Canrobert Airfield
Encyclopedia
Canrobert Airfield was a World War II
military airfield in Algeria
, located approximately 4 km south of Oum el Bouaghi
, approximately 70 km southeast of Constantine
. It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force during the North African Campaign
against the German Afrika Korps
. The Allied commanders made desperate efforts to prepare forward airfields for the use of fighters and fighter-bombers. Canrobert was one of these intermediate fields.
Known Tewlfth Air Force units assigned were:
When the Americans moved out in May 1943, the airfield was dismantled and abandoned. Today agriculture has reclaimed the land where the airfield existed, however a faint outline of its main runway can be seen in aerial photography.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
military airfield in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, located approximately 4 km south of Oum el Bouaghi
Oum El Bouaghi
Oum El Bouaghi is a municipality in Algeria. It is the capital of Oum El Bouaghi Province....
, approximately 70 km southeast of Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
. It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force during the North African Campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign 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 and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
against the German Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
. The Allied commanders made desperate efforts to prepare forward airfields for the use of fighters and fighter-bombers. Canrobert was one of these intermediate fields.
Known Tewlfth Air Force units assigned were:
- 47th Bombardment Group, 6-30 March 1943, A-20 Havoc
- 81st Bombardment Squadron, (12th Bombardment Group), 16 March-3 May 1943, B-25 MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
- 82d Bombardment Squadron, (12th Bombardment Group), 16 March-1 May 1943, B-25 MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
- 308th Fighter Squadron, (31st Fighter Squadron), 21-25 February 1943, Spitfire
When the Americans moved out in May 1943, the airfield was dismantled and abandoned. Today agriculture has reclaimed the land where the airfield existed, however a faint outline of its main runway can be seen in aerial photography.