Doncourt-lès-Conflans Airport is a regional airport in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, located south-southwest of
Homécourt (Departement de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Grand Est); east of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
It supports
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...
with no commercial airline service scheduled.
History
Doncourt-lès-Conflans Airport's origins begin in September 1944 when the airfield was built by the
United States Army Air Forces
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 ...
IX Engineer Command 830th Engineering Aviation Regiment. Allied ground forces had moved through the area during the Northern France Campaign in early September, and on `9 September the combat engineers arrived to lay down a temporary airfield to support the ground forces in their advance against enemy forces.
The 830th EAR laid down a 5000' grass runway aligned roughly east–west (08/26), along with a small support area. The airfield was declared operationally ready on 20 September and was designated as
Advanced Landing Ground "A-94", or simply "Conflans Airfield".
The airfield was initially used by various transport units for combat resupply of units and for casualty evacuation.
[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.]
In late October, the 830th Engineering Aviation Regiment returned to the airfield and improved the facility, laying down an all-weather
Pierced Steel Planking
Marston Mat, more properly called pierced (or perforated) steel planking (PSP), is standardized, perforated steel matting material developed by the United States at the Waterways Experiment Station shortly before World War II, primarily for the r ...
(PSP) runway for
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint D ...
combat fighter use along with upgrading the support site with tents for billeting and also for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; a dump for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with drinkable water and minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting.
With the upgraded facility, combat units arrived at Conflans. The first was the
10th Reconnaissance Group, which based various photo-reconnaissance aircraft at the field from 20 November 1944 until March 1945. In mid-March, the 10th moved out and was replaced by the
367th Fighter Group, which flew
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...
s until 20 April 1945 (P-38).
[Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. .]
By the end of April the airfield had become redundant combat needs and the facility was returned to being a S&E (Supply and Evacuation) airfield, and was used until being closed on 22 May 1945. The wartime airfield was then turned over to French authorities.
See also
*
Advanced Landing Ground
Current
After the war, the wartime faculties were eventually all removed. The metal PSP runway was picked up being replaced by a turf runway, along with taxiways and a turf parking ramp.
Doncourt-lès-Conflans Airport today is a modern, well-equipped general aviation airport. No evidence of the wartime airfield remains.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doncourt-Les-Conflans Airport
Airports in Grand Est
World War II airfields in France
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in France
Airports established in 1944