Coulommiers-Voisins Airport
Encyclopedia
Coulommiers – Voisins Aerodrome is an airport
serving Coulommiers
in France
. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne
department, 5 km (5,000,000,000,000 nm) west-northwest of Coulommiers
. It is also 34 miles (54.7 km) west of Paris
.
The airport supports general aviation
with no scheduled service from commercial airlines.
of 470 feet (143 m) above mean sea level. It has one paved runway
designated 09C/27C which measures 1400 by 20 m (4,593.2 by 65.6 ). It also has two parallel grass
runways: 09L/27R measuring 650 by 50 m (2,132.5 by 164 ) and 09R/27L measuring 660 by 80 m (2,165.4 by 262.5 ).
, and numerous French and German aircraft were in the area.
The Armée de l'Air had stationed GC III/6 and GC III/7 at the airfield; GC III/6 was equipped with single-engine Morane-Saulnier M.S.406
fighters and GC III/7 with Bloch MB.220
fighters. With the outbreak of World War II
in September 1939, additional squadrons of both French and Royal Air Force
aircraft were assigned to Coulommiers, including RAF Supermarine Spitfire
s; various reconnaissance aircraft, and Dewoitine D.520
(GC I/3). Combat forces from the airfield fought in the Battle of France
during May and June 1940, until the final armistice with Germany of 20 June.
, Coulommiers was used as a Luftwaffe
military airfield during the occupation. Known units assigned (all from Luftlotte 3, Fliegerkorps IV):
The Ju 88s from KG 54 were heavily engaged in the Battle of Britain
from Coulommiers. The unit flew thousands of sorties during the Blitz, hitting targets all over the United Kingdom. The unit lost 265 killed, 121 missing, 63 as POWs and 65 wounded as well as 62 aircraft during the operation. The unit moved to Évreux in late July.
After KG 54 moved out, the Luftwaffe also expanded the facility with an entirely new dispersal area in a wooded area to the northeast of the French airfield, building numerous dispersal pads and taxiways.
In 1943, Coulommiers was brought back online as an operational base, initially with day interceptor fighters (SKG 10) to attack USAAF Eighth Air Force heavy bombers as part of the "Defense of the Reich
" campaign. KG 2 engaged in night bombing attacks over Britain and dropping naval mines in the English Channel and along the British east coast. These attacks drew the attention of the USAAF, and the airfield became the target of frequent attacks by Allied aircraft, being attacked on 14 June 1944 by Eighth Air Force
B-17 Flying Fortresses; and by IX Bomber Command B-26 Marauder
s on 23 June. On 27 June over 30 P-51 Mustang
s attacked the airfield on strafing runs.
In the summer of 1944, NJG 4 moved in with RADAR-equipped Bf 110s, and engaged in night interceptor attacks against RAF Bombers. It remained until the Luftwaffe was forced to withdraw from Coulommiers as Allied ground forces were moving into the area during the Northern France Camapign. in August 1944.
combat airfield, designated as "A-58" after about one week of reconstruction on 8 September, with two 6,000-foot concrete runways fully operational.
Under American control, the airfield was assigned to Ninth Air Force
, with the following combat units assigned:
The combat unit then moved east along with the Allied lines and the airport became transport airfield, hosting C-47 Skytrain
s of the 437th Troop Carrier Group from February until the summer of 1945, after end of the war. The Americans returned full control of the airport to French authorities on 8 August 1945.
. In addition, construction of two circular marguerite systems of aircraft hardstands was made in order to upgrade the airfield to NATO standards for possible military use. In 1960, a decision was made to reopen Orly Airport
(then being a USAF base (Orly Air Base
)) as a civil commercial airport and plans for the use of Coulommiers were discontinued.
Numerous wartime airfield buildings surround the airfield and what appears to be the prewar French Air Force barracks and support buildings appear to be in various states of disrepair with overgrown vegetation and very tall trees that once lined the roads in a neat, military manner. A large number of bomb craters appear in the remains, with some buildings being in use, probably as agricultural buildings. The communes of Giremoutiers and Corbeville are attached to this area.
