LW places in Northern France and French spelling

[ouidjat]

HI Guys,

Recently, I's looking for a LW airplace called "Campagne" as written around in many captions.
Well, I don't know a place called Campagne in France, Google doesn't know too.
Later, I did find it was in Calais surroudings. Bingo! There is 895 parish in Pas-de-Calais and four of them are called Campagne-something:

Campagne-lès-Guînes
Campagne-lès-Wardrecques
Campagne-lès-Hesdin
Campagne-lès-Boulonnais

So, which one was used by LW?

You must note that "lès" is written with an accent above the "e". "Lès", in french, means "Close by" (you can find "lez" as alternative spelling); If you write "les" it turns to be a plural article. Word is different, meaning is different.

It does happen the same thing with Guînes (recent spelling for Guisnes) and Pihen.
When talking about Guînes and/or Pihen, are you (those who write captions), are you talking about Guînes or about Pihen-lès-Guînes (eventualy about Campagne-lès-Guînes ) ? Both places are different but two different airplaces?

Going deeper Pihen comes from old Frank word Pitheim. Then complete place name means "The pit place by Guînes".

Eventualy, there is a place in the surroudings called PIHEM!!!!! with an "m"!

Fortunatly there is nothing about some "Campagne-lès-Pihem(n)"

Regards,
Franck.

[Bruce Dennis]

Hello Franck,

Try this link...

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1...-1&output=html

... for confirmation and location of LW airfield at Campagne-lès-Guînes.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised to find that there were other airfields under the control of this base, especially later in the war.


Hope this helps,
Bruce

[ouidjat]

Hello Bruce,

Many thanks for your answer.
In fact the link doesn't work; I mean it's impossible to get samplings.

However I got this link:

http://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/

It's in french and it's quite well done, especially with maps showing localisation, coordinates, arrangement etc... with actual pictures too.

Cheers,

Franck.

[Bruce Dennis]

Hello Franck,
Sorry the link doesn't work for you, perhaps you can navigate your way there: I Googled "Campagne luftwaffe" and this was the first hit under GoogleBooks. The reference to "Campagne" was on the second page, about JG54.

Hope this helps,
Bruce

[Nick Beale]

Campagne is French for "countryside", so the word might crop up just about anywhere.

[ouidjat]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

Campagne is French for "countryside", so the word might crop up just about anywhere.

Hello Nick,

I thought it was already an old topic... Whatever I got possible answers.

And you're right about the translation. But, since I'm french, of course I did think about such rough translation (better non translation) that's the reason I wanted to go deeper and try to understand this "Campagne" in english captions.

Thanks,

Franck.

[jvmasset]

Hello Ouidjat!

The "Campagne" you are looking for is "Campagne lès Guînes", where indeed there as a LW airfield during BoB, like in Guînes, Hermelinghem, all around the Guînes forest, and Caffiers, Wissant, Pihen lès Guînes, Peuplingues, St Inglevert, Mardick, Oye-Plage, Marck, Marquise West and Ost, Audembert around Calais and the Gris Nez cape, and some others (actually, many!) inland...The full list would be long: there were around 120 german airfields operational (including bomber, stuka and heavy fighter airbases) during BoB time alone...

Amically,

JV

PS: if you have not-yet-known photos taken in these places I woud be interested for my reference!