Saint-Simon – Clastres Air Base

Saint-Simon - Clastres Air Base
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Location	Clastres, France
Coordinates	49°45′25.61″N 003°12′43.71″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 01/19 7,900 2,393

Saint-Simon - Clastres AB

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Location of Saint-Simon - Clastres, France

Saint-Simon - Clastres Air Base is a reserve French Air Force (French: Armée de l'Air (ALA) reserve base located approximately 3km northwest of Clastres, approximately 116km north-northeast of Paris.

The base was built on a former World War II airfield in the late 1950s as a NATO Dispersed Operating Base. It has never been used as a front-line facility, consisting of a runway, taxiway and dispersal pads. It is also used as a power-generating wind farm, with several electric generating windmills.

World War II

During World War II the air base was used by the United States Army Air Force. Known as landing field A-71, Clastres Airfield hosted the following known units:

• 17th Bombardment Group, 3 Oct-Nov 1945, B-26 Marauder (12th Air Force)
• 320th Bombardment Group, 3 Oct-Nov 1945, B-26 Marauder (12th Air Force)
• 323d Bombardment Group, 3 Oct-Dec 1945, B-26 Marauder, (9th Air Force)
• 387th Bombardment Group, 30 Oct 1944-29 Apr 1945, B-26 Marauder (9th Air Force)
• 367th Fighter Group, 8 Sep 1944-28 Oct 1944, P-38 Lightning (9th Air Force)

When the Americans left after the war, the airfield was closed and placed in reserve status. Except for short periods of activation during exercises during the Cold War, the base has seen little use.

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