Azeville Airfield

Azeville/Fontenay Airfield
Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-7

Manche, Basse-Normandie Region, France

Colonel James B. Tipton commanding the 363d Fighter Group standing by his P-47D "Diablo" at Azeville Airfield A-7, France

Azeville/Fontenay Airfield

Coordinates

49°28′55″N 001°18′55″W / 49.48194°N 1.31528°W

Type

Military Airfield

Site information

Controlled by

United States Army Air Forces

Site history

Built by

IX Engineering Command

In use

June–September 1944

Materials

Square-Mesh Track (SMT)

Battles/wars

World War II - EAME Theater

Normandy Campaign
Northern France Campaign

Garrison information

Garrison

Ninth Air Force

Occupants

365th Fighter Group
363d Fighter Group

363d Tactial Reconnaissance Group

Airfield information

Runways
Direction	Length and surface
08/26	3,600 feet (1,100 m) SMT/PSP

One runway, 4 alert pads, 50 hardstands^[1]

Map of USAAF Advanced Landing Ground A-7 Azeville Airfield, France

Azeville/Fontenay (Azeville) Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Azeville in the Basse-Normandie region of northern France.

Located just outside Azeville, the United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield shortly after D-Day on 16 June 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, 819th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

History

The area was formerly home to a German gun battery, which consisted of four captured French 105mm guns. 49°29′05″N 001°18′59″W / 49.48472°N 1.31639°W / 49.48472; -1.31639 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.^[2]

The fighter planes flew support missions during the Allied invasion of Normandy, patrolling roads in front of the beachhead; stafing 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^[3]

After the Americans moved east into Central France with the advancing Allied Armies, the airfield was left un-garrissoned and used for resupply and casualty evacuation. It was closed on 15 September 1944 and the land returned to agricultural use.^[4]

Major units assigned

365th Fighter Group 28 June - 15 August 1944

386th (D5), 387th (B4), 388th (C4) Fighter Squadrons (P-47D)^[3]

363d Fighter Group 22 August - 14 September 1944

Re-designated 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 4 September 1944

380th (A8), 381st (B3), 382d (C3) Fighter Squadrons (P-51D)^[3]

Re-designated 160th (A8), 161st (B3), 162d (C3) Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons (F-6)^[3]

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 D 14 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

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

↑ Azeville/Fontenay Airfield
↑ IX Engineer Command ETO Airfields, Airfield Layout
1 2 3 4 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.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chippelle Airfield.

A-7 Memorial
A-7 - Azeville / Fontenay (In French)

USAAF Ninth Air Force in World War II

Stations

Palestine (Mand)	Lydda Muqueibile Ramat David St Jean

Egypt	Abu Sueir Ismailia El Amiriya Daba Deversoir Fayid Kabrit * Landing Ground 174 Payne Sidi Haneish

Libya	Baheira Belandah Benina Castel Benito Berca Darragh El Adem El Assa Gambut Hamraiet Lete Martuba Tmed El Chel Tobruk Tripoli Sidi Azeiz

Tunisia	Ben Gardane Bou Grara Chekira Hani Hazbub Hergla El Djem El Haouaria Kairouan Medenine Menzel Heurr Sfax Soltane

United Kingdom	Aldermaston Andover Andrews Field Ashford Balderton Barkston Heath Beaulieu Birch Bisterne Boreham Bottesford Boxted Charmy Down Chalgrove Chilbolton Chipping Ongar Christchurch Cottesmore Earls Colne Exeter Folkingham Fulbeck Gosfield Great Dunmow Greenham Common Grove High Halden Headcorn Holmsley South Hurn Ibsley Kingsnorth Langar Lashenden Little Walden Lymington Matching Membury Merryfield Middle Wallop North Witham Ramsbury Raydon Rivenhall Saltby Scorton Staplehurst Spanhoe Stansted Stoney Cross Thruxton Upottery Warmwell Welford Weston Zoyland Wethersfield Winkton Woodchurch Wormingford

Europe	Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany too numerous.

Units

Commands

Wings

Bombardment	97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment

Fighter	8th Fighter 9th Fighter 70th Fighter 71st Fighter 84th Fighter 100th Fighter 303d Fighter

Troop carrier	50th Troop Carrier 52d Troop Carrier 53d Troop Carrier

Groups

Bombardment	12th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment 340th Bombardment 344th Bombardment 376th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 416th Bombardment

Fighter	36th Fighter 48th Fighter 50th Fighter 57th Fighter 79th Fighter 324th Fighter 354th Fighter 358th Fighter 365th Fighter 362d Fighter 363d Fighter 366th Fighter 367th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 406th Fighter 474th Fighter

Troop carrier	61st Troop Carrier 64th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier IX Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional)

Reconnaissance	10th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance

Squadrons

Liaison	14th Liaison 47th Liaison

Night fighter	422d Night Fighter 425th Night Fighter

United States Army Air Forces

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