Juvincourt Airfield

Juvincourt Airfield
Coordinates	49°26′15″N 003°52′59″E
Type	Military Airfield
Site information
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Condition	Abandoned
Site history
Built	1938
Built by	Established by French Air Force (1938) Greatly expanded by German Air Force (Primary construction) Repaired by IX Engineer Command (USAAF), 1944
In use	1938-1945
Battles/wars	World War II
Garrison information
Occupants	German Air Force (1941-1944), Ninth Air Force, 1944-1945

Juvincourt Airfield

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Location of Juvincourt Airfield, France

Juvincourt Airfield is an abandoned military airfield, which is located near the commune of Juvincourt-et-Damary in the Aisne department of northern France.

Built originally as a grass airfield by the French Air Force before World War II, Juvincourt was expanded to become one of the main German Luftwaffe air bases in France during the German occupation (1940-1944), hosting a wide variety of both fighter and bomber aircraft, including German jet fighters and bombers. Seized by the Allies in September 1944, it became a major United States Army Air Force base for fighter, bomber and transport units for the remainder of the European War (1944-1945).

Today, the airfield is a quiet place, hosting paintball fights and a Robert Bosch GmbH automobile testing center and track. Extensive wartime relics can be found in the area as well as the former airfield.

History

Origins

Built during 1938 and 1939 as a French Air Force facility. Juvincourt Airfield consisted of a grass airfield with three small grass subfields associated with it:

• Amifontaine 49°49′54″N 003°57′08″E
• Guignicourt 49°26′49″N 003°56′08″E
• Proviseux 49°28′57″N 004°01′59″E

It appears that the French Air Force considered Juvincourt an auxillary airfield and did not station any units or aircraft at the facility. After World War II broke out in September 1939, the Royal Air Force sent 16 Fairey Battles of 76 Wing, 142 Squadron to Proviseux (Berry-au-Bac), between 2-12 September 1939. The RAF aircraft, however, did not see any combat during the Phony War, and were moved on 12 September to Plivot.

Luftwaffe use

It was seized by the Germans in June 1940 during the Battle of France, and was developed by the Luftwaffe into the largest German military airfield in France during the occupation, having more than 300 aircraft assigned.

Under Luftwaffe control, the airfield was vastly expanded with an agressive construction program. Three concrete runways aligned 17/35 5300' (1610 m); 09/27, 5280' (1600 m) and 05/23 6500' (1980 m).. In addition to the airfield expansion, a large concrete control tower was erected, 49°25′32″N 003°52′11″E and an expansive support base to the southwest 49°25′25″N 003°51′36″E was built in a wooded area with permanent, concrete structures. Barracks, office buildings, air raid bunkers, earth-covered concrete hangars and a series of taxiways connected the support and maintenance facilities with the airfield. In addition, facilities were constructed in the commune of Juvincourt-et-Damary, on the northeast side of the airfield.

Known German combat units assigned (All from Luftlotte 3, Fliegerkorps I) were:

• KG 77 with Stab I. et II./ Gruppe March-June 1941, Junkers Ju 88A (Fuselage Code: 9K+)
• KG 2 with IV. / Gruppe 13 June 1941 to January 1942, Dornier Do 17Z and Dornier Do 217 (Fuselage Code: 1H+)
• KG 54 with the I / Gruppe June 6 to July 27, 1944, Junkers Ju 88 (Fuselage Code: B3+)
• KG 51 with the I / Gruppe August 27 to August 28, 1944, Messerschmitt Me 262A2A-1 (Fuselage Code: 9K+) (15 aircraft)
• E insatzkommando Schenck of 22 to 28 August 1944, Messerschmitt Me 262A2A-1
• Luftbeobachtungsstaffel 4 (Observation Squadron), formed on 1 May 1944 was stationed on the base until June 1944, Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Junkers Ju 88
• JG 11 with the II. / Gruppe of 16 to 17 August 1944, Messerschmitt Bf 109G (Fuselage Code: 6+)
• NJG 4 with III. / Gruppe of September 1942 in August 1944, Messerschmitt Bf 110, Dornier Do 217, and Junkers Ju 88 (Fuselage Code: MK)

In August 1944, an Arado Ar 234B Jet bomber arrived at the airfield with Kampfgeschwader 76 to perform reconnaissance missions over Allied shipping at the landing beaches in Normandy, France. The mission on 2 August was the first photo-reconnaissance mission undertaken by a jet.

