Braunschweig-Waggum Airfield - 445BG

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Braunschweig-Waggum Airfield

Mission Summaries > May 1944 > Aitfields in May 44
Dieppe – Saint-Aubin (FR)
(49 53 20 N – 01 05 00 E)
 
General: landing ground in NE France 4 km S of Dieppe and 1.6 km NE of Saint-Aubin-sur-Scie.
 
History: fighter station throughout the Battle of Britain then relegated to caretaker status until it was demolished and abandoned in early 1944.
 
Surface and Dimensions: firm grass surface measuring approx. 825 x 640 meters (900 x 700 yards). No paved runway.
 
Fuel and Ammunition: underground fuel storage was possibly on the E boundary. An ammunition dump was located in woods about 1 km NE of the landing area.
 
Infrastructure: there was 1 medium double-bay hangar with a paved apron and 3 small buildings on the E boundary. Some farm buildings and numerous huts among the trees off the E boundary served as quarters for personnel and for stores, and the station HQ and admin offices were in a nearby château. Officers were accommodated in the Château de Pourville some 3.25 km W of Dieppe. The nearest rail connection was in the village of Saint-Aubin-sur-Scie.
 
Dispersal: The East dispersal, which was the only one, had 15 covered aircraft shelters connected to the landing area by taxi tracks.                      
 
Defenses: had 6 heavy and 8 light Flak positions with 5 km of the landing ground. Ground defenses included 9 reinforced bunkers and strongpoints around the perimeter of the field.
 
Satellites and Decoys:
Dieppe – Bois Robert
(49 49 50 N – 01 09 15 E)
dummy 7.5 km SE of Dieppe – Saint-Aubin landing ground. However, in Jan 42 it was listed as operational with airfield code number 581, then on 26 Jul 42 it was assigned the new airfield code number 264 S (the “S” for Scheinflugplatz, i.e., dummy).
     
Remarks:
  • Sep 40: assigned airfield code number 551.
  • 20 Apr 41: employed 452 non-German workers.
  • 30 Oct 43: landing area remains temporarily obstructed with portable obstacles. One bay of the medium hangar and a building at the SE corner reportedly destroyed.
  • 06 Feb 44: airfield bombed – landing area cratered but these had been filled in by 6 March.
  • 15 Mar 44: all aircraft shelters in the East dispersal are in the process of being demolished and the double-bay hangar dismantled.
  • 19 Apr 44: trenching of the landing area has begun.
           
Operational Units: part of I./JG 3 (Jul 40); Einsatzstaffel/JG 53 (Dec 40 – May 41).
 
Reserve Training & Replacement Units: 1./Erg.Gr. JG 26 (Mar-Jun 41).
 
Station Commands: Platzkdo. of Fl.H.Kdtr. E 2/I (c. 1940/41 – Apr 44).
 
Station Units (on various dates – not complete): Bauleitung St-Aubin (May 41).
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