Chippelle à Cartigny-L’Épinay (Chippelle) Airfield is an abandoned

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

military airfield, which is located near the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Cartigny-l'Épinay Cartigny-l'Épinay () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados department The following is a list of the 528 communes of the Calvados department o ...

in the

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norm ...

in the

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

of northern France. Located just outside of Cartigny-l'Épinay, 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 ...

established a temporary airfield shortly after

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

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, 820th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

History

Known as

Advanced Landing Ground Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) were temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II during the liberation of Europe. They were built in the UK prior to the invasion and thereafter in northwest Europe from 6 June 19 ...

"A-5", the airfield consisted of a single 5000' (1500m) Square-Mesh Track runway aligned 06/24. In addition, tents were used for billeting and also for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure. A dump was built for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with a drinkable water and minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting. On 3 July, the first P-47's of the 404th Fighter Group were permitted to land on A-5 and the airfield was declared operational two days later. The group 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 in Normandy and Brittany 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 5 September 1944 and the land returned to agricultural use.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.

Major units assigned

* 404th Fighter Group 6 July - 29 August 1944 : 506th (4K), 507th (Y8), 508th (7J) Fighter Squadrons (P-47D)Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. .

Current use

Today the airfield is a mixture of various agricultural fields. A memorial to the men and units that were stationed at Chippelle was placed at the site of the former airfield. It is located on D 15 after the left Le Molay Littry before Épinay and turn right and follow the signs. After crossing the railroad tracks, turn immediately left. The stele is a few hundred meters to the left near a pond. NDW: Note that some map backgrounds suggest that the road along which lies the stele cross the railway track, it seems to be the case.

References

External links

A-5 Memorial
{{authority control World War II airfields in France Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in France Airports established in 1944