAOL).

Contents

History

Americans Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Tafraoui base, 1943. World War II in Africa (3495231056).jpg
Americans Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Tafraoui base, 1943.

During World War II, it was a primary mission objective of the United States Army 34th Infantry Division during the Allied Operation Torch landings on 8 November 1942, and became a major Twelfth Air Force base of operations during the North African Campaign against the German Afrika Korps. [3]

Tafaraoui became a staging and transit point for many units:

The new desert Spitfires of the 31st Fighter Group were also assigned to Tafaraoui. Other aircraft at the field included P-38s of the 14th, B-26s, B-25 Mitchells, A-20 Havocs, Gen. Doolittle's B-17-G, some French Amiot bombers around, and some old wrecks fixed up as dummies.

Current use

In 1966 the airport was established as an airbase and training ground for the Algerian Air Force. [4]

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. "Tafaraoui". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 16 Jul 2012.
  2. Google Maps - Oran
  3. "Operation Torch Youks-les-bains · First Airborne Task Force - The Forgotten Paratroopers". First Airborne Task Force - The Forgotten Paratroopers. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  4. Timothy J. Stapleton (21 October 2013). A Military History of Africa. ABC-CLIO. p. 22. ISBN   978-0-313-39570-3.