Nancy - Ochey Air Base
Encyclopedia
Nancy-Ochey Air Base is a front-line French Air Force
( (ALA)) base located approximately 11 km west-southwest of Neuves-Maisons in the Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle, France
.
French Air Force
airfield. In May 1940, it was Zone Headquarters for the Zone d'Opérations Aériennes Est - Z.O.A.E. (Area of Air Operations - East - Z.O.A.E). Aircraft assigned were:
It was also used by the British
No. 3 Wing Royal Naval Air Service
during the Battle of France
.
. The Luftwaffe
, however did not station any flying units at the airfield until April 1943, when a glider unit, Luftlandegeschwader 2 (LLG 2), equipped with Heinkel He 111
s medium bombers being used to tow Gotha Go 242
transport gliders. LLG 2 moved out in June, being replaced by Luftlandegeschwader 1 (LLG 1) in September 1943, equipped with Dornier Do 17
/DFS 230
gliders. The glider units remained until August 1944.
In the spring of 1944, as a result of the Luftwaffe going on a defensive footing as part of the "Defense of the Reich
" campaign, Jagdgeschwader 26
(JG 26) moved to Nancy, equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109
G day interceptor fightes to attack the American Eighth Air Force
heavy bomber fleets attacking targets in Occupied Europe and Germany.
The interceptors remained until June 1944, when they were moved out and replaced by Kampfgeschwader 53
(KG 53), a bomber unit which was moved in from the Eastern Front, flying Heinkel He 111
s, the unit used the bombers to air launch the V-1 flying bomb
. The Heinkels would carry the V-1 airborne and launch it, negating the need for a long launch ramp for the weapon.
KG 53 remained at Nancy until September when the Luftwaffe was removed from the base by the advancing United States Third Army moving east towards the Saarland
.
combat airfield, designated as Advanced Landing Ground
"A-96" Toul/Ochey Airfield about 29 August.
Under American control, Toul/Ochey was turned over to the Ninth Air Force
, and the 50th Fighter Group moved into the repaired airfield on 3 November with three squadrons of P-47 Thunderbolts, flying combat missions from the field until moving east into Germany in April 1945.
Also, during March and April 1945, the Twelfth Air Force 27th Fighter Group operated P-47s from the airfield. Another Twelfth Air Force unit, the 415th Night Fighter Squadron
operated Bristol Beaufighter
s from the airfield between November 1944 and March 1945, flying night interceptor missions against Luftwaffe
aircraft.
With the end of the war in Europe in May, 1945 the airfield became a central collection point for captured German aircraft as part of Operation Lusty
. Various Luftwaffe aircraft, both piston and jet propelled were flown to Ochey for storage prior to being flown to airfields near Cherbourg where they were loaded on ships and sent to the United States. After Lusty began to phase down in the fall of 1945, the Americans began to withdraw their aircraft and personnel. Control of the airfield was turned over to French authorities on 5 November.
, the French Government allocated Ochey airfield to the United States Air Force
as an emergency NATO Dispersed Operating Base
for its fighter aircraft stationed in France in the 1950s and 1960s.
Today, Nancy Air Base is a front line NATO airfield, well equipped flying state of the art aircraft.
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
( (ALA)) base located approximately 11 km west-southwest of Neuves-Maisons in the Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle, 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...
.
Units
Nancy Air Base is the home of 3 squadrons of Dassault Mirage 2000D multirole fighters (60 aircraft).- EC 01.003 Navarre
- SPA.95 Oriflamme chargé d'un Martinet
- SPA.153 Gypaéte
- SPA.62 Coq de Combat
- EC 02.003 Champagne
- SPA.67 Cigogne de Navarre
- SPA.75 Charognard
- SPA.102 Soleil de Rhodes
- EC 03.003 Ardennes3/3 fighter squadron Ardennes3/3 "Ardennes fighter squadron" is a combat unit of the French air force. Currently based at Nancy – Ochey Air Base, and using two-seat Mirage 2000D all-weather attack aircraft....
- EC 03.003 Ardennes
- 1° Esc GC III/3 Hure Barre bleue
- 2° Esc GC III/3 Hure Barre rouge
- BR.44 Sanglier assis ou Hure Barre verte
History
Nancy Air Base is a pre-World War IIWorld 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...
French Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
airfield. In May 1940, it was Zone Headquarters for the Zone d'Opérations Aériennes Est - Z.O.A.E. (Area of Air Operations - East - Z.O.A.E). Aircraft assigned were:
- 1 Curtiss H-75 HawkP-36 HawkThe Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, was an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of both the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design...
