The Souk-el-Arba Airfields are a pair of World War II military airfields in Tunisia, located near what was at the time the village of Souk-el-Arba but since 1966 has been known as Jendouba. The location is approximately 130 km west-southwest of Tunis.
Souk-el-Arba airfield complex .png) | |
|---|---|
| Part of Royal Air Force and Twelfth Air Force | |
| Coordinates | 36°29′N 08°48′E / 36.483°N 8.800°E |
| Type | Military airfield complex |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Returned to civilian uses |
| Site history | |
| Built | Various dates up to 1943 |
| In use | (By Allied forces) November 1942 to about August 1943 |
Souk-el-Arba I
editThe original airfield, which pre-dates Operation Torch, was located immediately to the south-east of the town and was captured by paratroops of the British 1st Parachute Brigade on 16 November 1942.[1]
Within days, Souk-el-Arba I was used by the Royal Air Force, an example being No. 255 Squadron.[2]
Souk-el-Arba II
editThe second airfield was constructed later by US military engineers, located about 4 km to the south-west of the town [3] and used primarily by American bombers.
Souk-el-Arba II was a temporary airfield constructed by Army Engineers, using compacted earth for its runway, parking and dispersal areas, not designed for heavy aircraft or for long-term use.
Also known as Engle Field, it was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force during the North African campaign. The units known to be assigned to the airfield were:
- HQ, 47th Bombardment Wing, 8 June-7 August 1943
- 47th Bombardment Group, 13 April-1 July 1943, A-20 Havoc
- 321st Bombardment Group, 1 June-8 August 1943, B-25 Mitchell
- 82d Fighter Group, 13 June-3 August 1943, P-38 Lightning
After the Americans moved east to Sicily in August, the airfield was closed and dismantled. Today, the former main runway is visible in aerial photography and, other than two hangars south of the runway, no buildings or physical features remain.
Bibliography
edit
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.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
- Johnson, Kenneth M. Capt. USAAF. "My stretch in the Service, book III". Personal collection of Jeffrey M. Johnson, 1943
References
edit- ^ Kurowski, F. (1982) Endkampf in Afrika, Leoni-am-Starnberger See:Druffel-Verlag, p.54. ISBN 3806110247 (German language).
- ^ The National Archives of the UK : AIR27/1518 folio 117 side 1.
- ^ Luftwaffe aerial photograph: http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/targetnorthafrica/Algeria/slides/Souk%20el%20Arba%20I%20u.%20II%201.html