Navarin Airfield is a

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 in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, located approximately 10 km from

El Eulma El-Eulma () is a city in Algeria, located 210 miles east of the capital Algiers. It is the second-largest city in Sétif Province Sétif Province (, ) is a province ('' wilaya'') in north-eastern Algeria. Its capital and largest city is Sétif ...

Sétif Province Sétif Province (, ) is a province ('' wilaya'') in north-eastern Algeria. Its capital and largest city is Sétif; the next largest city is El Eulma. There is also the World Heritage Site of Djémila there. History In 1984 Bordj Bou Arréri ...

. It was used by 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 ...

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...

during the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

for heavy

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

bombers against the German

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

. B-17s known as the 'Diamondbacks' would fly from here to Rome in

Operation Husky Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

in July 1943. Known units assigned were: *

2d Bombardment Group 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 OO2, the minor planet 7499 L'Aquila *1990 OO2, the asteroid 9175 Graun Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *''002 Operazione Luna'' ...

, 22–27 April 1943,

99th Bombardment Group 99th may refer to: * 99th Brigade (disambiguation) * 99th Division (disambiguation) * 99th Regiment (disambiguation) * 99th Squadron (disambiguation) * 99th Street (disambiguation) See also

* 99 (disambiguation) * * {{dab ...

, 22 February-25 March 1943,

When the Americans moved east into Tunisia, the airfield was dismantled and abandoned. Traces of its runway may be visible on satellite imagery, however a lack of detailed aerial photography of the area limits determining a precise location and current condition of the airfield.

References

* Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. . *
USAFHRA search for Navarin Airfield

External links

Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Algeria Airports established in 1942 1942 establishments in Algeria {{Algeria-airport-stub