Saint-Simon - Clastres Air Base
Encyclopedia
Saint-Simon-Clastres Air Base is an abandoned military airfield, which is located approximately 3 km northwest of Clastres, approximately 116 km north-northeast of Paris
.
Its history begins before World War II
, when it was originally a grass civil airdrome. During the German occupation of France (1940–1944), the Luftwaffe
developed the airdrome into a major military airfield. Attacked frequently by Allied Air Forces, the Luftwaffe base was seized by Allied Ground Forces in September 1944 and was used as a Fighter and bomber base by the United States Army Air Force until the end of the war. It was redeveloped in the 1950s as a NATO Dispersed Operating Base, and was closed in 1967.
Today, it is mostly agricultural fields, and also a power-generating wind farm, with several electric generating windmills.
civil airport, consisting of a terminal, hangar, some support buildings and a grass airfield, serving the nearby city of Saint-Quentin
.
. It was briefly used as a fighter airfield by Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27) and Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52) in early June 1940, participating in the Blitzkrieg
against the French Army and British Expeditionary Force flying Messerschmitt Bf 109
Es.
Clastres was unused during the balance of 1940 and 1941 and 1942. In 1943, the Germans laid down two 1800m all-weather concrete runways at the airport, aligned 05/23 and 10/29. Presumably this was due to the fortification of the Pas-de-Calais, being believed by the Germans that when the Americans and British tried to land in France to open a Second Front, the airfield would have a key role in the defense of France.
In early February 1944, Clastres became a day interceptor airfield which housed fighters to attack the USAAF Eighth Air Force
heavy bomber fleets attacking targets in Occupied Europe and Germany. Known units assigned (all from Luftlotte 3, Fliegerkorps IV):
The Fw-190F/G were derivatives of the Fw-190A, however had been configured to have a dive-bombing capability. However, in the interceptor role, they were faster and had longer range than the Fw-190A. Previously not attacked by Allied bombers, Clastres came under frequent attack by Ninth Air Force
B-26 Marauder
medium bombers and P-47 Thunderbolt
s mostly with 500-pound General-Purpose bombs; unguided rockets and .50 caliber machine gun sweeps when Eighth Air Force
heavy bombers (B-17s, B-24s) were within interception range of the Luftwaffe aircraft assigned to the base. The attacks were timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers. Also the P-51 Mustang
fighter-escort groups of Eighth Air Force
would drop down on their return back to England and attack the base with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield.
Also, as part of Operation Quicksilver
, which was designed to deceive the Germans about where the invasion of France would take place, Clastres was attacked by Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber groups in early June 1944, just prior to the D-Day landings in Normandy.
combat units on 9 September, only a few days after its capture from German forces, being designated as Advanced Landing Ground
"A-71 Clastres Airfield"
In addition to the airfield, 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. It hosted the following known units:
When the combat units moved out, Clastres was turned over to Air Technical Service Command, becoming an Air Depot and later, during the summer of 1945, a storage depot for large numbers of surplus aircraft, whose units had returned to the United States via ship.
Clastres Air Base was turned over to the French Air Ministry on 30 November 1945.
threat of the Soviet Union
, the air base at Clastres was offered to the United States Air Force
by the French Air Ministry as part of their NATO commitment to establish a modern Air Force Base at the site. NATO faced several problems when attempting to solve the air power survival equation. Planning for a Warsaw Pact
first strike survival in both conventional and nuclear wars had to be considered. The main air bases were built on small parcels of land with very limited dispersal space. It was decided to use Clastres as a NATO Dispersed Operating Base, be used in the event of an emergency. The goal was to have no more than one fighter squadron on each main or dispersed base in the event of war.
Beginning in 1953, the wartime wreckage was finally cleared from the base and construction was began. French Army Explosive demolition teams were brought in to safely remove unexploded ordinance remaining from the war and the site was prepared for construction. A modern all-weather concrete NATO jet runway was laid down aligned 02/20, with taxiways and dispersal areas for three fighter squadrons. The dispersals were designed in a circular marguerite system of hardstands which could be revetted later with earth for added aircraft protection. Typically the margueriete consisted of fifteen to eighteen hardstands, with each hardstand capable of parking one or two aircraft, allowing the planes to be spaced approximately 150 feet (50 m) apart. Each squadron was assigned to a separate margueriete, with space for about 50 fighters.
Other than the occasional touch-and-go landing of NATO (USAF) aircraft, Saint-Simon – Clastres Air Base was never used. With the French withdrawal from the integrated military component of NATO in 1967, the base was abandoned.
The only visible remaining feature of the wartime airfield is a section of the 10/29 east-west runway. The concrete is deteriorated with large breaks in the expansion joints visible, however part of the runway has also been resurfaced to the east side of the NATO runway, and a small metal structure, probably used for agriculture has been erected on the 29 end by a local access road from the village of Clastres, just to the southeast of the airfield.
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...
.
Its history begins before 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...
, when it was originally a grass civil airdrome. During the German occupation of France (1940–1944), 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....
developed the airdrome into a major military airfield. Attacked frequently by Allied Air Forces, the Luftwaffe base was seized by Allied Ground Forces in September 1944 and was used as a Fighter and bomber base by the United States Army Air Force until the end of the war. It was redeveloped in the 1950s as a NATO Dispersed Operating Base, and was closed in 1967.
Today, it is mostly agricultural fields, and also a power-generating wind farm, with several electric generating windmills.
History
Clastres Airport was 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...
civil airport, consisting of a terminal, hangar, some support buildings and a grass airfield, serving the nearby city of Saint-Quentin
Saint-Quentin, Aisne
Saint-Quentin is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity. It is named after Saint Quentin, who is said to have been martyred here in the 3rd century....
