Valence airfield

[Larry deZeng]

(a) Valence - is anyone able to identify which Fliegerhorst-Kommandantur or Flugplatzkommando was responsible for Valence airfield in June 1944. I have checked Holm and cannot find reference to Valence other than for KG 26 and LLG 1 and leichte Flak-Abteilung 741 (v).

According to Air Ministry A.I.3. (E)/D. of I.(O) document of 30.6.44, "G.A.F. Airfield Organization as at 28.6.44", on page 7 of 18, Valence is shown as "Airfield Detachment Valence" under A.R.C. 3/XIII Lyons. A German document found in NARA WashDC, RG 242, Microcopy T-971 roll 18/frame 072ff that gives all of the airfield commands under Feld-Luftgaukdo. Westfrankreich as of 1.7.44 shows Valence as a Flugplatzkdo. belonging to Fl.H.Kdtr. E(v) 221/XII (Lyon-Bron).

So there you have it. Across German-occupied Europe, there were many hundreds of airfields, airstrips, landing grounds and related that were too little-used to warrant and justify a full-blown Fliegerhorstkommandantur, so these were designated as unnumbered Flugplatzkommandos and subordinated to the nearest Fliegerhorstkommandantur. Some Fliegerhorstkommandanturen had 3 or 4 of them. They had a much smaller personnel and equipment complement and were usually commanded by a Oberleutnant or a Hauptmann. And such was the case for Valence.

Larry