Tours France

Mission Summaries > February 1944 > Airfields in Feb 44

Tours (FR)

(St-Symphorien, Parcay-Meslay)

(47 25 50 N – 00 43 15 E)

General: airfield in W France c. 200 km SW of Paris and 5 km NNE of Tours.

History: an old and important French military airfield that became a joint civil-military field in 1929 with the civil operation at the N end. The Luftwaffe used it as a bomber base during the air offensive against England (Battle of Britain), but it became relatively idle from summer 1941 to summer 1942 and then became a base mainly for school units and reserve training and replacement units.

Dimensions: approx. 1370 x 1190 meters (1500 x 1300 yards) and irregular in shape.

Surface and Runways: sufficiently drained grass surface on clay subsoil. Had 2 intersecting concrete runways – (1) approx. 1465 meters (1600 yards) aligned NE/SW with assembly hardstands at both ends; (2) approx. 1325 meters (1450 yards) aligned NW/SE with assembly hardstands at both ends. A concrete perimeter road encircled the landing area. Equipped with a beam approach system, permanent runway illumination and visual Lorenz systems for both runways.

Fuel and Ammunition: refueling loops were in front of the hangars on the S boundary and immediately E of the hangars on the N boundary. Bulk fuel storage was at the NW corner. The main bomb dump was c. 1 km off the SW corner while ammunition dumps and storage areas were located in the North dispersal area, at the N end of the E boundary, and behind the hangars on the S boundary.

Infrastructure: had 10 hangars – (1) on the N boundary were 3 large double hangars with adjacent workshop huts; (2) on the S boundary were 3 large double hangars, including 1 for repairs, and adjacent workshop huts; (3) on the W boundary were 1 large double, 1 long rectangular and 2 medium hangars with 5 groups of hangar-type buildings probably serving as workshops to the rear. Station buildings were the old French buildings across the main road from the W boundary. Barrack huts and storage huts were also in the North dispersal area. Flying personnel were billeted at the Château des Belles Ruries, 7.25 km NNE of the airfield, while officers were accommodated in a hotel in Tours. The station HQ was on the Boulevard Beranger in Tours while another HQ (possibly Flak) was at the Château Rosnay, 2 km SSE of the airfield. The nearest rail connection was in Tours.

Dispersal: there were 5 dispersal areas in Jul 43 – North, East, South, West and Perimeter – with a total of 41 covered aircraft shelters.

Defenses: protected by 1 heavy and 8 light Flak positions within 1.6 km of the airfield in late Jul 43. Ground defenses included 4 machine gun positions and barbed wire strung around all of the dispersal areas.

Satellites and Decoys:

Tours-Bray

(c. 47 28 50 N – 00 43 15 E)

dummy 5.5 km N of Tours airfield.

Tours/East (a.k.a. Azay)

(47 21 30 N – 00 50 35 E)

satellite landing strip and dispersal field 12 km SE of Tours airfield. Prepared late spring 1944 on pasture or farm land and measured approx. 1465 x 230 meters (1600 x 250 yards) with an irregular shape. Equipped with boundary lighting. Had 1 small hangar near the SE corner. Aircraft were parked in bays cut into a small woods off the NE boundary. There were 3 small aircraft seen parked there on 13 Jul 44.

Tours – Saint-Genouph

(47 22 10 N – 00 37 45 E)

dispersal field and emergency landing ground for Tours airfield and located 9.5 km to the SW of it and 2.5 km ESE of Saint-Genouph village. Prepared spring 1944 on pasture or farm land. Aircraft could be parked along tree lines at the N and S boundaries. At least 1 aircraft shelter was under construction on 29 Apr 44 when 4 planes were seen parked there.

