Carentan Airfield

Carentan Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Carentan in the Normandy region of northern France.

Carentan Airfield Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-10
Basse-Normandie Region, France
P-47 Thunderbolts, including (2N-U, serial number 42-25904) nicknamed "Lethal Liz II", of the 50th Fighter Group, with cows at Carentan Airfield (A-10), France, Summer 1944
Carentan Airfield
Coordinates	49°18′18″N 001°10′46″W
Type	Military Airfield
Site information
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built by	IX Engineering Command
In use	June–November 1944
Materials	Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing (PHS)
Battles/wars	World War II - EAME Theater Normandy Campaign Northern France Campaign Eastern France Campaign
Garrison information
Garrison	Ninth Air Force
Occupants	50th Fighter Group 392d Fighter Squadron 367th Fighter Group
Airfield information
Runways Direction Length and surface 08/26 5,000 feet (1,520 m) SMT
One runway, 4 alert pads, 50 hardstands[1]

392d Fighter Squadron P-38L at Carentan Airfield (A-10)

Located just outside Carentan, the United States Army Air Force established a temporary airfield 15 June 1944, nine days after the first Allied landings in France on D-Day and only three days after the capture of Carentan. The airfield was one of the first established in the liberated area of Normandy, being constructed by the IX Engineering Command, 826th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

History

Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-10", the airfield consisted of a single 5000' (1500m) Prefabricated Hessian Surfacing runway aligned 08/26.

In addition, tents were erected for billeting and also for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; a dump was created for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with a drinkable water; and a minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting was installed.^[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 when spotted.

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 4 November 1944.^[3]

Major units assigned

• 50th Fighter Group 20 June - 23 August 1944

10th (TS), 81st (2N), 313th (W3) Fighter Squadrons (P-47)^[4]

• 392d Fighter Squadron (H5) 25 June - 16 August 1944 (P-38)^[4]

Current use

After its closure by the Americans, the airfield was returned to farmland. Today, the Normandy Victory Museum utilizes part of the original site of the old A10 Airfield of Carentan, first aerodrome re-opened since 1944. It presents the Battle of Normandy known as "the hedgerow hell" and received a P47 2N-U replica.

There is a monument to the A-10 Airfield at the junction of D 974, ex N13 toward Carentan, with D 89, turn left towards Saint Pellerin. The monument is 400 meters left, rue de Banville.^[5]

See also

• Advanced Landing Ground

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

1. Carentan Airfield
2. "IX Engineer Command ETO Airfields, Airfield Layout". Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
3. 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.
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.
5. Carentan Airfield monument

External links

• Normandy Tank Museum^{[permanent dead link]}
• A-10 Memorial
• A-10 Carentan (In French)