Mourmelon-le-Grand Airfield
Encyclopedia
Mourmelon-le-Grand Airfield is an abandoned World War II
military airfield in France
. It lies approximately 1 mile (2 km) east-southeast of Mourmelon-le-Grand
and 93 miles (150 km) northeast of Paris
.
The airfield was a semi-permanent facility built by the USAAF in the Champagne region west of Monte Carnillet which was a fiercely contested region of the World War I
Western Front
. The 6000' (1830 m) Pierced Steel Planking runway of the airfield supported fighter and transport aircraft from September 1944 though the end of the war in Europe.
"A-80", the airfield consisted of a single 6000' PSP runway aligned 08/26. Tents were used for billeting and for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; there was a staging area for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums. There were a water-treatment facility and a minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting.
Combat units stationed at the airfield were:
After the war ended the facility was dismantled and the land was turned over to local French authorities. Today the remains of the airfield can be seen in aerial photography as a disturbed area south of Mourmelon-le-Grand.
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 in 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 approximately 1 mile (2 km) east-southeast of Mourmelon-le-Grand
Mourmelon-le-Grand
Mourmelon-le-Grand is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.-Camp Châlons:'Camp Châlons' is a military camp of circa 10,000 hectares nearby Mourmelon-le-Grand...
and 93 miles (150 km) northeast 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 was a semi-permanent facility built by the USAAF in the Champagne region west of Monte Carnillet which was a fiercely contested region of 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...
. The 6000' (1830 m) Pierced Steel Planking runway of the airfield supported fighter and transport aircraft from September 1944 though the end of the war in Europe.
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-80", the airfield consisted of a single 6000' PSP runway aligned 08/26. Tents were used for billeting and for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; there was a staging area for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums. There were a water-treatment facility and a minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting.
Combat units stationed at the airfield were:
- 406th Fighter Group, 22 September 1944-2 February 1945 (P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic 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...
) - 358th Fighter Group358th Fighter GroupThe 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....
, 16 October-9 November 1944 (P-47) - 434th Troop Carrier Group, March-24 July 1945 (C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe 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...
)
After the war ended the facility was dismantled and the land was turned over to local French authorities. Today the remains of the airfield can be seen in aerial photography as a disturbed area south of Mourmelon-le-Grand.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground