| Vitry-le-François Airfield Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-67  | |
|---|---|
| Grand Est Region, France | |
  Vitry-le-François Airfield | |
| Coordinates | 48°43′32″N 004°35′07″E / 48.72556°N 4.58528°E |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Site history | |
| Built by | IX Engineering Command |
| In use | September- December 1944 |
| Materials | Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing (PHS) |
| Battles/wars | Western Front (World War II) Pursuit to the German Border / Siegfried Line campaign |
Vitry-le-François Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Vitry-le-François in the Grand Est region of northeastern France.
Located just outside Vitry-le-François, the United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield on 14 September 1944, shortly after the Allied landings in France The airfield was constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 850th Engineer Aviation Battalion.[1]
History edit
Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-67", the airfield consisted of a single 5000' (~1500m) PHS (Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing) runway aligned roughly east-west (09/27). In addition, 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.[2][3] Three squadrons of P-47 Thunderbolts from 358th Fighter Group, USAAF Ninth Air Force arrived from A-28 Pontorson on 14 September 1944, staying for one month until 16 October 1944, when they moved on to A-80 Mourmelon-le-Grand.[4] Just two months later with the front-lines moving ever further towards Berlin, base A-67 was closed.[5] Today the long dismantled airfield is indistinguishable from the agricultural fields in the area.
Notes edit
For security reasons these airfields were only referred to by their coded identity instead of a location (i.e. A-67).[6] The airfield coding system remained in effect until after the Japanese surrender in the Pacific, when the system was officially discontinued (wef 14 September 1945). Thereafter, airfields were referenced by their geographic name. However, as this particular airfield was already long closed down by that time, it was never formally known as 'Vitry-le-François'. That fact, along with the existence of two entirely different advance airfields both in France, both carrying the basic name 'Vitry', has caused some difficulties for historians over the years.[7]
See also edit
References edit
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Citations edit
- ^ "'A' Company, 850th EAB - History pp36-38". ixengineercommand. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "European Theatre of Operations (ETO) Airfield Layouts". ixengineercommand.com. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ "'A' Company, 850th EAB - Timeline". ixengineercommand.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Maurer 1982, p. 452, 365th FS.
- ^ Johnson 1988, p. 20.
- ^ Johnson 1988, p. 1.
- ^ Johnson 1988, p. 10.
Bibliography edit
- Johnson, David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Office of Air Force History, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Maurer, Maurer (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6.