Kairouan Airfield: Difference between revisions

Kairouan Airfield
Kairouan Airfield;
Coordinates	35°34′47.50″N 010°07′34.66″E / 35.5798611°N 10.1262944°E
Type	Military Airfield
Site information
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1943
In use	1943

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Kairouan Airfield

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Location of Kairouan Airfield, Tunisia

Kairouan Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Tunisia, which is located approximately 11km south-southeast of Kairouan, 126km south of Tunis. It was a major Troop Carrier unit base of the the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force during the North African Campaign. Known units assigned were:

52d Troop Carrier Wing, Jul-Sep 1943, (12 AF)

61st Troop Carrier Group, 21 Jun-1 Sep 1943, C-47 Skytrain
64th Troop Carrier Group, 28 Jun-26 Jul 1943, C-47 Skytrain
313th Troop Carrier Group, 16 Jun-23 Aug 1943, C-47 Skytrain
314th Troop Carrier Group, 26 Jun-1 Sep 1943, C-47 Skytrain

From Kairouan, Operation Ladbroke, the British glider landing near Syracuse, Sicily took place on the night of 9 July 1943 as part of the invasion of Sicily. On the night of 9/10 July 1943 a force of 144 Waco gliders, towed by US C-47, and British Handley Page Halifax and Albemarle tug aircraft, took off to take part in Operation Ladbroke – the first Allied attempt at a mass glider landing in World War II. The plan was to place a large invasion force on the ground near the town of Syracuse, secure the Ponte Grande Bridge and then take control of the city itself, including its strategically vital docks, as a prelude to the full-scale invasion of Sicily.

In addition, the Ninth Air Force 324th Fighter Group used the airfield in June 1943, flying P-40 Warhawks from the airfield.

By the end of September 1943, the C-47 groups had moved to Sicily and Kairouan was dismantled and abandoned. Today, one (possibly two) main runways can be seen in aerial photography, along with traces of taxiways and dispersal pads.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975

External links

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 |caption=Location of Kairouan Airfield, Tunisia}}
-'''Kairouan  Airfield''' is an abandoned military airfield in [[Tunisia]], which is located approximatley 11km south-southeast of [[Kairouan]], 126km south of [[Tunis]]
+'''Kairouan  Airfield''' is an abandoned military airfield in [[Tunisia]], which is located approximately 11km south-southeast of [[Kairouan]], 126km south of [[Tunis]].   It was a major Troop Carrier unit base of the the [[United States Army Air Force]] [[Twelfth Air Force]] during the [[North African Campaign]].  Known units assigned were:
+* [[52d Troop Carrier Wing (World War II)|52d Troop Carrier Wing]], Jul-Sep 1943, (12 AF)
-During [[World War II]] it was used by the [[United States Army Air Force]] during the [[North African Campaign]].
+* [[61st Troop Carrier Group]], 21 Jun-1 Sep 1943, [[C-47 Skytrain]]
+* [[64th Troop Carrier Group]], 28 Jun-26 Jul 1943, [[C-47 Skytrain]]
+* [[313th Troop Carrier Group]], 16 Jun-23 Aug 1943, [[C-47 Skytrain]]
+* [[314th Troop Carrier Group]], 26 Jun-1 Sep 1943, [[C-47 Skytrain]]
+From Kairouan, '''[[Operation Ladbroke]]''', the British glider landing near [[Syracuse, Sicily]] took place on the night of 9 July 1943 as part of the invasion of Sicily. On the night of 9/10 July 1943 a force of 144 Waco gliders, towed by US C-47, and British Handley Page Halifax and Albemarle tug aircraft, took off to take part in Operation Ladbroke – the first Allied attempt at a mass glider landing in World War II. The plan was to place a large invasion force on the ground near the town of Syracuse, secure the Ponte Grande Bridge and then take control of the city itself, including its strategically vital docks, as a prelude to the full-scale invasion of [[Sicily]].
+In addition, the [[Ninth Air Force]] [[324th Fighter Group]] used the airfield in June 1943, flying [[P-40 Warhawk]]s from the airfield.
+By the end of September 1943, the C-47 groups had moved to Sicily and Kairouan was dismantled and abandoned.   Today, one (possibly two) main runways can be seen in aerial photography, along with traces of taxiways and dispersal pads.
 ==References==