Tour-en-Bessin Airfield

Last updated

Tour-en-Bessin Airfield
Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-13
Basse-Normandie Region, France
406th Fighter Group P-47D refueling Identifiable 44-33057.jpg
Ground personnel of the 406th Fighter Group refuel P-47 Thunderbolts, including (serial number 44-33057) at Tour-en-Bessin Airfield
France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Tour-en-Bessin Airfield
Coordinates 49°17′45″N000°45′41″W / 49.29583°N 0.76139°W / 49.29583; -0.76139 (A-13 Tour-en-Bessin)
TypeMilitary Airfield
Site information
Controlled by Us army air corps shield.svg   United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built byIX Engineering Command
In useJuly–December 1944
MaterialsPrefabricated Hessian Surfacing (PHS)
Battles/wars European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Streamer.jpg
World War II - EAME Theater
  • Normandy Campaign
  • Northern France Campaign
Garrison information
Garrison Patch9thusaaf.png   Ninth Air Force
Occupants
  • 373d Fighter Group
  • 406th Fighter Group
  • 394th Bombardment Group
Airfield information
Runways
Direction Length and surface
12/305,000 feet (1,520 m) SMT/PSP
01/195,000 feet (1,520 m) SMT/PSP
Two Runways, 4 alert pads, 50 hardstands [1]
Tour-en-Bessin Airfield, France, 373d Fighter Group Facilities August 1944 not far from the D-Day beaches Tour-en-Bessin Airfield 373d Fighter Group Facilities August 1944.jpg
Tour-en-Bessin Airfield, France, 373d Fighter Group Facilities August 1944 not far from the D-Day beaches

Tour-en-Bessin Airfield is a now-abandoned World War II military airfield near the commune of Tour-en-Bessin in the Normandy region of northern France.

Contents

The United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield on 12 July 1944, shortly after the Allied landings in France. It was constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 833rd and 846th Engineer Aviation Battalions.

History

Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-13", the airfield consisted of a main 5000 foot long (1500 m) pierced steel planking (PSP) runway aligned 12/30 and a secondary 5000 foot PSP runway aligned 01/19. Tents were used for billeting and support facilities. An access road was built to the existing road infrastructure, as were a dump for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with a potable water and electrical power for communications and station lighting. [2]

The 373rd and 406th Fighter Groups flew P-47 Thunderbolts from Tour en Bessin. The fighters flew support missions during the Allied push into France, patrolling roads, strafing German military vehicles and bombing gun emplacements, anti-aircraft artillery, and concentrations of German troops in Normandy and Brittany. The B-26 Marauder 394th Bombardment Group also was assigned to the airfield.

After US forces moved east into central France with the advancing Allied armies, the airfield was used as a resupply and casualty evacuation airfield for several months, before being closed on 22 December 1944. The land returned to agricultural use. [3]

Major units assigned

410th (R3), 411th (U9), 412th (V5) Fighter Squadrons (P-47) [4]
512th (L3), 513th (4P), 514th (O7) Fighter Squadrons (P-47) [4]
584th (K5), 585th (4T), 586th (H9), 587th (SW) Bombardment Squadrons (B-26) [4]

Current use

Today there is little or no physical evidence of the airfield's existence, although the south end of the 01/19 runway is visible by the curvature of some fields, and some slight ground disturbance in a field to the east probably is from the 12/30 runway. [5]

A memorial to the men and units that were stationed at Tour-en-Bessin was placed on the D613 (former N13) between Vaucelles and Tour-en-Bessin.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tour-en-Bessin</span> Commune in Normandy, France

Tour-en-Bessin is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Ashford</span> Former Royal Air Force station

Royal Air Force Ashford or more simply RAF Ashford is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground in Kent, England. The landing ground is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Ashford just south of the A28 near the junction with Old Surrenden Manor Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cretteville</span> Part of Picauville in Normandy, France

Cretteville is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the commune of Picauville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">513th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron</span> Military unit

The 513th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 86th Air Division, based at Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base, France, where it was inactivated on 8 January 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">586th Flight Test Squadron</span> Military unit

The 586th Flight Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">514th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron</span> Military unit

The 514th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 86th Air Division, based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 8 January 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">512th Fighter Squadron</span> Military unit

The 512th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 86th Fighter Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated September 1994.

Tantonville Airfield is an abandoned World War II United States Army Air Forces military airfield in France, which was located in the Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of Mirecourt and 18 kilometres (11 mi) south-southeast of Neuves-Maisons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cricqueville Airfield</span>

Cricqueville en Bessin Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Cricqueville-en-Bessin in the Normandy region of northern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beuzeville Airfield</span> Abandoned World War II military airfield in Normandy

Beuzeville/Ste Mère Eglise (Beuzeville) Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Beuzeville-au-Plain in the Normandy region of northern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardonville Airfield</span> World War II military airfield

Cardonville Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield located near the commune of Cardonville in the Normandy region of northern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lignerolles Airfield</span> Abandoned WWII military airfield in northern France

Lignerolles Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield near the commune of Lignerolles in the Normandy region of northern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cretteville Airfield</span>

Cretteville Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Cretteville in the Normandy region of northern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gael Airfield</span>

Gael Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Gaël in the Brittany region of northern France.

Prosnes Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield which is located in the vicinity of Prosnes, approximately 12 miles (19 km) east-southeast of Reims and 90 miles (140 km) northeast of Paris.

Mourmelon-le-Grand Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in France. It lies approximately 1 mile (2 km) east-southeast of Mourmelon-le-Grand and 93 miles (150 km) northeast of Paris.

Zutendaal Air Base is a reserve Belgian Air Component base, located 4 mi (6.4 km) east-southeast of Genk (Limburg), approximately 50 mi (80 km) east-northeast of Brussels.

Saint-Léonard Airfield is a former World War II airfield, located 1.8 km east of Louplande in the Pays de la Loire region, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">587th Bombardment Squadron</span> Military unit

The 587th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit that was assigned to the 394th Bombardment Group. It was a Martin B-26 Marauder unit that was organized and trained in the United States during World War II. It flew combat missions in the European Theater of Operations, where it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation and a French Croix de Guerre with Palm. After V-E Day, it served with the occupation forces in Germany until inactivating on 28 December 1945 as the 394th Group converted to Douglas A-26 Invaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maupertus-sur-Mer Airfield</span>

Maupertus-sur-Mer Airfield is a former World War II military airfield, which is located near the city of Cherbourg-Octeville in the Manche department of Lower Normandy in northwestern France.

References

  1. ↑ Tour-en-Bessin Airfield
  2. ↑ IX Engineer Command ETO Airfields, Airfield Layout
  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.
  4. 1 2 3 Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN   0-89201-092-4.
  5. ↑ 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

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

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.