Chaumont-Hill 402, was a temporary

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

airfield in France, named after the height (402 m) of its highest point. It was located East South East of the city of

Chaumont Chaumont can refer to: Places Belgium * Chaumont-Gistoux, a municipality in the province of Walloon Brabant France * Chaumont-Porcien, in the Ardennes ''département'' * Chaumont, Cher, in the Cher ''département'' * Chaumont-le-Bois, in the C� ...

, in the

Haute-Marne Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.department in the

Champagne-Ardenne Champagne-Ardenne () is a former administrative region of France, located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium. Mostly corresponding to the historic province of Champagne, the region is known for its sparkling white wine of th ...

region of north-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, between the main road and the "Ferme d'Heurtebise", west of the village of Laville aux Bois (in April 1919, French escadrille VB 101 stayed a few days on the airfield called "Laville aux Bois" in French Army archives).

Overview

The airfield was first leased by the Air Service on 11 October 1917, consisting of 89 acres. Air Service engineers constructed 12 wooden barracks and a mess hall on the site, plus five buildings to be used as warehouses and maintenance shops. A station administration building and a hospital clinic were constructed, plus an electrical grid and a telephone grid. The airfield had four French

Bessonneau hangar The Bessonneau hangar was a portable timber and canvas aircraft hangar used by the French ''Aéronautique Militaire'' and subsequently adopted by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during the First World War. Ma ...

s erected.Series L, Miscellaneous Sections of the Air Service, Volume 11, History of the Design and Projects Section of the Construction Division, Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C. In mid-November 1917, the facility was turned over to the

First Army Air Service The First Army Air Service was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. The First Army Air Service was the largest and most diverse Air Se ...

, which had it constructed with the help of the 91st Aero Squadron from 15 November to 14 December 1917 while training (its pilots did not arrived until February 1918, after the squadron had moved to Amanty aerodrome). A few weeks later, the 12th Aero Squadron arrived at Chaumont, also in its ground training phase, staying from 16 January to 2 February 1918. Chaumont Hill 402 Airdrome was selected as the Headquarters airfield for the nearby Headquarters, Air Service, AEF, which was stationed in the city of Chaumont; after February 1918, it was only occupied by a small detail of men, whose duty was to guard the Headquarters' aircraft. The airfield was placed back into combat status in September 1918, station for the 85th Aero Squadron 30 September – 4 November 1918 (De Havilland DH-4), initially on training then being part of the Second Army Observation Group (with some French escadrilles stationed on other airfields), when the later's HQ arrived on 25 October 1918 and stayed until been demobilized on 4 November 1918. The 1st Pursuit Wing had its HQ in Chaumont, 24 September to 17 December 1918, but most probably barracked downtown, which did not excluded liaison flying from the airfield. After the Armistice was signed, the 99th Aero Squadron, part of the

V Corps Observation Group The V Corps Observation Group was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. It was demobilized in France on 15 February 1919. There is no mod ...

flew from 13 December 1918 to 19 February 1919, with detachments on Prauthoy, Bourbonne-les-Bains, and Montigny-le-Roi airfields, before starting its demobilization at 1st Air Deport at Colombey-les-Belles. The airfield was maintained for use by Headquarters until June 1919, when the Air Service in France was ordered demobilized and was turned over to the

1st Air Depot Colombey-les-Belles Aerodrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France used by the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force. It was located near Colombey-les-Belles, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France ...

for de-construction. All hangars and other structures were dismantled, and all useful supplies and equipment were removed and sent back to the Depot for storage. Upon completion, the land was turned over to the French government.Series 1, Paris Headquarters and Supply Section, Volume 30 History of the 1st Air Depot at Colombey-led-Belles, Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C. Eventually, the land was returned to agricultural use by local farmers. Today, it is a series of cultivated fields located on the south side of the Départmental 417 (D417), about four miles east-southeast of Chaumont, with no indications of its wartime use.

References

External links

{{authority control World War I sites of the United States World War I airfields in France

Overview

See also

References

External links