The current airport has been overlaid on the remains of the wartime airfield, with the main 09/27 runway 4,600 feet in length being a fresh asphalt overlay on the wartime concrete runway. An asphalt taxiway is also overlaid over a wartime taxiway, with modern hangars and a terminal on the south side of the airfield. Two short grass runways were constructed over the wartime airfield, used for gliders and light aircraft. Modern navigational aids are available and the facility is well maintained.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
serving Coulommiers
Coulommiers
Coulommiers is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.It is also the name of a cheese of the Brie family produced in and around that city.-Twin towns:Coulommiers was twinned with Leighton Buzzard in 1958...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne is a French department, named after the Seine and Marne rivers, and located in the Île-de-France region.- History:Seine-et-Marne is one of the original 83 departments, created on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution in application of the law of December 22, 1789...
department, 5 km (5,000,000,000,000 nm) west-northwest of Coulommiers
Coulommiers
Coulommiers is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.It is also the name of a cheese of the Brie family produced in and around that city.-Twin towns:Coulommiers was twinned with Leighton Buzzard in 1958...
. It is also 34 miles (54.7 km) west of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The airport supports general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
with no scheduled service from commercial airlines.
Facilities
The airport resides at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 470 feet (143 m) above mean sea level. It has one paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
designated 09C/27C which measures 1400 by 20 m (4,593.2 by 65.6 ). It also has two parallel grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
runways: 09L/27R measuring 650 by 50 m (2,132.5 by 164 ) and 09R/27L measuring 660 by 80 m (2,165.4 by 262.5 ).
Armée de l'Air use during World War II
Coulommiers Airport has its direct origins in 1938 when the French Armée de l'Air established the base. French aviation had been ongoing in the area as far back as early balloon flights by the De Montgolfier brothers in 1783 and various glider and other aeronautical experiments in the 19th Century. The battles of the Marne were fought in the region during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and numerous French and German aircraft were in the area.
The Armée de l'Air had stationed GC III/6 and GC III/7 at the airfield; GC III/6 was equipped with single-engine Morane-Saulnier M.S.406
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406
The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II....
fighters and GC III/7 with Bloch MB.220
Bloch MB.220
-See also:...
fighters. With the outbreak of World War II
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...
in September 1939, additional squadrons of both French and Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
aircraft were assigned to Coulommiers, including RAF Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s; various reconnaissance aircraft, and Dewoitine D.520
Dewoitine D.520
The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the opening of World War II. Unlike the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, which was at that time the Armée de l'Airs most numerous fighter, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest...
(GC I/3). Combat forces from the airfield fought in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
during May and June 1940, until the final armistice with Germany of 20 June.
German use
Seized by the Germans in June 1940 during the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, Coulommiers was used as a Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
military airfield during the occupation. Known units assigned (all from Luftlotte 3, Fliegerkorps IV):
- Kampfgeschwader 54Kampfgeschwader 54Kampfgeschwader 54 "Totenkopf" was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II .Its units participated on all of the fronts in the European Theatre until it was disbanded in May 1945. It operated two of the major German bomber types; the Heinkel He 111 and the Junkers Ju 88...
(KG 54) 10–26 July 1940 Junkers Ju 88Junkers Ju 88The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
A (Fuselage Code: B3+)
The Ju 88s from KG 54 were heavily engaged in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
from Coulommiers. The unit flew thousands of sorties during the Blitz, hitting targets all over the United Kingdom. The unit lost 265 killed, 121 missing, 63 as POWs and 65 wounded as well as 62 aircraft during the operation. The unit moved to Évreux in late July.
After KG 54 moved out, the Luftwaffe also expanded the facility with an entirely new dispersal area in a wooded area to the northeast of the French airfield, building numerous dispersal pads and taxiways.
- Schnellkampfgeschwader 10 (SKG 10) September–October 1943 Focke-Wulf Fw 190Focke-Wulf Fw 190The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
A - Kampfgeschwader 2Kampfgeschwader 2Kampfgeschwader 2 " Holzhammer " was a Luftwaffe bomber unit during the Second World War. The unit was formed in May 1939. The unit operated the Dornier Do 17 light bomber, Dornier Do 217 and Junkers Ju 188 heavy bombers....
(KG 2) 11 April – 10 August 1943 Dornier Do 217Dornier Do 217The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by German Luftwaffe during World War II as a more powerful version of the Dornier Do 17, known as the Fliegender Bleistift . Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber, its design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940...
E/K/M (Fuselage Code: U5+)
In 1943, Coulommiers was brought back online as an operational base, initially with day interceptor fighters (SKG 10) to attack USAAF Eighth Air Force heavy bombers as part of the "Defense of the Reich
Defense of the Reich
The Defence of the Reich is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe over German occupied Europe and Germany itself during World War II. Its aim was to prevent the destruction of German military and civil industries by the Western Allies...