.
German use during World War II
It was seized by the Germans in June 1940 during the early part of 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...
. It was briefly used as a fighter airfield by Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27) and Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52) in early June 1940, participating in the Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
against the French Army and British Expeditionary Force flying 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...
Es.
Clastres was unused during the balance of 1940 and 1941 and 1942. In 1943, the Germans laid down two 1800m all-weather concrete runways at the airport, aligned 05/23 and 10/29. Presumably this was due to the fortification of the Pas-de-Calais, being believed by the Germans that when the Americans and British tried to land in France to open a Second Front, the airfield would have a key role in the defense of France.
In early February 1944, Clastres became a day interceptor airfield which housed fighters to attack the USAAF 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. Known units assigned (all from Luftlotte 3, Fliegerkorps IV):
- Schlachtgeschwader 4 (SG 4) February-6 June 1944 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...
F/G - Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1) 6 June-28 August 1944 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
The Fw-190F/G were derivatives of the Fw-190A, however had been configured to have a dive-bombing capability. However, in the interceptor role, they were faster and had longer range than the Fw-190A. Previously not attacked by Allied bombers, Clastres came under frequent attack by 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....
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....
medium bombers and P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s mostly with 500-pound General-Purpose bombs; unguided rockets and .50 caliber machine gun sweeps when 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 bombers (B-17s, B-24s) were within interception range of the Luftwaffe aircraft assigned to the base. The attacks were timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers. Also the 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...
fighter-escort groups of 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....
would drop down on their return back to England and attack the base with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield.
Also, as part of Operation Quicksilver
Operation Quicksilver (WWII)
In World War II, Operation Quicksilver was a sub-plan of Operation Fortitude, the 1944 deception plan designed to induce the Germans to hold troops away from Normandy in belief that the Normandy landing was only a feint and that the major invasion would come in the Pas-de-Calais...
, which was designed to deceive the Germans about where the invasion of France would take place, Clastres was attacked by Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber groups in early June 1944, just prior to the D-Day landings in Normandy.
American use
American Ninth Army units moved though the area in early September 1944, heading towards Saint-Quentin. On 7 September The IX Engineer Command 846th Engineer Aviation Battalion moved in and began a quick rehabilitation of the base so it could be used by American aircraft. It was declared operationally ready for 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 units on 9 September, only a few days after its capture from German forces, being 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-71 Clastres Airfield"
In addition to the airfield, 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. It hosted the following known units:
- 387th Bombardment Group, 30 October 1944-29 April 1945, B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe 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....
- 367th Fighter Group367th Fighter GroupThe 367th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with XII Tactical Air Command stationed at Seymour Johnson Field , North Carolina...
, 8 September 1944-28 October 1944, P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
When the combat units moved out, Clastres was turned over to Air Technical Service Command, becoming an Air Depot and later, during the summer of 1945, a storage depot for large numbers of surplus aircraft, whose units had returned to the United States via ship.
Clastres Air Base was turned over to the French Air Ministry on 30 November 1945.
Postwar use
In French control after the war, the airport sat abandoned for several years. There was much unexploded ordinance at the site which needed to be removed, as well as the wreckage of German and American aircraft. Many of the buildings at the base were destroyed by the war, and although some had been repaired by the American combat engineers, most were in ruins. There was no use for the prewar airport, and as a result, the Air Ministry leased the land, concrete runways, structures and all, out to farmers for agricultural use, sending in unexploded ordnance teams to remove the dangerous munitions.NATO use
In 1950 when as a result 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...
threat of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the air base at Clastres was offered 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...
by the French Air Ministry as part of their NATO commitment to establish a modern Air Force Base at the site. NATO faced several problems when attempting to solve the air power survival equation. Planning for a Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
first strike survival in both conventional and nuclear wars had to be considered. The main air bases were built on small parcels of land with very limited dispersal space. It was decided to use Clastres as a NATO Dispersed Operating Base, be used in the event of an emergency. The goal was to have no more than one fighter squadron on each main or dispersed base in the event of war.
Beginning in 1953, the wartime wreckage was finally cleared from the base and construction was began. French Army Explosive demolition teams were brought in to safely remove unexploded ordinance remaining from the war and the site was prepared for construction. A modern all-weather concrete NATO jet runway was laid down aligned 02/20, with taxiways and dispersal areas for three fighter squadrons. The dispersals were designed in a circular marguerite system of hardstands which could be revetted later with earth for added aircraft protection. Typically the margueriete consisted of fifteen to eighteen hardstands, with each hardstand capable of parking one or two aircraft, allowing the planes to be spaced approximately 150 feet (50 m) apart. Each squadron was assigned to a separate margueriete, with space for about 50 fighters.
Other than the occasional touch-and-go landing of NATO (USAF) aircraft, Saint-Simon – Clastres Air Base was never used. With the French withdrawal from the integrated military component of NATO in 1967, the base was abandoned.
Current use
In the 40 years since its closure, the base has been primarily used for agriculture. The NATO concrete runway, taxiways and marguerites remain, all in reasonable condition. A windmill farm has been constructed on the north end of the airfield, along with what appear to be two or three race cart tracks inside the grassy areas of the northern marguerites. In recent years, a coating over the concrete appears to have been laid down on the main runway and taxiway. between the dispersal areas, and perhaps may be used for light aircraft, probably agricultural.The only visible remaining feature of the wartime airfield is a section of the 10/29 east-west runway. The concrete is deteriorated with large breaks in the expansion joints visible, however part of the runway has also been resurfaced to the east side of the NATO runway, and a small metal structure, probably used for agriculture has been erected on the 29 end by a local access road from the village of Clastres, just to the southeast of the airfield.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground