Toul-Croix De Metz Airfield
Encyclopedia
- For the Cold War United States Air Force base, see: Toul-Rosières Air BaseToul-Rosieres Air BaseToul-Rosières Air Base is a reserve French Air Force base. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, 10 miles northeast of the city of Toul, on the west side of the Route nationale 411 Highway about one mile southeast of Rosières-en-Haye.Toul Air Base was used by American...
Toul-Croix De Metz Airfield is a former military airfield which is located approximately 1 mile northeast of Toul
Toul
Toul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
(Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine); 160 miles east 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 airfield had its origins in the World War I
World 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...
as an Armée de L'Air
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, later being extensively used by the United States Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
. It became a permanent airfield between the wars and during the Phony War
Phony War
The Phoney War was a phase early in World War II – in the months following Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany in September 1939 and preceding the Battle of France in May 1940 – that was marked by a lack of major military operations by the Western Allies against the German Reich...
with Nazi Germany (1939–1940) was the home of G.C. II/5 (The French Air Force descendant of the World War I Lafayette Escadrille
Lafayette Escadrille
The Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
) equipped with American Curtis Hawk 75A
P-36 Hawk
The 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...
fighters. Seized 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...
, it became 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....
airfield until being captured by the United States Third Army in September 1944. It then became a United States Army Air Force combat airfield until the end of the war.
After the war, the airfield was redeveloped into a private industrial estate.
World War I
Toul-Croix De Metz Airfield was established about 1916 by the French Air Force as a combat airfield on 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...
known as "Gengault Aerodrome". It is undetermined which French units were stationed at the airfield during the war.
In April 1918 it was turned over to the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
(AEF). When first deployed to France, the Aero Squadrons of the AEF were dispersed among the various army organizations. This made it difficult, however, to obtain coordination of aerial activities. Some higher organization was required. The United States Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
Aero Squadrons were organized as part of the 2d, 3d and 4th Pursuit Groups. Known American units at Toul were:
- 1st Aero Squadron, 22 August-21 September 1918
- Photographic Section No. 1, 24 August-19 September 1918
- 8th Aero Squadron, 29 September-23 October 1918
- 12th Aero Squadron, 22 August-20 September 1918
- 13th Aero Squadron, 23 June-23 September 1918
- 17th Aero Squadron, 4 November-12 December 1918
- 22d Aero Squadron, 16 August-22 September; 30 September 1918-10 February 1919
- 25th Aero Squadron, 24 October-15 April 1919
- 27th Aero Squadron, 1–28 June 1918
- 49th Aero Squadron, 2 August-23 September 1918
- 94th Aero Squadron, 7 April-30 June 1918
- 95th Aero Squadron, 4 May-25 June 1918
- 103d Aero Squadron, 4 July-7 August 1918
It is known that other American air units were assigned to Toul during World War I, however they are unidentified. The Americans at Toul flew reconnaissance sorties, protected observation aircraft, attacked enemy observation balloons, strafed enemy troops, flew counter-air patrols, and bombed towns, bridges, and railroad stations behind the enemy's lines.
Some of the most illustrious names in early American Army aviation were assigned to Toul during World War I, including Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
; Quentin Roosevelt
Quentin Roosevelt
Quentin Roosevelt was the youngest and favorite son of President Theodore Roosevelt. Family and friends agreed that Quentin had many of his father's positive qualities and few of the negative ones. Inspired by his father and siblings, he joined the United States Army Air Service where he became a...
; Frank Luke
Frank Luke
Frank Luke Jr. was an American fighter ace, ranking second among U.S. Army Air Service pilots after Captain Eddie Rickenbacker in number of aerial victories during World War I . Frank Luke was the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor...
; Carl Spaatz
Carl Spaatz
Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz GBE was an American World War II general and the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He was of German descent.-Early life:...
; Billy Mitchell and others.
The Americans at Toul demobilized and left France after the Amistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
on 11 November 1918, the last leaving in early 1919.