Single-engine Fighter - 10 Potez 63.11Potez 630The Potez 630 and its derivatives were a family of twin-engined aircraft developed for the Armée de l'Air in the late 1930s. The design was a contemporary of the British Bristol Blenheim and the German Messerschmitt Bf 110.-Design and development :...
Twin-engined heavy fighters
It was also used by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
No. 3 Wing Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
during 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...
.
German use during World War II
The base was 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...
. The 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....
, however did not station any flying units at the airfield until April 1943, when a glider unit, Luftlandegeschwader 2 (LLG 2), equipped with Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
s medium bombers being used to tow Gotha Go 242
Gotha Go 242
-External Links:* FLIGHT, 12th February 1942, p. 130, early intelligence photo of Go 242, bottom of page....
transport gliders. LLG 2 moved out in June, being replaced by Luftlandegeschwader 1 (LLG 1) in September 1943, equipped with Dornier Do 17
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
/DFS 230
DFS 230
|-See also:-External links:* http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/dfs230.html* http://www.luftarchiv.de/flugzeuge/dfs/dfs230.htm...
gliders. The glider units remained until August 1944.
In the spring of 1944, as a result of the Luftwaffe going on a defensive footing 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, Jagdgeschwader 26
Jagdgeschwader 26
Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated mainly in Western Europe against Great Britain, France the United States but also saw service against Russia. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran and Freikorps member arrested and...
(JG 26) moved to Nancy, equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
G day interceptor fightes to attack the American 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....
heavy bomber fleets attacking targets in Occupied Europe and Germany.
The interceptors remained until June 1944, when they were moved out and replaced by Kampfgeschwader 53
Kampfgeschwader 53
Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor" 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...
(KG 53), a bomber unit which was moved in from the Eastern Front, flying Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
s, the unit used the bombers to air launch the V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
. The Heinkels would carry the V-1 airborne and launch it, negating the need for a long launch ramp for the weapon.
KG 53 remained at Nancy until September when the Luftwaffe was removed from the base by the advancing United States Third Army moving east towards the Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
.
Allied use
Nancy Air Base was liberated by Allied ground forces about 20 August 1944 during the Northern France Campaign. Almost immediately, the USAAF IX Engineering Command 826th Engineer Aviation Battalions began clearing the airport of mines and destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft, and repairing operational facilities for use by American aircraft. Subsequently, it 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 Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
"A-96" Toul/Ochey Airfield about 29 August.
Under American control, Toul/Ochey was turned over to the 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....
, and the 50th Fighter Group moved into the repaired airfield on 3 November with three squadrons of P-47 Thunderbolts, flying combat missions from the field until moving east into Germany in April 1945.
Also, during March and April 1945, the Twelfth Air Force 27th Fighter Group operated P-47s from the airfield. Another Twelfth Air Force unit, the 415th Night Fighter Squadron
415th Night Fighter Squadron
The 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 49th Fighter Wing stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico...
operated Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s from the airfield between November 1944 and March 1945, flying night interceptor missions against 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....
aircraft.
With the end of the war in Europe in May, 1945 the airfield became a central collection point for captured German aircraft as part of Operation Lusty
Operation Lusty
Operation LUSTY was the United States Army Air Forces effort to capture and evaluate German aeronautical technology during and after World War II.- Overview :During World War II, the U.S...
. Various Luftwaffe aircraft, both piston and jet propelled were flown to Ochey for storage prior to being flown to airfields near Cherbourg where they were loaded on ships and sent to the United States. After Lusty began to phase down in the fall of 1945, the Americans began to withdraw their aircraft and personnel. Control of the airfield was turned over to French authorities on 5 November.
Cold War
During the early years of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the French Government allocated Ochey airfield to the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
as an emergency NATO Dispersed Operating Base
NATO Dispersed Operating Bases
NATO Dispersed Operating Bases were developed to improve air power survival when NATO began planning for tactical air bases and aircraft in western Europe during the early Cold War years of the 1950s.- History :...
for its fighter aircraft stationed in France in the 1950s and 1960s.
Postwar and modern use
In French control after the war, Nancy-Ochey Air Base was completely rebuilt. The wartime east-west (07/25) concrete runway, severely damaged by the war was removed, and a modern 8000' asphalt jet runway was laid down 01/19. In addition, three circular marguerite system of hardstands that could be revetted later with earth for added protection were laid out, two on the north end of the runway and one on the south. Each margueriete consisted of fifteen to eighteen hardstands around a large central hangar, with each hardstand capable of one or two aircraft, and allowed the planes to be spaced approximately 150 feet (46 m) apart. Each squadron was assigned to a separate hangar/hardstand complex.Today, Nancy Air Base is a front line NATO airfield, well equipped flying state of the art aircraft.
See also
- List of French Air Force aircraft squadrons
- Advanced Landing Ground