NATO Dispersed Operating Bases (DOBs) were developed to improve air power survival when

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

began planning for tactical air bases and aircraft in western Europe during the early Cold War years of the 1950s.

History

Dispersal tactics and protective measures were very common during World War II and practiced by all nations. The

USAAF 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 ...

was less concerned than its allies about base defence and dispersal due to the total air superiority and unlimited resources of aircraft, aircrews and ground personnel to replace combat losses. After D-Day as allied tactical air forces moved rapidly across France, investment in base and aircraft survival was impractical. It was quicker and cheaper to use captured

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

facilities. By 1948 these small airfields had been abandoned and most structures were removed or were in a state of disrepair. With the advent of the Cold War, NATO faced several problems when attempting to solve the air power survival equation. Planning for first strike survival in both conventional and nuclear wars had to be considered. The main air bases were built on small parcels of land with very limited dispersal space. It was decided to build DOBs at least 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the main air bases to be used in the event of an emergency. The goal was to have no more than one fighter squadron on each main or dispersed base in the event of war. Beginning in 1953 USAFE DOBs were constructed in France and were completed in about two years. Each was built to a standard NATO design of a 7,900' runway and the ability to space parked aircraft as far apart as possible by the construction of a circular marguerite system of hardstands that could be revetted later with earth for added protection. Typically the marguerite consisted of fifteen to eighteen hardstands around a large central hangar. Each hardstand held one or two aircraft, and allowed the planes to be spaced approximately 150 feet (50 meters) apart. Each squadron was assigned to a separate hangar/hardstand complex. Four DOBs were built for USAFE use. They were designed to have the capability to base about 30 aircraft, along with a few permanent buildings serviced with utilities and space for a tent city to house personnel. No USAFE flying units were permanently assigned to these bases, and they were used for dispersal training only. However, they did require the same level of equipment as a standard air base. In addition, security personnel were required to control base access, guard equipment, munitions and supplies stored on the facility, as well as prevent vandalism. By 1959 due to the reduction of NATO/USAF tactical fighter and bomb wings in France, the need for these DOBs was virtually eliminated. Three were transferred to the U. S. Army to reduce the cost of maintaining them and the other was turned over to the French Government.

Base Descriptions

Luneville-Chenevieres AB

Luneville-Chenevieres Air Base is located in the

Meurthe-et-Moselle Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a department in the Grand Est region of France, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. It had a population of 733,760 in 2019.Département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...

about 8 miles southeast of

Lunéville Lunéville ( ; German, obsolete: ''Lünstadt'' ) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Vezouze. History ...

; 190 miles east of Paris Currently the former base is under

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

control. It was renamed Quartier La Salle and has been used for equipment storage and as a communications facility.

Vatry AB

Vatry Air Base is located in the Marne

Département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...

along the

Route nationale 14 The Route nationale 14, ''N14'', is a trunk road ( nationale) in France between Paris and Rouen, running through Pontoise, Magny-en-Vexin, Saint-Clair-sur-Epte and Fleury-sur-Andelle. Until the 1950s, it was going until Le Havre through Yvetot. ...

(N14), about 14 miles southwest of

Châlons-en-Champagne Châlons-en-Champagne () is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the department of Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the city was officially renam ...

; 100 miles east of Paris. Currently the former NATO base is being developed as an international cargo and transport facility (Aeroport de Vatry). Very little remains of the old USAF base.

Vouziers-Sechault AB

Vouziers-Sechault Air Base is located in the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

about 15 miles north-northwest of

Sainte-Menehould Sainte-Menehould (; german: Sankt Mathilde) is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. The 18th-century French playwright Charles-Georges Fenouillot de Falbaire de Quingey (1727–1800) died in Sainte-Ménéhould. It was th ...

; 117 miles east-northeast of Paris. Currently the former base is a reserve

French Air and Space Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Arm ...

facility.

Vitry-Brienne AB

Vitry-Brienne Air Base is located in the

Aube Aube () is a French department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),Département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...

, approximately 17 miles northwest of

Bar-sur-Aube Bar-sur-Aube (, literally ''Bar on Aube'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of France. Surrounded by hills and Champagne vineyards, the city is traversed by the river Aube, from which it derive ...

; 117 miles southeast of Paris. In 1970 it was purchased by the Brienne Chamber of Commerce and later sold to private developers. It has been used by various groups for sport aviation, sky diving and soaring. In addition, an aviation museum has been established in the old USAF hangars.

Emergency Airfields

An additional 10 airfields were developed by the French government mostly from World War II USAAF

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

Advanced Landing Grounds (ALG) as unmanned 'bare bones' airfields, consisting of a runway with minimal facilities intended for use by all NATO air forces to disperse their aircraft in case of war. They were: *

Cambrai - Épinoy Air Base Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the E ...

(ALG A-75/B-72) (BA 126 Cambrai-Épinoy) * Cambrai-Niergnies Air Base (ALG A-74) * Saint Simon-Clastres Air Base (ALG A-71) * Laon-Athies Air Base (ALG A-69) * Saint Nazaire-Montoir Air Base * Beauvais-Tillé Air Base* (ALG A-61) *

Saint Quentin-Estres Air Base Péronne-St Quentin Airfield is a recreational aerodrome in France, located west of Saint-Quentin; north of Paris. It supports general aviation with no commercial airline service scheduled. History Péronne Airport was a pre- World War II ...

(ALG A-72) * Nancy-Ochey Air Base (ALG A-96) (BA 133 Nancy-Ochey) * Metz-Frescaty Air Base (ALG Y-34) (BA 128 Metz-Frescaty) * Épinal-Mirecourt Air Base .* Note: NATO construction never performed.

References

* McAuliffe, Jerome J: ''U.S. Air Force in France 1950-1967'' (2005), Chapter 17, Dispersed Operating Bases

External links

Vatry International Airport

Brienne-Le-Chateau Airport
(In French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nato Dispersed Operating Bases Dispersed Operating Bases NATO installations in France