Le Mans Airfield
Encyclopedia
Le Mans Airfield is an abandoned World War II
military airfield, which is located near the City of Le Mans
in the Pays de la Loire
region
of northern France
.
manufacturing facilities during the Occupation of France by the Germans. The Renault plant was the largest armament, truck and tank works in France.
built a grass airfield, which opened on 7 September 1940 for the defense of the facility. Known units assigned (all from Luftlotte 3, Fliegerkorps IV):
The Luftwaffe assigned a series of units, rotating them in and out of Le Mans to provide air defense against Allied bombing attacks on the Renault works, which was attacked on several occasions by United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force
heavy bomb groups during 1943 and 1944.
"A-35".
The 36th Fighter Group, based P-47 Thunderbolt
fighters at Le Mans from 25 August though late September 1944. The 36th was replaced by the 440th Troop Carrier Group, which flew C-47 Skytrain
s from the airfield from 30 September until 2 November 1944
The fighter planes flew support missions during the Allied invasion of Normandy, patrolling roads in front of the beachhead; 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 C-47s participated in Operation Market-Garden, the airborne invasion of the Netherlands, carrying troops of the 82d Airborne Division to a drop site near Groesbeek
on 17 September 1944. The following day, the 440th towed CG-4A Waco gliders to the same general location with reinforcements and supplies. Another glider towing resupply and reinforcement mission was flown to Oversult, Holland on 23 September.
After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied Armies, the airfield was closed on 30 November 1944. Today the long dismantled airfield is indistinguishable from the agricultural fields in the area.
Note: The modern airport at Le Mans today, Le Mans-Arnage airport, is of postwar vintage and unconnected with 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...
military airfield, which is located near the City of Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
in the Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
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...
.
History
Le Mans was an industrial target for the Allies due to the RenaultRenault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
manufacturing facilities during the Occupation of France by the Germans. The Renault plant was the largest armament, truck and tank works in France.
German use during World War II
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....
built a grass airfield, which opened on 7 September 1940 for the defense of the facility. Known units assigned (all from Luftlotte 3, Fliegerkorps IV):
- Zerstörergeschwader 76Zerstörergeschwader 76Zerstörergeschwader 76 or ZG 76 was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.-History:...
(ZG 76) May-June 1940 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... - Jagdgeschwader 3Jagdgeschwader 3Jagdgeschwader 3 Udet was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. The Geschwader operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet in 1942.-Campaign in the West :...
(JG 3) 20-23 June 1940 Messerschmitt Bf 109Messerschmitt Bf 109The 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...
E - Lehrgeschwader 1Lehrgeschwader 1Lehrgeschwader 1 formerly Lehrgeschwader Greifswald was a Luftwaffe multi-purpose unit during World War II, operating fighter, bomber and dive-bomber Gruppen. The unit was formed in July 1936...
(LG 1) 28-29 June 1940 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...
C/D - Jagdgeschwader 54Jagdgeschwader 54Jagdgeschwader 54 Grünherz was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. It was known as the Green Hearts Wing, and it was the second highest scoring wing of all time, JG 52 being the highest...
(JS 54) 15 January-29 March 1941 Messerschmitt Bf 109Messerschmitt Bf 109The 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...
E - Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1) 7-12 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...
A - Jagdgeschwader 53Jagdgeschwader 53Jagdgeschwader 53 Pik-As was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated in Western Europe and in the Mediterranean.Jagdgeschwader 53 - or as it was better known, the "Pik As" Geschwader - was one of the oldest German fighter units of World War II with its origins going back to 1937...
(JG 53) 6 June-6 July 1944 Messerschmitt Bf 109Messerschmitt Bf 109The 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...
G
The Luftwaffe assigned a series of units, rotating them in and out of Le Mans to provide air defense against Allied bombing attacks on the Renault works, which was attacked on several occasions by United States Army Air Force 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 bomb groups during 1943 and 1944.
American use
The Luftwaffe airfield was seized by Allied ground forces about 12 August 1944 during the Northern France Campaign. Almost immediately, the USAAF IX Engineer Command 816th Engineer Aviation Battalion began clearing the base of mines and destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft and repairing operational facilities for use by American aircraft. The engineers laid down a single 5000' (1500m) all-weather Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing/Compressed Earth runway (3600 PHS/1400 ETH) aligned 14/32. 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. Once refurbished, it was 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-35".
The 36th Fighter Group, based 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...
fighters at Le Mans from 25 August though late September 1944. The 36th was replaced by the 440th Troop Carrier Group, which flew 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...
s from the airfield from 30 September until 2 November 1944
The fighter planes flew support missions during the Allied invasion of Normandy, patrolling roads in front of the beachhead; 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 C-47s participated in Operation Market-Garden, the airborne invasion of the Netherlands, carrying troops of the 82d Airborne Division to a drop site near Groesbeek
Groesbeek
Groesbeek is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.-Description:Groesbeek is named after a small stream called the Groesbeek, which in its original form doesn't exist anymore...
on 17 September 1944. The following day, the 440th towed CG-4A Waco gliders to the same general location with reinforcements and supplies. Another glider towing resupply and reinforcement mission was flown to Oversult, Holland on 23 September.
After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied Armies, the airfield was closed on 30 November 1944. Today the long dismantled airfield is indistinguishable from the agricultural fields in the area.
Note: The modern airport at Le Mans today, Le Mans-Arnage airport, is of postwar vintage and unconnected with World War II.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground