Saint-Omer-Wizernes airfield
| Saint-Omer-Wizernes airfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Characteristics | |||
| ICAO code | LFQN | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 76 m (249 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 3 km southwest of Saint-Omer | ||
| Street |
D 198 8 km to 
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| Basic data | |||
| opening | 1911 | ||
| operator | City of Saint-Omer | ||
| Runways | |||
| 09/27 | 597 m asphalt | ||
| 03/21 | 660 m of grass | ||
The Saint-Omer-Wizernes airfield ( French : Aérodrome de Saint-Omer-Wizernes ) was one of the first airfields in France . It is located in what is now the Hauts-de-France region in the Pas-de-Calais department in the south of the municipality of Longuenesse , about three kilometers southwest of Saint-Omer and two kilometers northeast of Wizernes on the Plateau des Bruyeres.
Today he serves general aviation . During both world wars the airfield was used as a military airfield . Today it is the only airfield in the Saint-Omer area, during the World Wars there were other airfields in the area, see below under “Other”.
history
Aviation at Wizernes airfield began in 1911 when Louis Schreck , a seaplane designer, founded an aircraft factory here with his partner Louis Gaudart . The latter died just two years later during a flight demonstration in Monaco .
From 1916 the works airfield served the British Royal Flying Corps as a field airfield during the fighting in the Artois area during the First World War . Up to 4,000 British were stationed here. The 41st Squadron of today's Royal Air Force , established in 1916, was in Wizernes for some time in 1916; A monument inaugurated in 2004 commemorates this period.
After the outbreak of the Second World War , the Armée de l'Air arrived in Wizernes and used the airfield in particular as a base for aerial reconnaissance groups.
After the occupation of France by the German Wehrmacht , the square came under the control of the Luftwaffe in the early summer of 1940 , for which it was expanded. Among other things, a paved runway and some hangars were built.
First, the I. Group of Jagdgeschwader 20 (I./JG 20) was twice in June 1940 for a few days in Wizernes. Then the I. Group of Jagdgeschwader 3 (I./JG 3) came to Wizernes in late September 1940 with their Bf 109E for the Battle of Britain , where they stayed until mid-February 1941. At this point it replaced the III. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwader 51 (III./JG 51), equipped with the Bf 109F, which was stationed in Wizernes until the end of May 1941. With the 1st squadron of the local reconnaissance group 13 (1. (H) / 13) between June 1940 and April 1941 there was also a reconnaissance unit in Wizernes.
In June 1941, Saint-Omer Süd, as the place was also called by the Luftwaffe, became home to the Fw 190A of the staff of Jagdgeschwader 26 (Stab / JG 26), which remained stationed here until January 1943. The squadron commodore at the time, Adolf Galland , met his well-known opponent Douglas Bader here , who had to get out of his Spitfire shortly before via France . Later, most of the I. Group of JG 26 (I./JG 26) was in Wizernes between the end of September 1942 and the end of January 1943. In addition, there was also the 10th season (10./JG 26) at times.
From autumn 1942 the airfield was repeatedly the target of Allied air raids by the United States Army Air Forces and in spring 1944 by the Germans themselves made unusable.
Today's civil aerodrome de Saint-Omer was founded in 1956 by the local aeroclub.
Others
As mentioned above, there were other airfields in the Saint-Omer area during the wars.
Saint-Omer-Clairmarais airfield
The Aérodrome de Clairmarais was four kilometers northeast of St. Omer and about one kilometer east of the municipality of Arques.
The site was used by various squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War . It had two parking spaces called Clairmarais Forest and Clairmarais North , located on both sides of today's D209.
In July 1940, Claimarais was reactivated and expanded by the German Air Force. Among other things, a paved runway was built for this purpose. Due to the poor drainage of the soil of the grass runway parallel to today's D209 to the south, the place was rarely used by the Germans.
The I. Group of JG 51 (I./JG 51) had already used Clairmarais for a few days in June 1940 with their Bf 109E. In the following year, between the beginning of June and the middle of November 1941, the I. Group of JG 26 (I./JG 26) lay here with their initially also Bf 109E and later Bf 109F. The 1st season moved again to Clairmarais for two weeks in October 1942.
Saint-Omer-Arques-Fort Rouge airfield
The Aérodrome de Saint-Omer-Arques-Fort Rouge was five kilometers east-southeast of St. Omer and about one kilometer east of the municipality of Arques .
It was built in the spring of 1940 as a base for the French air force and was continued to be used by the German air force after the armistice in June 1940, for which, among other things, a circumferential taxiway and a 650 m long and 40 m wide runway in approximately east-west Direction south of today's D211 was created.
During the Battle of Britain was on the Germans as St. Omer Barley-Arques designated Aérodrome June to December 1940, a part of the III. Group of Destroyer Wing 26 (III./ZG 26), equipped with Bf 110D . Parallel to this, the I. group of JG 20 (I./JG 20) was from the end of June 1940 until it was renamed III. Group of JG 51 (III./JG 51) in Arques at the beginning of July, where they stayed until the end of November 1940. The I. Group of JG 26 (I./JG 26) later flew from Arques between mid-November 1941 to the end of September 1942 with their initially Bf 109F and later Fw 190A. In the spring of 1942 there was also the 10th season (10./JG26).
From the spring of 1943 this airfield was also made unusable by the United States Army Air Force s several times, and also by the Germans themselves in the spring of 1944.
Saint-Omer-Le-Nieppe Airport
The fourth area used for aviation in the Saint-Omer area was between Woestyne Abbey (and today's Bonduelle factory) and the hamlet of Le Nieppe, north of today's D933, about three kilometers east of the then airfield in Arques.
The area was used by the Luftwaffe as a field airfield during the Battle of Britain . One user was the 1st squadron of the (long-distance) reconnaissance group 22 (1. (F) / 22), which was equipped with Do 17 and Bf 110, and operated from here between June 1940 and March 1941. Between the end of June and the beginning of September 1940, the 3rd squadron of the (long-distance) reconnaissance group 10 3rd (F) / 10 was located here.
In the further course of the war, V1 launching ramps were built south of the site .