Remarks:

24 Jun 40: German report this date gave measurements of 1200 x 900 meters, a count of 8 large and 11 small hangars, and said it was ready for use as an operational airfield.
20 Apr 41: employed 1,820 non-German workers.
19 Oct 43: 1 additional aircraft shelter built in the North dispersal. A new taxiway has been built leading from the landing area to fields off the N boundary.
31 Dec 43: bombed - 4 x Ju 88s and 1 x Ju 87 B-1 from Verbandsführerschule des General der Kampfflieger destroyed or damaged on the ground.
05 Jan 44: bombed by 78 B-17 Fortresses – N end of NW/SE runway and NW side of the landing area cratered, 5 hangars damaged, 2 small workshops destroyed and another damaged and several storage buildings damaged.
05 Feb 44: bombed – 3 x Ju 88s, 1 x He 111 H-6 and 1 x Me 410 A-1 from Verbandsführerschule des General der Kampfflieger, 1 x Ju 290 from 2./Versuchsverband d.Ob.d.L. and 1 x Ju 88 A-4 from Luftdienstkdo. 65 destroyed or damaged on the ground; 1 large double hangar badly damaged and another damaged to a lesser extent, landing area rendered almost entirely unserviceable but both runways escaped damage and remain serviceable. (445th Bomg Group Mission #18 – 20 B-24’s dropped 239 x 500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs)
27 Mar 44: bombed by 74 B-17s.
11 Apr 44: in addition to the existing dispersal areas, aircraft seen to be parked in fields off the N boundary. This later became the North-Northeast (remote) dispersal area (see immediately below).
08 Jun 44: 2 workshops have been erected approx. 3 km off NNE side of the airfield to serve the North and East dispersals until a new North-Northeast (remote) dispersal can be completed there.
17 Jun 44: bombed in the evening by 55 B-24 Liberators – 60 bursts on the runway and two of the taxiways, 5 WIA, electrical and water lines cut and airfield knocked out of commission.
01 Aug 44: bombed by 76 B-17s.

Operational Units: Stab/KG 27 (Jul 40 – Jun 41); I./KG 27 (Jul 40 – Jun 41); I./ZG 1 (Feb-Mar 42); I./KG 60 (Aug - Oct/Nov 42); I./SG 10 (Jun-Jul 44); 8./SG 4 (Jun 44); Wekusta 51 (Jun-Aug 44).

School Units: Verbandsführerschule (Kampffl.Ausb.) (Jul – Aug 42); Verbandsführer-schule/KG 101 (Jan 43 – May 44).

Reserve Training & Replacement Units: 3.(Erg.)/KG 60 (Aug 42 – Jan 43); 4.(Erg.)/SKG 10 Tours/West (Nov 43 – May/Jun 44).

Station Commands: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 10/XIII (Jul 40 - Dec 42); Fl.H.Kdtr. A208/XII (Jan 43 – Mar 44); Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 217/XII (Apr-Aug 44).

Station Units (on various dates – not complete): Luftgaustab z.b.V. 12 (Jun 40); Luftgaustab z.b.V. 31 (Mar 42); 1. Flugh.Betr.Kp. ZG 1 (Mar 42 - ? ); 3.Flugh.Betr.Kp. ZG 1 (Mar 42 - ? ); 1. Flugh.Betr.Kp. KG 27 (Oct 40); Flugh.Betr.Kp./KG 60 (Aug-Nov 42); Frontreparaturbetrieb GL Tours (Ago) (1940-41 – 1944); Stab/II. Flakkorps (Dec 40 – Feb 41); Stab/Flak-Rgt. 159 (ETr.) (May-Jul 43); Stab/Flak-Abt. 655 (1942-43); elements of gem.Flak-Abt. 195 (1942-44); gem.Flak-Abt. 442 (Jun-Aug 44); 4./le.Flak-Abt. 673 (Feb 43); schw.Flak-Abt. 682 (1942-43); Stab/Luftgau-Nachr.Rgt. 112 (Mar 43 – Aug 44); Lw.-Bauleitung Tours (c.1940-44); 1. and 3.Kp. Lw.-Bau-Btl.3/XII (Dec 41); Trsp.Kol. d.Lw. 130/VI ( ? – Aug 43); Trsp.Kol. d.Lw.114/XII (c.Feb-Jul 43); Trsp.Kol. d.Lw. 154/XII (Sep 43 - ? ); Ldssch.Zugd.Lw. 61/IV (Aug 41, Feb 42); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 393/VI (Dec 41 – Aug 43); Ldssch.Zug d.Lw. 399/VI (Nov 41 – Aug 43?).

Tours/Meslay German Occupied Airdrome