Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
1943/1944 became Stp177a and Wn179.
Airfield assigned code number 372.
JG26 arrived with Me109s to come closer to England .
3 ------ squadrons of 12 109s, a total of 36 aircraft.
46 ---- Verteitigungsunterkunft (Defence accommodation for fighter)
1 ------ Small hangar for repairs (removed).
4 ------ Heavy Flak.
7 ------ Light Flak.
2 ------ Vf3 Observation/Machine gun bunkers.
2 ------ Vf2a group bunkers.
1 ------ KSS
Kabelschalt Brunnen (Cable connection bunker)
Galland.
Me109's
Bf109F.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Plan of the aerodrome showing: -
Yellow - the concrete taxiways used by the aircraft to get onto and off the all grass airfield.
Red ---- Hangar bases and defence bunkers.
Audembert was originally a first world war aerodrome. After the Germans very fast advance into France in WW2, the area was surveyed in July 1940 and it became a Luftwaffe fighter base for the Battle of Britain. Two runways were laid out in grass. It was taken over by
JG26 with Me109´s.
VU174 Tillburg. 1 x HQ. 1 x Barracks. 3 x Vf2a. 2 x Vf3. 1 x Wasser bunker. 5 x Hangars. 1 x KSS (Cable bunker).
VU177 Paladin. 7 x Hangars. 1 x Vf2a's. 1 x Vf3. 1 x Zisterne. 1 x Air-raid shelter. 1 x Large Hangar (removed).
Single aircraft hangars, also double as bomb proof pens if earth is placed around the outside.
Earth protection.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
The entrance into the airfield.
Plan.
The enemy a Spitfire.
The enemy a Hurricane.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Concrete taxiway.
Plan.
Ground crew.2
Pilot and ground crew.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
The layout of the VU177 Paladin side of the aerodrome with seven Verteitigungsunterkunft (Defence accommodation for fighter) pens/hangars.
Plan.
Me Bf109 E engine repairs.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
The first hangar.
Plan.
Engine repairs.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Second Hangar.
Galland next to his Bf109 F2 with two 20mm MGFF guns in the wings.
Plan.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Details of the construction.
More repairs and servicing.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
A rear entrance door.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Metal fitting on the wall to hold a timber support for a building above.
Elevation.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
This could be a defence embrasure for the hangar.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Two more lower down.
Plan.
Elevation.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Three on the western side.
Details2
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Plan.
Loading ammunition.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
This one now a farmers shed.
You can just make out the Wasser bunker. Water tank.
Plan.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Camembert
VU177 Paladin
This is how they would have looked.
Plan.
Elevation.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Vf2a group bunker but here I would say used as an air-raid shelter.
Plan.
I think this maybe a Vf2 bunker.
Vf2a with a modified entrance layout.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Vf2a group bunker.
Inside a Vf2a.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Vf2a group bunker.
From the air.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Vf2a one of the two entrance ways.
Pilot.
Luftwaffe crew.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Vf2a looking down into the entrance.
Vf2a plan..
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Vf3 Observation/defence bunker.
Plan behind the hedge.
Vf3 Def/obs bunker.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Vf3 Observation/defence bunker.
Vf3.
Machine gun.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
Concrete taxiway.
Plan showing the taxiway.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU177 Paladin
There was also a hangar of some kind behind the farm now just a concrete pad that the farmer uses.
Low fly past.
Pilot and crew.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg
Ah! a bunker - but no it turns out its an ancient burial mound.
??
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU TilburgKSS Kabelschalt Brunnen
Not a defence bunker but a KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen (Cable connection bunker).
Cable connections..
Plan.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU TilburgKSS Kabelschalt Brunnen
Not a defence bunker but a KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen (Cable connection bunker).
Armoured telephone cable..
Telephone.
Telephone exchange..
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU TilburgKSS Kabelschalt Brunnen
KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU TilburgKSS Kabelschalt Brunnen
KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen.
KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU TilburgKSS Kabelschalt Brunnen
Entrance of some kind.
Entrance.
This looks like an cable exits.
Plan.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
This is in the VU Tilburgside of the farm and looks like a defence position.
Plan.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
A Google image of entrances into the bunker and does look like another Vf2a.
Plan.
Vf2a bunker.
Plan of the Vf2a here.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
The large white house at Le Colombier was used as Galland's HQ for the staff of JG26.
Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland in the grounds of the house.
Adolf Galland and his petite chienne mascot of JG26.
Galland and Mayer just before take off.
Galland and Osterkamp discussing battle tactics in the Officers Mess.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
Douglas Bader was a pre war RAF pilot. Whilst practicing aerobatics one day in a Bristol Bulldog fighter, it crashed and he lost both his legs.
WW2 started and Bader by then medically discharged from the RAF asked to re join as a pilot.
By 1941 he was Acting Wing Commander of 12 Group’s “Big Wing” at RAF Tangmere. On 9 August 1941, Bader was shot down while flying his Supermarine Spitfire Mk Va, serial W3185, marked “DB”, along the coast of France. His prosthetic legs caught in the cockpit and made it difficult for him to escape, but he finally broke free and parachuted to safety. Galland finding out that Bader was in the area had him brought to his Officers Mess where he stayed a few days before going to a Prisoner of War Camp. Bader was not a good prisoner and later was sent to the notorious Colditz Castle POW camp for trouble makers.
Bader with members of 242 Squadron, RAF Colitshall..
Bader being presented to Galland and other officers at the house at Le Colombier.
Bader walking out into the garden at Le Colombier.
Bader in the middle at Colditz Castle in captivity..
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
Vf3 Observation, defence position.
Plan.
Vf3 Plan.
Vf3 Elevation.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
Vf3 Observation, defence position.
Machine gun.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
Vf3 Observation, defence position.
Looking inside.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
Vf3 Observation, defence position. There is an exit tunnel in the left side.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
VU Tilburg Le Colombier
Vf3 Observation, defence position. Entrance trench into the bunker.
Plan of entrance.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Middle, Le Breuil
Aircraft taxiways running off the airfield.
Plan Middle, Le Breuil.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Middle, Le Breuil
Fighter hangars on the right and at the end of the drive one more turned into a garage for the farm.
Galland´s plane being re fuelled.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Middle, Le Breuil
Fighter aircraft hangar.
Plan.
Hangar plan.
Hangar elevation.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Somewhere in Europe
Engine repairs.
Re arming.
Engine repairs.
Fuelling.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Middle, Le Breuil
Fighter aircraft hangar.
How a damaged Me109 was towed away for repair.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Middle, Le Breuil
Shooting in Butts. This is where a plane sits on a concrete pad, fires & adjusts its cannon & machine guns. The guns would fire at targets with sand behind and the guns adjusted onto the targets.
Me109 jacked up and ready to fire.
Me109 guns in the nose section.
RAF cannon stop butts just like the one here.
RAF Hurricane testing its guns.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Middle, Le Breuil
Aircraft taxiways.
Adolf Galland's plane manoeuvring across a taxiway.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
This aerodrome was used by JG26 and their leader was Adolf Galland. On 6 June 1940, Galland took over the command of III./Jagdgeschwader26"Schlageter" (III./JG 26–3rd group of the 26th Fighter Wing). 7, 8 and 9Staffel with an establishment of 39 Bf 109Es.
Details2
Details2
Galland's Tail plane.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Goering´s visit to JG 26 at Audembert on the Kanalfront, 5 December 1941.
Arriving in his car.
The building on the right could be their control tower??
One of Goering´s cars.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Goering´s visit to JG 26 at Audembert on the Kanalfront, 5 December 1941.
Galland´s plane and Goering on a podium giving a speech.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
Goering´s visit to JG 26 at Audembert on the Kanalfront, 5 December 1941. A candid shot of Goering discussing with Galland and an officer just wondering past the camera. The official photographers all around Goering and his entourage.
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert
K.V.A. ‘C’. Nord Pas-de-Calais
As the war progressed the Allied fighter and bomber force expanded to greater numbers and with the heavy bombing, the fighter squadrons were called back into the Germany. The aerodromes were not needed any more and their defences were taken over as part of the Atlantikwall, as can be seen on the main map.
VU174 Tillburg. 1 x HQ. 1 x Barracks. 3 x Vf2a. 2 x Vf3. 1 x Wasser bunker. 5 x Hangars. 1 x KSS (Cable bunker).
VU177 Paladin. 7 x Hangars. 1 x Vf2a's. 1 x Vf3. 1 x Zisterne. 1 x Air-raid shelter. 1 x Large Hangar (removed).
Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert