Ambérieu-en-Bugey Air Base
Encyclopedia
Ambérieu-en-Bugey Air Base is a front-line French Air Force
( (ALA) base located approximately 5 km north-northwest of Ambérieu-en-Bugey
in the department of Ain
in eastern France
.
It also supports calibration and repair of all devices for measuring the Air Force and the manufacture and repair of security equipment, rescue and survival of pilots.
Ambérieu has two Jodel D140C Mousquetaire
aircraft assigned for courier duty.
as all-weather temporary field built by the United States Army Air Forces
XII Engineer Command during late August 1944 after German forces were removed from the area. It was built on a graded surface using Pierced Steel Planking for runways and parking areas, as well as for dispersal sites. 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 airfield was known as Ambérieu Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground
Y-5.
It was turned over for operational use by Twelfth Air Force on 6 September. The 324th Fighter Group
, which flew P-40 Warhawks from the field during September 1944, after which it moved up to Tavaux
. Once the P-47s moved out, Ambérieu Airfield became a rear area support base operated by the 1st Air Service Squadron for transport aircraft moving supplies and equipment to the front.
With the end of the war in Europe in May, 1945 the Americans began to withdraw their aircraft and personnel. Control of the airfield was turned over to French authorities on 29 May 1945.
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) base located approximately 5 km north-northwest of Ambérieu-en-Bugey
Ambérieu-en-Bugey
Ambérieu-en-Bugey is a commune in the department of Ain in eastern France.It is the largest town in the arrondissement of Belley and the seat of the Ambérieu-en-Bugey canton, as well as the capital of the historic region of Bugey.-Geography:...
in the department of Ain
Ain
Ain is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
in eastern 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...
.
Overview
Ambérieu-en-Bugey Air Base is a primary a depot repair and supply center of electronic equipment on board aircraft and ground telecommunication equipment and detection aids to navigation and the manufacture of simple equipment.It also supports calibration and repair of all devices for measuring the Air Force and the manufacture and repair of security equipment, rescue and survival of pilots.
Ambérieu has two Jodel D140C Mousquetaire
Jodel
Société Avions Jodel is a French aircraft company started in 1946 by Édouard Joly and his son-in-law Jean Délémontez. Jodel designed a range of light aeroplanes shortly after the Second World War. The popular myth is that the two, with no formal aerodynamics training, set about designing a...
aircraft assigned for courier duty.
World War II
The air base was constructed during 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...
as all-weather temporary field built 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 during late August 1944 after German forces were removed from the area. It was built on a graded surface using Pierced Steel Planking for runways and parking areas, as well as for dispersal sites. 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 airfield was known as Ambérieu Airfield or 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-5.
It was turned over for operational use by Twelfth Air Force on 6 September. The 324th Fighter Group
324th Fighter Group
The 324th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with XII Air Support Command, stationed at Fliegerhorst Stuttgart-Echterdingen , Germany. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
, which flew P-40 Warhawks from the field during September 1944, after which it moved up to Tavaux
Dôle-Tavaux Airport
Dole – Jura Airport , also known as Franche-Comté Regional Airport , is an airport serving Dole, a commune in the Jura department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. The airport is located southwest of Dole, and southeast of Tavaux...
. Once the P-47s moved out, Ambérieu Airfield became a rear area support base operated by the 1st Air Service Squadron for transport aircraft moving supplies and equipment to the front.
With the end of the war in Europe in May, 1945 the Americans began to withdraw their aircraft and personnel. Control of the airfield was turned over to French authorities on 29 May 1945.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground