Tour-en-Bessin Airfield
Encyclopedia
Tour-en-Bessin Airfield is an abandoned World War II
military airfield, located near the commune
of Tour-en-Bessin
in the Basse-Normandie
region
of northern France
. It lies to the southeast of Tour-en-Bessin.
The United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield on 12 July 1944, shortly after the Allied landings in France
. It was constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 833d and 846th Engineer Aviation Battalions.
"A-13", the airfield consisted of a main 5000' (1500m) Pierced Steel Planking runway
aligned 12/30 and a secondary 5000' PSP runway aligned 01/19. In addition, 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.
The 373d Fighter Group
based P-47 fighters at Tour-en-Bessin from 19 July through 19 August 1944. They were supplemented on 5 August by the 406th Fighter Group, also flying P-47s, until 17 August. When the figher units moved east, they were replaced by the B-26-equipped 394th Bombardment Group
which came in from RAF Holmsley South
. The medium bombers remained until 18 September when they also moved east into Central France.
The fighter planes flew support missions during the Allied push into France, patrolling roads, strafing German military vehicles and dropping bombs on gun emplacements, anti-aircraft artillery and concentrations of German troops in Normandy and Brittany when spotted. The bombers also attacked bridges and German-controlled airfields in occupied areas.
After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied armies
, the airfield was used as a resupply and casualty evacuation airfield for several months, before being closed on 2 December 1944. Today the airfield is almost indistinguishable from the agricultural fields in the area, however the south end of the 01/19 runway is visible by the curvature of some fields, and some slight ground disturbance in a field to the east probably is from the 12/30 runway.
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...
military airfield, located near the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Tour-en-Bessin
Tour-en-Bessin
Tour-en-Bessin is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-World War II:After the liberation of the area by Allied Forces in 1944, engineers of the Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground outside...
in the Basse-Normandie
Basse-Normandie
Lower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
of northern 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 lies to the southeast of Tour-en-Bessin.
The United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield on 12 July 1944, shortly after the Allied landings in France
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. It was constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 833d and 846th Engineer Aviation Battalions.
History
Known as Advanced Landing GroundAdvanced 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-13", the airfield consisted of a main 5000' (1500m) Pierced Steel Planking runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
aligned 12/30 and a secondary 5000' PSP runway aligned 01/19. In addition, 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.
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....
based P-47 fighters at Tour-en-Bessin from 19 July through 19 August 1944. They were supplemented on 5 August by the 406th Fighter Group, also flying P-47s, until 17 August. When the figher units moved east, they were replaced by the B-26-equipped 394th Bombardment Group
394th Bombardment Group
The 394th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the XII Fighter Command stationed at AAF Station Kitzingen, Germany. It was inactivated on 15 February 1946...
which came in from RAF Holmsley South
RAF Holmsley South
RAF Station Holmsley South is a former World War II airfield in Hampshire, England. The airfield is located approximately northeast of Christchurch; about southwest of London...
. The medium bombers remained until 18 September when they also moved east into Central France.
The fighter planes flew support missions during the Allied push into France, patrolling roads, strafing German military vehicles and dropping bombs on gun emplacements, anti-aircraft artillery and concentrations of German troops in Normandy and Brittany when spotted. The bombers also attacked bridges and German-controlled airfields in occupied areas.
After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied armies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, the airfield was used as a resupply and casualty evacuation airfield for several months, before being closed on 2 December 1944. Today the airfield is almost indistinguishable from the agricultural fields in the area, however the south end of the 01/19 runway is visible by the curvature of some fields, and some slight ground disturbance in a field to the east probably is from the 12/30 runway.