" campaign. KG 2 engaged in night bombing attacks over Britain and dropping naval mines in the English Channel and along the British east coast. These attacks drew the attention of the USAAF, and the airfield became the target of frequent attacks by Allied aircraft, being attacked on 14 June 1944 by Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
B-17 Flying Fortresses; and by IX Bomber Command B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
s on 23 June. On 27 June over 30 P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s attacked the airfield on strafing runs.
- Nachtjagdgeschwader 4Nachtjagdgeschwader 4Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 was a Luftwaffe night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 2 was formed on 18 April 1941 in Metz.-Kommodore:*Major Rudolf Stoltenhoff, 18 April 1941 – 20 October 1943...
(NJG 4) 8 May – August 1944 Messerschmitt Bf 110Messerschmitt Bf 110The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
(Fuselage Code: U5+)
In the summer of 1944, NJG 4 moved in with RADAR-equipped Bf 110s, and engaged in night interceptor attacks against RAF Bombers. It remained until the Luftwaffe was forced to withdraw from Coulommiers as Allied ground forces were moving into the area during the Northern France Camapign. in August 1944.
American use
It was liberated by Allied ground forces about 1 September 1944 during the Northern France Campaign. Almost immediately, the United States Army Air Force IX Engineer Command 825th Engineer Aviation Battalion cleared the airport of mines and destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft. Coulommiers Airfield became a USAAF Ninth Air ForceNinth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
combat airfield, designated as "A-58" after about one week of reconstruction on 8 September, with two 6,000-foot concrete runways fully operational.
Under American control, the airfield was assigned to Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, with the following combat units assigned:
- 425th Night Fighter Squadron, 11 September – 13 October 1944 (P-61 Black WidowP-61 Black WidowThe Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
) - 410th Bombardment Group, September 1944 – February 1945 (A-20 Havoc)
The combat unit then moved east along with the Allied lines and the airport became transport airfield, hosting C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
s of the 437th Troop Carrier Group from February until the summer of 1945, after end of the war. The Americans returned full control of the airport to French authorities on 8 August 1945.
Postwar
After the war, the airfield was abandoned for a number of years, but remained in the hands of the French Air Ministry. During the 1950s, plans were made to use Coulommiers as an alternate for Le Bourget AirportLe Bourget Airport
Paris – Le Bourget Airport is an airport located in Le Bourget, Bonneuil-en-France, and Dugny, north-northeast of Paris, France. It is now used only for general aviation as well as air shows...
. In addition, construction of two circular marguerite systems of aircraft hardstands was made in order to upgrade the airfield to NATO standards for possible military use. In 1960, a decision was made to reopen Orly Airport
Orly Airport
Paris-Orly Airport is an airport located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris, France. It has flights to cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Southeast Asia. Prior to the construction of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was...
(then being a USAF base (Orly Air Base
Orly Air Base
Orly Air Base was located at Aeroport de Paris-Orly, nine miles south of Paris, France off Autoroute A6/A10m with a highway exit directly into the base....
)) as a civil commercial airport and plans for the use of Coulommiers were discontinued.
Current
In aerial photography the prewar French Air Force base is very evident with large numbers of wartime taxiways and both wartime runways still existing. Although greater than 70 years old, the concrete with expansion joints separating the poured sections are quite evident, but surprisingly well intact. Large numbers of Eighth Air Force bomb craters on both the 09/27 primary and the 04/22 secondary runways are quite evident by the concrete patches applied by the Air Force combat engineers in 1944. Numerous bomb craters are also in the grass areas around the marguerites and the former Luftwaffe dispersal area. In addition, it appears that the American combat engineers resurfaced a significant amount of taxiways and dispersal pads connected to the runways with Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing (PHS) which remains today, in a deteriorated state. The Luftwaffe expansion to the base remains intact, complete with dispersal revetments in the woods, and concrete taxiways. Numerous bomb craters are visible in the open areas around the woods.Numerous wartime airfield buildings surround the airfield and what appears to be the prewar French Air Force barracks and support buildings appear to be in various states of disrepair with overgrown vegetation and very tall trees that once lined the roads in a neat, military manner. A large number of bomb craters appear in the remains, with some buildings being in use, probably as agricultural buildings. The communes of Giremoutiers and Corbeville are attached to this area.
The current airport has been overlaid on the remains of the wartime airfield, with the main 09/27 runway 4,600 feet in length being a fresh asphalt overlay on the wartime concrete runway. An asphalt taxiway is also overlaid over a wartime taxiway, with modern hangars and a terminal on the south side of the airfield. Two short grass runways were constructed over the wartime airfield, used for gliders and light aircraft. Modern navigational aids are available and the facility is well maintained.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground