Thelepte Airfield is an airfield in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, located about 20 km southwest of

Kasserine Kasserine ( ar, القصرين, al-Qasrīn, Tunisian Arabic: ڨصرين ') is the capital city of the Kasserine Governorate, in west-central Tunisia. It is situated below Jebel ech Chambi ( جبل الشعانبي), Tunisia's highest mountain. ...

. It currently is active and in use. It was used by 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 ...

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...

in 1943 during the North African Campaign 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 ...

. The first American units arrived in late December and the P-40s of the 33d Fighter Group arrived on 7 January from Telergma Airfield,

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

. Thelepte was used by the following units during the Battle of Tunisia: * HQ, 64th Fighter Wing, 1–18 March 1943 * 47th Bombardment Group, 30 March-13 April 1943, A-20 Havoc *

31st Fighter Group 31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number. In mathematics 31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits ...

, 7–18 February 1943,

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

* 33d Fighter Group, 7 January-8 February 1943,

P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and ...

81st Fighter Group 081 may refer to: Telephony * 081, the telephone dialing code for the City of Naples and surroundings in Italy * 081, a former dialling code for London, UK (1990–1995) * 081, a telephone area code for mobile operators in Lebanon * 081, a mobi ...

, 22 January-18 February 1943,

P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

On 18 February, the 31st and 81st Fighter Groups had to withdraw from the airfield after the Afrika Korps came within a few miles of the airfield. However American counter-attacks drove the Germans east and the airfield was re-manned on 1 March, later hosting A-20 Havocs until mid-April, when the combat was focused around Tunis and the units moved east to be closer to enemy targets, ending American use of the airfield. Today, a single east–west runway (10/23) is active and well maintained. No structures are visible on aerial photography, however the area is fenced with restricted entry. A portion of a wartime NE/SW runway still exists. It is unclear what the present use (military/civilian) is.

References

* Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. .

External links

{{authority control Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Tunisia World War II airfields in Tunisia Airports established in 1943