Azeville/Fontenay (Azeville) Airfield is an abandoned

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

military airfield, which is located near the commune of

Azeville Azeville is a commune in the Manche department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. World War II Some of the first German fortifications built on the French coast were started at Azeville battery in 1941. The Germans installed four ...

in the

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Located just outside Azeville, the

United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

established a temporary airfield shortly after the Allied landings in France(

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

) on 16 June 1944. The airfield was one of the first established in the liberated area of Normandy, being constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 819th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

History

The area was formerly home to a German gun battery, which consisted of four captured French 105 mm guns. The battery was captured on 9 June 1944 by the U.S. 22nd Infantry Regiment (4th Division) moving inland from Utah Beach. Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-7", the airfield consisted of a single 5000' (1500m) Square-Mesh Track runway aligned 08/26. 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. 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. On 4 September 1944, the 363d Fighter Group was realigned into a Tactical Reconnaissance Group, and its P-51D fighters were replaced with F-6 P-51 Reconnaissance aircraft After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied Armies, the airfield was left un-garrisoned and used for resupply and casualty evacuation. It was closed on 15 September 1944 and the land returned to agricultural use.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.

Major units assigned

365th Fighter Group 365th may refer to: *365th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *365th Electronic Warfare Group previously 1st Search Attack Group, United States Army Air Forces unit that served during World War II. 365 EWG was a 'paper' de ...

28 June – 15 August 1944 : 386th (D5), 387th (B4), 388th (C4) Fighter Squadrons (P-47D)Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. . *

363d Fighter Group 363rd or 363d may refer to: *363d Expeditionary Operations Group, inactive United States Air Force unit *363d Bombardment Squadron or 19th Antisubmarine Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *363d Fighter Squadron or 164th Airlift Squadro ...

22 August – 14 September 1944 :: Re-designated 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 4 September 1944 : 380th (A8), 381st (B3), 382d (C3) Fighter Squadrons (P-51D) :: Re-designated 160th (A8), 161st (B3), 162d (C3) Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons (F-6)

Current use

Today the airfield is a mixture of various agricultural fields. A memorial to the men and units that were stationed at Azeville is located leaving Saint-Marcouf on the D14 towards Fontenay-sur-Mer. The stele is 2 km on the left edge of a pasture at the edge of the town of Fontenay-sur-Mer.

References

External links

A-7 Memorial

A-7 – Azeville / Fontenay
(In French) {{authority control World War II airfields in France Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in France Airports established in 1944

History

Major units assigned

Current use

See also

References

External links