Between the wars
Various French Air Force air regiments were assigned to the base during the 1920s, during which the wartime grass field became a permanent base, with a large technical support area, hangars, barracks and other facilities being constructed.When 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...
broke out in September 1939, the 35th Aero Regiment was assigned to Toul-Croix De Metz, the 7th squadron of which was the descendant of the World War I Lafayette Escadrille
Lafayette Escadrille
The Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
, "Groupe de Chasse II/5, the Escadron Lafayette". The Regiment was equipped with obsolete Curtiss Hawk Model 75s
P-36 Hawk
The 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...
. From surviving accounts of the squadron 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...
the Hawk-equipped Regiment claimed 230 confirmed and 80 probable victories in H75s against only 29 aircraft lost in aerial combat. However the German 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,...
and the breakout of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
at Sedan overwhelmed the French and the British Expeditionary Force, and the unit surrendered to the Germans along with the French Armed Forces at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on 22 June 1940.
German use during World War II
Shortly after its capture, the airfield was turned over to the LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
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....
. The airfield was initially used primarily as a training base for ground support units. In September 1942, Zerstörerschule 2 (Fighter-Destroyer School 2) (ZS 2) used the base as a training facility for Messerschmitt Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The 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...
fighter pilots until February 1944.
Toul became an operational airfield in July 1944, when 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) arrived at the airfield 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...
medium bombers. The He 111s were used as carrier aircraft for launching 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....
s, aimed at targets in Britain
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...
. KG 53 withdrew from the airfield at the end of August, ahead of the advancing American Third Army
United States Army Central
United States Army Central is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army and is also dual-hatted as the "United States Third Army". It is the Army Component of U.S...
which was moving into the area. Toul-Croix De Metz was attacked by 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....
B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers to attempt to stop these V-1 attacks.
American use during World War II
The IX Engineer Command moved the 826th Engineer Aviation Battalion to Toul arifield on 14 September 1944. The airfield was relatively intact, and began clearing the airport of mines; 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-90" Toul-Croix De Metz the next day.
Under American control, Toul-Croix De Metz was initially used as a resupply and causality evacuation (S&E) airfield, with 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 using the airfield frequently, carrying in supplies and moving wounded personnel to hospitals in the rear. In October, the 862d EAB moved in and laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking all-weather runway. The engineers also repaired the barracks and other facilities at the base, allowing it to be used though the winter months.
In November, the 358th Fighter Group
358th Fighter Group
The 358th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Second Air Force stationed at La Junta Army Air Field , Colorado. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
moved in with P-47 Thunderbolts and flew operational missions from the base until the beginning of April 1945. The airfield was closed, and returned to French control after the war on 30 October 1945.
Postwar use
In French control after the war, the airfield was closed and for years was left unused. The growing urban area of ToulToul
Toul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
and the need for other, more pressing reconstruction after the war led the Air Ministry to sell off the property to private interests, and not rebuild it as a military airfield. A major reason was that the airfield was physically small, and the cost to purchase additional land to build a jet runway, and other facilities was very high. In addition, the prospect of jet fighter aircraft taking off and landing over the urbanized area around the airfield was highly undesirable. In 1950 when NATO was looking to locate an American Air Force fighter airfield in the area, given the historical American association with Toul, the World War II airfield at Rosieres En Haye
Toul-Rosieres Air Base
Toul-Rosières Air Base is a reserve French Air Force base. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, 10 miles northeast of the city of Toul, on the west side of the Route nationale 411 Highway about one mile southeast of Rosières-en-Haye.Toul Air Base was used by American...
was made available.
The site eventually was cleared of buildings and wreckage, some of the concrete from the runways and taxiways were used as streets, and industrial buildings were constructed on the site. Today in aerial photography, clear outlines of former buildings can be seen in grassy areas, as well as the runways and taxiways of the former airfield, now reused as streets.