Saint-Lambert Airfield (A-11) | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°56′14″N 000°32′56″W / 48.93722°N 0.54889°W (Location Undetermined) |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Site history | |
| Built by | IX Engineering Command |
| In use | Aug-Sep 1944 |
| Materials | Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing (PHS) |
| Battles/wars | Invasion of Normandy |
Saint-Lambert Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Saint-Lambert in the Basse-Normandie region of northern France.
Located just outside of Saint-Lambert, the United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield shortly after D-Day on 22 July 1944, shortly after the Allied landings in France The airfield was one of the first established in the liberated area of Normandy, being constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 832d Engineer Aviation Battalion.
History
Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-11", the airfield consisted of a single 5000' (1500m) Square-Mesh Track/Compressed Earth runway aligned 05/23. In addition, with 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.[1]
The 474th Fighter Group, based P-38 Lightning fighters at Saint-Lambert from 6th through 29th August 1944. [2]
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.
After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied Armies, the airfield was closed on 11 September 1944. Today the airfield is indistinguishable from the agricultural fields in the area.[3]
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ IX Engineer Command ETO Airfields, Airfield Layout
- ^ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- ^ Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
.svg)