Juvincourt was a frequent target of Allied aircraft during the Strategic Bombing Campaign over Occupied Europe in 1943-1944. Eighth Air Force records show specific heavy B-17 Flying Fortress bomber attacks on the airfield in October 1943 and January 1944.. It was also attacked routinely by Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauder medium bombers. The medium bombers would attack in coordinated raids, usually in the mid to late afternoon, with Eighth Air Force heavy bombers returning from attacking their targets in Germany. The attack was timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the Luftwaffe interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers. Also, the P-47 Thunderbolts of Ninth Air Force would be dispatched to perform fighter sweeps over Juvincourt after the Marauder raids, then meet up with the heavy bombers and provide fighter escort back to England. As the P-51 Mustang groups of Eighth Air Force began accompanying the heavy bombers all the way to their German targets by mid-1944, it was routine for them to also attack Juvincourt on their return back to England with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield.

Allied use

The airfield was sized from the Germans by Allied ground forces on 5 September 1944. Once in American hands, combat engineers of the IX Engineering Command 820th Engineer Aviation Regiment repaired the damaged airfield and declared it operationally ready for combat units on 7 September, only a few days after its capture from German forces, being designated as "Juvincourt Airfield (A-68)"

Under American control, Ninth Air Force used the base for several units from 7 September 1944 until closing the base in July 1945. Known units assigned were:

• 439th Troop Carrier Group, 8-28 Sep 1944 (C-47 Skytrain)
• 404th Fighter Group, 13 Sep-4 Oct 1944 (P-47 Thunderbolt)
• 365th Fighter Group, 15 Sep-4 Oct 1944 (P-47 Thunderbolt)
• 36th Fighter Group, 1-27 Oct 1944 (P-47 Thunderbolt)
• 367th Fighter Group, 28 Oct 1944-1 Feb 1945 (P-38 Lightning)
• 368th Fighter Group, 27 Dec 1944-5 Jan 1945 (P-47 Thunderbolt)
• 410th Bombardment Group, Feb-May 1945 (A-20 Havoc)

Each group had three or four combat squadrons of aircraft assigned to the airfield, making Juvincourt one of the largest and most active USAAF fields on the continent. In addition, the Royal Air Force also utilized Juvincourt, units and aircraft are yet to be determined. The Americans returned full control of the airport to French authorities on 2 July 1945.

Postwar

In French control after the war, the base sat abandoned for several years until the 1950s when as a result of the Cold War threat of the Soviet Union, Juvincourt was offered to the United States Air Force by the French Air Ministry as part of their NATO commitment to establish a modern Air Force Base at the site. Some construction was made, pouring a 8000' jet runway (05/23) to the south of the World War II airfield, along with aircraft dispersal areas at each end of the runway. However the construction was never completed when plans were changed not to use the facility and the air base was turned over to private owners.

Current

Today Juvincourt Airfield is a relatively quiet place, consisting of mostly agricultural fields. The only combat which now takes place in the area are paintball battles among the ruins, the facility being long abandoned by the French Air Ministry.

Of the three concrete runways laid down by the Luftwaffe, only the northwest/southeast (17/35) remains at full length and width. although some sections have been removed over the years. A significant amount of the east/west (09/27) runway still exists, however, the 05/23 runway is almost nonexistent, being removed for hardcore aggregate. A very small section, however, can be found in the middle of a field 49°26′03″N 003°52′03″E connecting two single-track agricultural roads which are the remaining narrow concrete strips of the former runway, the full width of which can be seen in disturbed earth along the road. Connecting taxiways of the airfield exist as well, also as single-track agricultural roads.

An interesting feature 49°26′07″N 003°52′27″E can be found in the middle of the airfield. It is a concrete circle in a ring, that indicates the cardinal points of the compass. It was connected by a taxiway and was used to adjust aircraft navigation equipment. The concrete control tower (coordinates listed above) today is a restaurant, with what appears to be a connecting wartime building as part of the structure located today on the west side of the N44. About 1 km northwest, also along the N44 is a British World War I cemetery 49°25′50″N 003°51′48″E which has the graves of many Tommies killed along the Western Front trenches that were close by the area. Nearby the cemetery are concrete bomb shelters dug by the Germans and reinforced, to protect personnel during the frequent Allied air raids.

The wooded areas to the southwest of the airfield 49°25′42″N 003°51′53″E, adjacent to the N44 is where the German ground support station was built. Many buildings still remain in the woods, in various states of disrepair, almost all constructed of concrete. This area is now on private land and access is prohibited. The woods contain underground bomb shelters; concrete aircraft hangars, ruins of barracks; workshops and other buildings. Photos of these structures can be found here: In aerial photography, the remains of aircraft taxiways and dispersal parking revetments can be seen which connected the technical site to the airfield.

In the commune of Juvincourt-et-Damary, northeast of the airfield, several buildings remain that appear to be the remains of former military barracks and bomb shelter. 49°26′35″N 003°53′26″E, 49°26′47″N 003°53′10″E. Some are abandoned, some are in use today by the residents of the commune.

To the southeast of the wartime airfield is the 1950s jet aircraft runway and dispersal pads built when Juvincourt was proposed as a NATO air baase. Today it is owned by Robert Bosch GmbH, being used as an automobile testing center and track.