Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport is an airport in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, located approximately south of

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

; about east-southeast of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

History

The airport was built in 1943 as Constantine Airfield by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during the

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 ...

North African Campaign. It was primarily a maintenance and supply depot for

Air Technical Service Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

and also served as headquarters for

XII Bomber Command XII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Twelfth Air Force, based in Corsica, France. It was constituted on 26 February 1942, activated on 13 March 1942, and inactivated on 10 J ...

as a command and control base. It also was used as a command post for Allied Forces Command (AFHQ) for Free French, British and United States ground forces in Algeria in February 1943, under the command of General Sir Harold R. L. G. Alexander to coordinate the actions of the

United States First Army First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Korea ...

advancing from the west and the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces, ...

, advancing from the east against the German

Afrika Korps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...

. In 1944 it was turned over to the Algerian government and used occasionally by

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

aircraft on the North African route until the end of the war. The airport is named for President Mohamed Boudiaf. Muhammad Boudiaf (June 23, 1919 – June 29, 1992) (Arabic: محمد بوضياف), also called Si Tayeb el Watani, was an Algerian political leader and a founder of the revolutionary National Liberation Front (FLN) that led the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962).

Airlines and destinations

References

External links

EGSA-Constantine
* * {{authority control Airports in Algeria Transport in Constantine, Algeria Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Algeria World War II airfields in Algeria Airports established in 1943 Buildings and structures in Constantine Province 1943 establishments in Algeria

History

Airlines and destinations

See also

References

External links