Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert, K.V.G. Griz Nez, K.V.A. ‘C’. Nord Pas-de-Calais

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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

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Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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 group shelter.
2 x Vf3 Observation, machine gun emplacement.
1 x Wasser bunker.
5 x Hangars.
1 x KSS (Cable bunker).

VU177 Paladin:
7 x Hangars.
1 x Vf2a's group shelter.
1 x Vf3Observation, machine gun emplacement.
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

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The entrance into the airfield.

Plan.

The enemy a Spitfire.

The enemy a Hurricane.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Concrete taxiway.

Plan.

Ground crew.2

Pilot and ground crew.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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

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The first hangar.

Plan.

Engine repairs.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Second Hangar.

Galland next to his Bf109 F2 with two 20mm MGFF guns in the wings.

Plan.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Details of the construction.

More repairs and servicing.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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A rear entrance door.

 

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Metal fitting on the wall to hold a timber support for a building above.

Elevation.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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This could be a defence embrasure for the hangar.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Two more lower down.

Plan.

Elevation.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Three on the western side.

Plan.

 

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Plan.

Loading ammunition.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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This one now a farmers shed.

You can just make out the Wasser bunker. Water tank.

Plan.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Camembert

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This is how they would have looked.
Backing into a hangar.

And ready to go.

Plan.

Elevation.

 

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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

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Vf2a group bunker.

Inside a Vf2a.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf2a group bunker.

From the air.

 

 

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf2a one of the two entrance ways.

Pilot.

Luftwaffe crew.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf2a looking down into the entrance.

Vf2a plan..

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf3 Observation/defence bunker.

Plan behind the hedge.

Vf3 Def/obs bunker.

 

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf3 Observation/defence bunker.

Vf3.

Machine gun.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Concrete taxiway.

Plan showing the taxiway.

 

 

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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

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Ah! a bunker - but no it turns out its an ancient burial mound.

??

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Not a defence bunker but a KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen (Cable connection bunker).

Cable connections..

Plan.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Not a defence bunker but a KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen (Cable connection bunker).

Armoured telephone cable..

Telephone.

Telephone exchange..

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen.

KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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KSS Kabelschalt Brunnen
Entrance of some kind.

Entrance.

This looks like an cable exits.

Plan.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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This is in the VU Tillburg side of the farm and looks like a defence position.

Plan.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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

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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

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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

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Vf3 Observation, defence position.

Plan.

Vf3 Plan.

Vf3 Elevation.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf3 Observation, defence position.

 

Machine gun.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf3 Observation, defence position.
Looking inside.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf3 Observation, defence position. There is an exit tunnel in the left side.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Vf3 Observation, defence position. Entrance trench into the bunker.

Plan of entrance.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Aircraft taxiways running off the airfield.

Plan Middle, Le Breuil.

 

 

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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

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Fighter aircraft hangar.

Plan.

Hangar plan.

Hangar elevation.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Engine repairs.

Re arming.

Engine repairs.

Fuelling.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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Fighter aircraft hangar.

 

How a damaged Me109 was towed away for repair.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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

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Aircraft taxiways.

Adolf Galland's plane manoeuvring across a taxiway.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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.

 

 

Galland's Tail plane.

Luftwaffe Aerodrome, Audembert

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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

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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

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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

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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

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© 2013 Richard Drew