Chateau-Bernard

Mission Summaries > Decenber 1943 > Airfields in Dec 43

Cognac (FR)

(a.k.a. Cognac-Châteaubernard)

(45 39 35 N – 00 19 00 W)

General: airfield in W France 98 km N of Bordeaux; airfield located 4 km S of Cognac. 20 Apr 41: employed 1,127 non-German workers.

History: Cognac was under construction as a major French military airfield when the Germans occupied it in summer 1940. The Luftwaffe finished it off during the second half of 1941 for use as an alternate field for large aircraft based at Bordeaux-Merignac. In 1942 it became a training base for bombers, fighters and fighter-bombers.

Dimensions: approx. 1965 x 990 meters (2150 x 1080 yards).

Surface and Runways: grass surface. By Jul 44 there were 2 concrete runways – (1) 1920 meters (2100 yards) aligned E/W across the N end of the landing area with a concrete assembly hardstand at its E end; (2) 1650 meters (1800 yards) aligned NE/SW from the center of the E boundary to just outside the SW corner with a concrete assembly hardstand at its S end. A perimeter road encircled the landing area and was connected to the ends of the runways. Equipped with boundary lighting, permanent runway illumination, visual Lorenz systems and a probable beam approach system.

Fuel and Ammunition: A large munitions dump was just off the Southeast dispersal area and a smaller storage dump at the Northeast dispersal. Bombs were said to be trucked in from Dijon, 451 km to the NE.

Infrastructure: had 4 large double hangars and 1 very large quadruple hangar at the NW corner, and 4 large double hangars at the S end of the W boundary. Workshops were to the rear of the hangars at the NW corner. Station HQ and the flight control building were at the NW corner near the hangars while the admin buildings, quarters and extensive barrack accommodations were behind the hangars. Additional barrack huts were nearby, air crew were billeted in Cognac and officers in several area châteaux. A large warehouse S of the Cognac railway station was used for airfield stores. A branch rail line served the hangar area at the NW corner.

Dispersal: there were 3 dispersals in mid-1943 – North, Southeast and Southwest – with a total of 37 covered aircraft shelters. A new Northeast dispersal with parking stands for 4 aircraft had been completed by Jul 44, and a West (remote) dispersal was still under construction approx. 3.25 km off the W boundary with 7+ aircraft shelters.

Defenses: there were 4 heavy Flak positions (4 to 6 guns each) and 11 light Flak positions, at least 3 of which were emplaced in Flak towers at the end of Dec 43.

Satellites and Decoys:

Cognac-Gensac
(45 38 30 N – 00 16 00 W)
dummy located 4-5 km SE of Cognac airfield. Transformed into a satellite strip and dispersal field in summer 1944 with a length of approx. 1830 meters (2000 yards) and a rolled taxiway connection to Cognac’s Southwest dispersal. Still under construction in mid-July.

Remarks:

16 Sep 43: bombed by 21 B-17 Fortresses.
30 Oct 43: E/W runway being extended at both ends to a length of 1920 meters (2100 yards), an assembly hardstand under construction at the E end and taxiways being built to link both ends to the perimeter road.
05 Dec 43: bombed by c. 50 B-17s.
31 Dec 43: bombed by c. 192 B-17 Fortresses and B-24 Liberators – E/W runway knocked out, landing area cratered at the northern end and numerous bursts observed on the hangars at the NW corner that destroyed 8 of them and severely damaged the remaining one, on the admin buildings, on the refueling loop on the N boundary and in the Southeast dispersal.
04 Jan 44: bombed – 1 x Ju 290 from 1.(F)/FAGr. 5 destroyed or badly damaged on the ground.
05 Mar 44: bombed by 60 B-24 Liberators – E/W runway rendered unserviceable and the W end; craters on the landing area from previous attacks noted as having been filled in.
25 Aug 44: low-level attack by 9th AAF P-47 Thunderbolts – claimed 12 aircraft destroyed on the ground, 10 of which were Ju 52s.
26 Aug 44: air attack - 2 x Ju 52s from Luftverkehrsgruppe Rangsdorf destroyed on the ground.

Operational Units: II./KG 40 (Jul-Sep 41); elements of III./ZG 2 (Sep-Nov 42); detachment of V./KG 40 (1942-43); elements of I., II., IV./KG 2 (Nov 42); II./KG 100 (Jul-Sep 43); III./KG 40 (Nov 43 – Jul 44); 1.Minensuchstaffel (Jun-Aug 44); 3.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 123 (Jul-Aug 44).

School Units: Ausb.Gr./Bombenschule Anklam (1941); Lehrgruppe für Fernkampf über See (Aug-Sep 41); Kampfschulgeschwader 3 (Nov 41 – Jan 43); III./KG 101 (Feb – Jun 43).

Reserve Training & Replacement Units: Kommodore der Ergänzungsjagdgruppen (Dec 42 – 1943); Erg.St./JG 26 (Nov 40 – Jan 41); Erg.Gr./JG 26 (Feb 41 – Jan 42); Erg.St./JG 52 (Feb-Mar 41)?; Erg.St./SKG 10 (Dec 42 – Sep 43); 11./KG 76 (Jan 43 – Feb 44)?; 4.(Erg.)/SKG 10 (Jun – Nov 43).

Station Commands: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 19/VII (Nov 40 – Feb/Mar 43); Fl.H.Kdtr. A 232/XII (Feb/Mar 43 – Mar 44); Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 232/XII (Apr-Aug 44).

Station and City Units (on various dates – not complete): 1. Flugh.Betr.Kp./KSG 3 (n.d.); 113. Flugh.Betr.Kp. (Qu) (1943 – Jan 44, Apr 44 – c.Jul 44); Flugh.Betr.Kp. (FK) 1 ( ? – Feb 44); elements of Flugh.Betr.Kp. (FK) 3 (Jun 44); one Zug of Flugh.Betr.Kp. (FK) 5 (Mar-Aug 44); II./Flak-Rgt. 22 (Oct 42); gem.Flak-Abt. 124 (Apr 44, Jul 44); elements of le.Res.Flak-Abt. 999 (Oct 42 – 1943/44); Flak-Trsp.Bttr. 139/XII (1 Aug 44); Lw.-Bauleitung Cognac (c.1940-44); Stab/Brigade General Göring (Jul- Nov 42); Flak-Rgt. General Göring (Jul-Nov 42).