Allied runway construction in WW II Europe

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear All,

I recently read an excellent article on the Internet about the various types of runway construction used by the Allies in Europe. I had been especially interested in the construction of the runway at Cherbourg. Alas, I failed to bookmark the site and hope that someone can come to my rescue.

Regards,
Richard

[leonventer]

Hi Richard,

I don't know the site you're referring to, but I do have a book that might be of interest to you:

• "War Department Technical Manual TM 5-255: Aviation Engineers", published April 1944, 479 pages

It's a very detailed guide to all aspects of airfield construction, including: soils, grading, steel mats, bitumen, rigid pavements, dust palliatives, lighting, defense, maintenance, equipment, and logistics. It contains some info on rehabilitating captured airfields and it features many photos, diagrams, and tables.

Amazon has a couple of copies of the 1942 edition (442 pages) at around $25. The 1944 edition is also available from several booksellers, albeit at higher prices.

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Leon,

As usual, you have come to my aid. I think, though, that it might be anoither book which I was able to read excerpts from on-line. Specifically, IIRC, it discussed Cherbourg in 2 succinct paragraphs. So, even with the April 1944 of TM 5-255, I don't see how this could have covered Cherbourg or any other Allied controlled continental airfield.

I did go to Amazon just now. The Internet was incredibly slow and their search engine showed no copies of any version. I'm not sure what is going on, as the amount of e-mail I get has shrunk enormously, both good and spam.

Regards,
Richard

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Leon,

I found it, thanks to your lead: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Landing_Ground

Regards,
Richard

[leonventer]

Hi Richard,

Glad to hear you were able to find that page again.

Yes, finding TM 5-255 on Amazon was a bit tricky. Here are links to the available copies:

• 1941 & 42: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001BNQRO8
• 1944: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00DJU9CM0

On a related note, this extract is from one of my postings on the old TOCH board in March 2004:

Regarding German airfield construction: In late 1945, the Allies conducted an investigation into the design, construction and soil conditions of approximately 30 German airfields. The findings were published by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency as "J.I.O.A. Final Report No. 48". The report focuses primarily on the materials and construction methods used, drainage systems, soil characteristics and vegetation. One of its general observations was the "strong emphasis on fine buildings", combined with "the cheapest possible type of airfield construction". In other words, the Germans constructed very elaborate personnel quarters and hangars, but built their airfield surfaces just strong enough to get the job done.

Lastly, for anyone interested in German airfields, the ultimate resource is Jürgen Zapf's series, "Flugplätze der Luftwaffe 1934-1945 - und was davon übrig blieb". It's now up to eight volumes, each covering a specific region. He's also published a handy reference volume listing the essential info (coordinates, position relative to closest town/landmark, classification, and notes) for all airfields in the German Reich (incl. the territories it had annexed by Aug 1939.)

Regards,
Leon Venter

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Leon,

Thank you for the additional information. When I checked Amazon earlier, I was having real problems with the Internet. Painting Amazon pages reminded me of dial-up. And, when I entered the title, it showed no copies, new or used. I just tried it again, putting the full title in title with the same results. So, I then put it under keywords, but only came up with the 1942 version. I'm guessing that you may have truncated the title and then did a search. If not, what is your secret?

As for Cherbourg-Querqueville, they used pierced steel planking, or Marston plates, 10 feet x 18 inches, run crosswise to the direction of flight. A photo I have of an Me 262B-1a shows it landing, but the vantage point shows a minimally developed road, taxiway, or runway strip in the foreground. Trees in the background are very reminiscent of Melun-Villaroche, but I can't entirely rule out Cherbourg. After the HMS Reaper departed on July 23, 1945, the airfield was closed down on Aug. 8, 1945, suggesting that it may have been minimally improved outside of the runway, itself. Still, the use of Marston planking, which, IIRC, was only used on 8 European airfields because of its expense and weight, suggests a high importance of the airfield during its time in Allied airfield service.

The problem is in getting general wartime and immediate postwar ground view photos of different airfields. Low altitude oblique aerial photos are also limited. To this end, Jürgen Zapf's tomes are of rather limited use, if any. The big expense in these books is the fine collection of vertical aerial photos, which helps explain their high price.

J.I.O.A. Final Report No. 48 may help explain the dichotomy between runway and auxiliary surface finishing by the Germans. Many of the German airfields were simply grass. To be truly functional for the jets, concrete runways were needed, as asphalt could be ignited by jet engine drippage out of the exhausts and or any impingement of the burning exhaust gases with the runway.

Regards,
Richard