Marnia Airfield
Encyclopedia
Marnia Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Morocco
, located approximately 9 km west of Tangier
and 37 km north-northeast of Asilah.
. After the 86th moved east to Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria
, the airfield was dismantled and the land returned to civil authorities.
Today the area where Marnia Airfield was constructed is now an agricultural area, with little or no evidence of its existence.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, located approximately 9 km west of Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
and 37 km north-northeast of Asilah.
History
The airfield was constructed as a temporary facility, with a hard earth or pierced steel planking (PSP) runway and parking apron. with few or no permanent structures, Tents were used for ground support operations and personnel billeting. It was used for a brief two week period by the Twelfth Air Force 86th Bombardment Group, flying A-20 Havocs from the field in early and mid-June 1943 during the North African CampaignNorth African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
. After the 86th moved east to Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, the airfield was dismantled and the land returned to civil authorities.
Today the area where Marnia Airfield was constructed is now an agricultural area, with little or no evidence of its existence.