The Basket
Senior Master Sergeant
- 3,712
- Jun 27, 2007
I assume after D-Day then French ports and French airfields could be used by the Allies to get closer to the action.
Any notes on this?
Any notes on this?
Use of French bases after D-Day
- Thread starter The Basket
- Start date
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Well not many ports were available apart from on the Cherbourg part of France Calais wasn't operational until after Antwerp was, Dunkerque was occupied until Germany itself surrendered, I was frequently reminded when I worked there, Dieppe was recaptured on 1 Sept, I don't know when it was operational.
As for airfields I found this No. 85 Group RAF - Wikipedia
Airfield sites had been chosen in advance on the basis of topography and geology. The intelligence proved very accurate and no important changes to the plans had to be made. Three types were planned and constructed:[6][7]
- Emergency Landing Strips with a minimum length of 1800 feet (550 metres)
- Refuelling and Rearming Strips, minimum length 3600 ft (1100 m) with two marshalling areas
- Advanced Landing Grounds, minimum length 3600 ft (1100 m) for fighters, and 5000 ft (1520 m) for fighter-bombers, with dispersal facilities for 54 aircraft.
UK-based Spitfires of 2nd TAF landing to refuel at R&R strip B3 at Ste Croix-sur-Mer.
Airstrip B1 (550 m at Asnelles) was completed on D + 1 (7 June), and the first ALG (B2 at Bazenville) on 13 June.[5][6][7]
By the beginning of July the British had constructed 12 airfields, although three or four of these were still denied to them by enemy shelling. By 5 July the whole of 83 Group of 2nd TAF was operating from strips in Normandy and by the end of August this had been increased by two wings of 84 Group. Most of 85 Base Group (now commanded by Air Vice Marshal Charles Steele)[13] was by then in France. At that point, the RAF construction wing and the five Royal Engineers Airfield Construction Groups had constructed or repaired 23 airfields.[14]
List of ALG, Advanced Landing Grounds -- ALGs (sympatico.ca) with dates and a map.
