Salon-de-Provence Air Base
Encyclopedia
Salon-de-Provence Air Base ( or BA 701) is a base of the French Air Force
located 4 km (2.5 mi) south Salon-de-Provence
in southern France
.
It hosts the training facilities for the officers of the air force:
It hosts the demonstration formations of the French Air Force, including the Patrouille de France
.
In addition, it hosts a school of the French Navy
: the school of Naval Aviation (EAN).
airfield, which was used by the Armée de l'Air during the early part of the war. After the 1940 Battle of France
and the June Armistice with Nazi Germany, became part of the limited air force of the Vichy Government. Known Vichy units at Salon-de-Provence were:
On 11 November 1942, Salon-de-Provence Air Base was seized by Nazi forces as part of Case Anton
, the occupation of Vicy and the Luftwaffe
took control of the base. Under German control, the base became a bomber airfield for anti-shipping operations over the Mediterranean against American Convoys, and later, attacking Allied forces on Corsica
and Sardinia
after their capture from Italian forces (Regio Esercito
) during 1943. Known units assigned were:
It was attacked on several missions by Allied bombers based in England
while under German control. The airfield was sized by Allied Forces in August 1944 during Operation Dragoon
, the Invasion of Southern France in August 1944 and was repaired and placed into operational use by the United States Army Air Forces
XII Engineer Command, being turned over to Twelfth Air Force on 28 August 1944. It was designated as Advanced Landing Ground
"Y-16 Salon".
Twelfth Air Force stationed the 27th Fighter Squadron
at the repaired field from 30 August, flying A-36 Apaches until moving north into eastern France in October. Also the 47th Bombardment Group flew A-20 Havoc light bombers from the field during September.
The use by American forces of the airfield was brief, and on 20 November 1944 it was returned to French control.
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...
located 4 km (2.5 mi) south Salon-de-Provence
Salon-de-Provence
Salon-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. It is the location of an important air base.-History:Salon was a Gallo-Roman oppidum well positioned on the salt trade routes between Adriatic, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, hence its name...
in southern 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 hosts the training facilities for the officers of the air force:
- École de l'Air: for young students
- pilot commissioned officers
- mechanics commissioned officers
- air base commissioned officers
- École militaire de l'Air: gives access to the same careers as the École de l'Air, for non-commissioned officerNon-commissioned officerA non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s who want to become commissioned officers - air commissaryCommissaryA commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
school - special course of the École de l'Air: for foreign officers
- special course of formation of officers
It hosts the demonstration formations of the French Air Force, including the Patrouille de France
Patrouille de France
The Patrouille Acrobatique de France , also known as the Patrouille de France or PAF, is the precision aerobatic demonstration team of the French Air Force. Originating in 1931, it is one of the world's oldest and most skilled demonstration teams...
.
In addition, it hosts a school of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
: the school of Naval Aviation (EAN).
World War II
Salon-de-Provence 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...
airfield, which was used by the Armée de l'Air during the early part of the war. After the 1940 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...
and the June Armistice with Nazi Germany, became part of the limited air force of the Vichy Government. Known Vichy units at Salon-de-Provence were:
- G.C. I/6 (1) Morane-Saulnier M.S.406Morane-Saulnier M.S.406The 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 - G.C. III/9 Bloch MB.152Bloch MB.150|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Belcarz, Bartłomiej. Morane MS 406C1, Caudron Cyclone CR 714C1, Bloch MB 151/152 , Sandomierz, Poland: Stratus, 2004. ISBN 83-89450-21-6. About the use of the MB.151/152 by Polish Pilots of the Armée de l'Air.* Breffort, Dominique and André Jouineau...
fighters
On 11 November 1942, Salon-de-Provence Air Base was seized by Nazi forces as part of Case Anton
Case Anton
Operation Anton was the codename for the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942.- Background :...
, the occupation of Vicy 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....
took control of the base. Under German control, the base became a bomber airfield for anti-shipping operations over the Mediterranean against American Convoys, and later, attacking Allied forces on Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
and Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
after their capture from Italian forces (Regio Esercito
Royal Italian Army (1940–1946)
This article is about the Italian Royal Army which participated in World War II.The Italian Royal Army was reformed in 1861 and lasted until 1946. The Royal Army started with the unification of Italy and the formation of the Kingdom of Italy . It ended with the dissolution of the monarchy...
) during 1943. Known units assigned were:
- Kampfgeschwader 100 (KG 100), flying Heinkel He 111Heinkel He 111The 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...
Hs, February-April 1943 - Kampfgeschwader 26Kampfgeschwader 26Kampfgeschwader 26 "Löwengeschwader" 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 September–October 1944. It operated two of the major German bomber types; the Heinkel He 111 and the Junkers Ju 88...
(KG 26), flying Heinkel He 111Heinkel He 111The 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...
Hs, May 1943-March 1944 - Zerstörergeschwader 1Zerstörergeschwader 1Zerstörergeschwader 1 or ZG 1 was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.-History:...
(ZG 1), flying 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...
s, May 1944
- Primarily air defense against Twelfth Air Force 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....
medium bomber attacks on Southern France- Kampfgeschwader 77Kampfgeschwader 77Kampfgeschwader 77 was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II.Its units participated on all of the major fronts in the European Theatre until its dissolution in 1944...
(KG 77), flying 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...
s, June-July 1944.
- Kampfgeschwader 77
It was attacked on several missions by Allied bombers based in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
while under German control. The airfield was sized by Allied Forces in August 1944 during Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
, the Invasion of Southern France in August 1944 and was repaired and placed into operational use by the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
XII Engineer Command, being turned over to Twelfth Air Force on 28 August 1944. It was 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...
"Y-16 Salon".
Twelfth Air Force stationed the 27th Fighter Squadron
27th Fighter Squadron
The 27th Fighter Squadron ' is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 1st Operations Group and stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia....
at the repaired field from 30 August, flying A-36 Apaches until moving north into eastern France in October. Also the 47th Bombardment Group flew A-20 Havoc light bombers from the field during September.
The use by American forces of the airfield was brief, and on 20 November 1944 it was returned to French control.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground