Reims - Champagne Aerodrome
Encyclopedia
Reims - Champagne Air Base is a Front-line French Air Force
( (ALA) NATO air base. The base is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Reims
; about 81 miles (130.4 km) northeast of Paris
.
Western Front
, and the myriad of trenches built, all needed to be filled in, the land leveled, unexploded ordinance removed and have a graded, smooth grass surface for airplane operations as well as a support facility. Reims was planned to be the "showcase" base of the Armée de l'Air. It had a concrete parking apron; hangars and a support area, and consisted of a grass field for aircraft takeoffs and landings.
The first unit to arrive at Reims was the Breguet 19
equpped 12th Regiment which arrived from the Occupied Rhineland
airdrome at Lachen-Speyerdorf.
During the 1930s, the base was greatly expanded and modernized. Known units assigned to BA 112 during the decade were:
With the breakout of World War II in 1939, Reims was reinforced with additional units. In May 1940, the following units were stationed at Reims BA 112:
In addition, RAF units of the British Expeditionary Force
were attached to Reims equipped with Fairey Battle
s
The base was seized by the Germans in June 1940 during the Battle of France
. In 1941 the Luftwaffe
designated the base a "Flugplatz A213/XI" and it became a maintenance and repair depot for Junkers
aircraft, in particular Junkers Ju 88
s. It was attacked by Eighth Air Force
bombers beginning in the second half of 1943, with a particular damaging raid in April 1944. It was also the target of numerous night leaflet drops aimed at resistance forces in the area.
It was liberated by Allied ground forces the 30th August 1944 during the Northern France Campaign. Almost immediately, the United States Army Air Force IX Engineer Command 850th Engineer Aviation Battalion cleared the airport of mines and destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft. Fortunately, little battle damage was sustained, and Reims-Champaigne airfield became a USAAF Ninth Air Force
combat airfield, designated as "A-62" the same day of its liberation. The combat engineers laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking all weather runway, aligned northeast-southwest (05/23), along with an almost parallel 5000' turf runway (06/24).
Under American control, Ninth Air Force
assigned the 440th Troop Carrier Group to the base, flying C-47 Skytrain
transports until the end of September. On 19 September, the 373d Fighter Group
moved in with P-47 Thunderbolts which flew combat missions in eastern France until the end of October when it moved up closer to the front lines. Afterward, Reims became a resupply and casualty evacuation airfield, as well as liaison aircraft assigned to Allied headquarters in the city. The Americans returned full control of the airport to French authorities July 1945.
After the war, Reims Air Base became a massive aircraft storage depot for surplus (mostly American) aircraft. From Reims, aircraft were sold under the Military Assistance Program to France and other Western European countries; to private individuals, and some to scrapyards for metal reclamation.
A jet-capable 8000' jet runway and taxiways were laid down to the southwest along with additional aircraft ramp space, dispersals with hardened Tab-Vs, hangars and a support area. Initially de Havilland Vampire
s were assigned to the base in 1950; later Republic F-84 Thunderjet
s, and in 1959, North American F-100 Super Sabre
s. French Air Force units deployed from Reims to Egypt
during the 1956 Suez Crisis
, and also to Cyprus
. In 1973, the Mirage F1 was assigned.
Reims-Champagne Air Base today is a modern, fully equipped NATO air base. It is one of the front line bases of the Armée de l'Air, with about sixty aircraft assigned.
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) NATO air base. The base is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
; about 81 miles (130.4 km) northeast 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...
.
Squadrons and aircraft
- 2 reconnaissance squadrons equipped with Dassault Mirage F1Dassault Mirage F1The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation as a successor of the Mirage III family. The Mirage F1 entered service in the French Air Force in the early seventies...
CR.
- 01/33 Belfort
- 02/33 Savoie
History
Reims Air Base was authorized by the French Air Ministry in 1925 and was opened in October 1928. Much work was needed to restore the land in the area after the ravages of the 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...
Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, and the myriad of trenches built, all needed to be filled in, the land leveled, unexploded ordinance removed and have a graded, smooth grass surface for airplane operations as well as a support facility. Reims was planned to be the "showcase" base of the Armée de l'Air. It had a concrete parking apron; hangars and a support area, and consisted of a grass field for aircraft takeoffs and landings.
The first unit to arrive at Reims was the Breguet 19
Breguet 19
The Breguet 19 was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.-Development:...
equpped 12th Regiment which arrived from the Occupied Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
airdrome at Lachen-Speyerdorf.
During the 1930s, the base was greatly expanded and modernized. Known units assigned to BA 112 during the decade were:
- 4th Fighter Wing (1933)
- 5th Fighter Wing (1936-1937)
- 601st Infantry Group of the Air (1937) - the only parachute unit of the Air Force.
- II/13 Group (1939) - Night Fighter Unit
With the breakout of World War II in 1939, Reims was reinforced with additional units. In May 1940, the following units were stationed at Reims BA 112:
- I/15 Group, equipped with 11 Farman F.222
- II/15 Group, equipped with 9 Farman F.222
In addition, RAF units of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
were attached to Reims equipped with Fairey Battle
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...
s
The base was seized by the Germans in June 1940 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...
. In 1941 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....
designated the base a "Flugplatz A213/XI" and it became a maintenance and repair depot for Junkers
Junkers
Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG , more commonly Junkers, was a major German aircraft manufacturer. It produced some of the world's most innovative and best-known airplanes over the course of its fifty-plus year history in Dessau, Germany. It was founded there in 1895 by Hugo Junkers,...
aircraft, in particular Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The 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...
s. It was attacked 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....
bombers beginning in the second half of 1943, with a particular damaging raid in April 1944. It was also the target of numerous night leaflet drops aimed at resistance forces in the area.
It was liberated by Allied ground forces the 30th August 1944 during the Northern France Campaign. Almost immediately, the United States Army Air Force IX Engineer Command 850th Engineer Aviation Battalion cleared the airport of mines and destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft. Fortunately, little battle damage was sustained, and Reims-Champaigne airfield became a USAAF 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....
combat airfield, designated as "A-62" the same day of its liberation. The combat engineers laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking all weather runway, aligned northeast-southwest (05/23), along with an almost parallel 5000' turf runway (06/24).
Under American control, 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....
assigned the 440th Troop Carrier Group to the base, flying 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...
transports until the end of September. On 19 September, the 373d Fighter Group
373d Fighter Group
The 373d Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with First Air Force stationed at Mitchel Field , New York. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
moved in with P-47 Thunderbolts which flew combat missions in eastern France until the end of October when it moved up closer to the front lines. Afterward, Reims became a resupply and casualty evacuation airfield, as well as liaison aircraft assigned to Allied headquarters in the city. The Americans returned full control of the airport to French authorities July 1945.
After the war, Reims Air Base became a massive aircraft storage depot for surplus (mostly American) aircraft. From Reims, aircraft were sold under the Military Assistance Program to France and other Western European countries; to private individuals, and some to scrapyards for metal reclamation.
Modern era
The base was reactivated in 1949 as an active French Air Force base. The infrastructure of the base, which was badly damaged by the Allied bombing raids of the Junkers works during the war was torn down and replaced with new, modern buildings. The American PSP runway and grass landing strips were been removed, although the outline of the wartime runway can be seen in aerial photography, somewhat blurred for security .A jet-capable 8000' jet runway and taxiways were laid down to the southwest along with additional aircraft ramp space, dispersals with hardened Tab-Vs, hangars and a support area. Initially de Havilland Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
s were assigned to the base in 1950; later Republic F-84 Thunderjet
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
s, and in 1959, North American F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
s. French Air Force units deployed from Reims to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
during the 1956 Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
, and also to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. In 1973, the Mirage F1 was assigned.
Reims-Champagne Air Base today is a modern, fully equipped NATO air base. It is one of the front line bases of the Armée de l'Air, with about sixty aircraft assigned.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground
External links
- Aérodrome de Reims - Champagne (Union des Aéroports Français)
- BA 112 Reims