Sainte-Barbe du Tlélat Airfield
Encyclopedia
Sainte-Barbe du Tlélat Airfield was a World War II
military airfield in Algeria
near the city of Oued Tlelat.
The airfield was a temporary facility used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force during the North African Campaign
against the German Afrika Korps
. It was the home of the 27th Fighter Group from 26 December 1942 until mid-January 1943, which flew A-20 Havoc light bombers.
The airfield consisted of grass or Pierced Steel Planking
runways and parking and dispersal areas, with support structures were quickly constructed out of wood or tents, along with (if needed) a temporary steel control tower. Six-man tents were used for billeting, lined up in rows with the orderly room and the mess hall at one end. There was one, dimly lit, light bulb at the center of each tent. The tent floor was grass or more commonly, dirt. Eventually plywood was scavenged for flooring; wooden cots were used for beds, and ubiquitous 55-gallon drums were converted into a heater/stove and other uses.
The ground echelon of the 301st Bombardment Group also was assigned to the airfield in December 1942 and the airfield was dismantled in March 1943. Today, there is little or no evidence of the airfield, with the land now used in agriculture.
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 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...
near the city of Oued Tlelat.
The airfield was a temporary facility used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force during the North African Campaign
North 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...
against the German Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
. It was the home of the 27th Fighter Group from 26 December 1942 until mid-January 1943, which flew A-20 Havoc light bombers.
The airfield consisted of grass or Pierced Steel Planking
Marsden Matting
Marsden Matting is standardized, perforated steel matting material originally developed by the United States at the Waterways Experiment Station shortly before World War II, primarily for the rapid construction of temporary runways and landing strips...
runways and parking and dispersal areas, with support structures were quickly constructed out of wood or tents, along with (if needed) a temporary steel control tower. Six-man tents were used for billeting, lined up in rows with the orderly room and the mess hall at one end. There was one, dimly lit, light bulb at the center of each tent. The tent floor was grass or more commonly, dirt. Eventually plywood was scavenged for flooring; wooden cots were used for beds, and ubiquitous 55-gallon drums were converted into a heater/stove and other uses.
The ground echelon of the 301st Bombardment Group also was assigned to the airfield in December 1942 and the airfield was dismantled in March 1943. Today, there is little or no evidence of the airfield, with the land now used in agriculture.