Colmar–Meyenheim Air Base
Colmar–Meyenheim Air Base Base aérienne d'opérations 132 Colmar-Meyenheim | |||||||||||
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 Mirage F1-CT on base in 2005 | |||||||||||
| IATA: none – ICAO: LFSC | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | Chad French Army Regiment (Formerly, French Air Force) | ||||||||||
| Location | Meyenheim, France | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1963 | ||||||||||
| Closed | June 16, 2010 | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 47°55′21″N 7°23′59″E / 47.9225°N 7.3997°ECoordinates: 47°55′21″N 7°23′59″E / 47.9225°N 7.3997°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Colmar–Meyenheim Air Base Location within France | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Colmar–Meyenheim Air Base (Base aérienne Colmar-Meyenheim) was an airbase in Meyenheim, in the Alsace region of France, near the German and Swiss borders. It opened in 1963 after being an airfield for Strasbourg-Entzheim. After its closure in 2010, it was renamed to Quartier Colonel Dio and is now the home to the Chad French Army Regiment. The base is 15 km south of Colmar, east of Autoroute A35. The base is bordered by farmland to the west, and surrounded by forest on its other sides.
History
The construction of the Colmar–Meyenheim Air Base began in 1951. The first unit to arrive was Fighter Wing 013 with F-86 Sabres and T-33 trainer aircraft in 1957.[1] Fighter Wing 013 members lived on the base until the united disbanded on June 23, 1995. Fighter Wing 030 Alsace and Normandie-Niemen were the two squadrons in operation on the base after the disbandment of Fighter Wing 013.[2]
The Fighter Squadron 01/030 Normandie-Niémen was formed six months after Germany invaded the USSR in June 1941.[2] The unit was created for cooperation between the Free French and the Soviet Union governments. There were initially 12 fighter pilots serving the German-Russian front, but the group was officially declared Groupe de Chasse GC 3 Normandie on September 1, 1942 with Commandant Pouliquen in command. After training on Yakovlev Yak-7 in January 1943, Commandant Jean Tulasne took command of the group. Between March 22, 1943 and May 9, 1945, the unit destroyed 273 enemy aircraft. It received awards from both France and the Soviet Union: The French Légion d'Honneur and the Soviet Order of the Red Banner. Joseph Stalin awarded the name "Niémen" after the battle of the Neman River in 1944. The group flew to Morocco in March 1947, trading Vulture 11s for the first of the Mirage F1Cs. The EC 02/30 unit departed North Africa on March 13, 1962. In December 1973, the base turned to Air Defense.[3]
Aircraft & Units
Several different aircraft and units were stationed at the base.
- F86 Sabre and T-33 (1957–62)
- Mirage IIIC (1962–65)
- Mirage IIIB (1965–66, 1986–94)
- Mirage IIIE (1965–77)
- F-100 Super Sabre (1966–67)
- Mirage 5F (1972–94)
- Mirage F1CT (1992–2009)
- Mirage F1B (2005–2009)
The aircraft remaining after disbandment were transferred to Reims-Champagne air base.[2]
- Units
- 13th Fighter Wing (1957–23 June 1995)
- 1/13 "Artois" Fighter Squadron (Until 2009)
- 2/13 "Alps" Fighter Squadron (Until 27 June 2008)
- 3/13 "Auvergne" Fighter Squadron (1972–1994)
- 3/11 "Corsica" Fighter Squadron (1966–67)
Disbanding
The Fighter Squadron 02/030 Normandie - Niémen was merged with The Fighter Squadron 01/030 Normandie - Niémen in 2007. The French Government announced in July 2008 that all flying activities at the base would cease one year later.[3] General Jean-Paul Paloméros, the Chief of Air Force Staff, led the ceremony for dissolution of the base.[4] The closure of the base was a restructuring of the air force.[5] The French Army started taking over base in July 2010. Six Mirage F1Bs and about twelve F1CTs will relocate to Reims-Champagne. The Mirage F1 will continue to operate for 4–5 years after the closure. The RC 02/030 unit was expected to return in 2012 with the Rafale Aircraft.[3]
Meteorological station
The air base hosts a meteorological station maintained by Météo-France; the station is the sixth-driest in France (after Marignane–Marseille Provence Airport, Perpignan, Clermont-Ferrand, Chartres and Évreux) of the French meterorological service network.
| Climate data for Colmar–Meyenheim | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
6.8 (44.2) |
11.9 (53.4) |
16.0 (60.8) |
20.4 (68.7) |
23.7 (74.7) |
26.1 (79) |
25.8 (78.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
15.8 (60.4) |
9.2 (48.6) |
5.5 (41.9) |
15.7 (60.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1.4 (29.5) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
2.0 (35.6) |
4.8 (40.6) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.2 (57.6) |
13.7 (56.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
6.8 (44.2) |
2.2 (36) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
6.1 (43) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 31.7 (1.248) |
28.8 (1.134) |
37.4 (1.472) |
44.7 (1.76) |
74.2 (2.921) |
64.2 (2.528) |
66.8 (2.63) |
57.0 (2.244) |
57.8 (2.276) |
56.9 (2.24) |
40.1 (1.579) |
47.7 (1.878) |
607.3 (23.909) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 72 | 97 | 145 | 180 | 202 | 225 | 239 | 224 | 171 | 117 | 70 | 58 | 1,799 |
| Source: Météo-France[6] | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- 1 2 "Ailes Historiques du Rhin - BA 132 Colmar-Meyenheim".
- 1 2 3 4 "Colmar-Meyenheim Aug 08". Jetwashaviationphotos.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- 1 2 3 Touchdown Aviation. "RC 01/030 Normandie - Niémen". Touchdown Aviation. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ↑ Michel. "E.P. Colmar-Meyenheim - Les Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air". Commando-air.fr. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ↑ "Armée de l'air - Dissolution de la base aérienne de Colmar-Meyenheim - Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace". Dna.fr. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ↑ "Normales mensuelles". Retrieved 9 September 2012.