Informations about airfields for devs

[Fred901]

Hi,

Rouen-Boos:

The airfield as it appears on the Normandy 2 map. This is one of many generic airfields on this map.

In reality, the airfield looked like this:

 

Fecamp-Benouville:

 

Here is the Fecamp-Benouville airfield on the Normandie 2 map. The position is incorrect. What's more, the airfield as it was built is not at all in keeping with German airfields in France during WW2. The 2 Branches of each three parking aircraft (in the yellow circle) are typical of the ALG's on English soil as: Chailey, Deanland ...

The airfield consisted of a grass runway with taxiways and parking areas for aircraft on the outskirts of the village of Eletot. There are NO CONTROL TOWER !

The yellow stripe represents the grass runway at the airfield.

I wonder why the devs chose to model this airfield, as it's hardly ever been used! Le Havre-Octeville airfield would have been a better choice!

Edited November 26, 2023 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

A little addition for Rouen-Boos:

A screenshot from the "Remonter le temps" website:

It shows 2 runways, in green on the photo below:

Edited November 27, 2023 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

Flers-Saint-Paul:

Aerial photograph taken on 7 June 1944:

Aerial photograph taken on 12 June 1944:

After war:

In 1957:

The airfield apparently had no control tower.
It had a grass runway.

[303_HOLY]

Hello @Fred901
Why I can not see any of your pictures? Did I something wrong or they just not available any more?
Also do you have any pictures of very famous and the oldes RAF airfield Notholt?
Regards
303_HOLY

[Fred901]

My images are hosted with Zupimage, I don't understand why you can't see them?

No, I don't have any more photos of RAF Northolt than here:

 

[Fred901]

I started to reproduce RAF Northolt as it looked in 1940 in IL-2 Cliffs of Dover:

[Fred901]

Bernay-Saint-Martin:

The airfield is in the wrong place and the layout is incorrect.
It should be in the yellow oval:

Aerial view in 1947:

Layout:

Grass runway in yellow. No control tower. In grey, access roads to the car parks and aircraft parking areas.

 

Broglie:

Attention:  Broglie was a satellite site of Bernay Saint-Martin. It was a fall-back airfield. It was a simple field ! No hard construction, no control tower... Just tents! The mechanics slept next to the planes. The officers stayed in farms or in the villages around the air strip.

Aproximative position :

 

Edited December 2, 2023 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi everyone,

Argentan:

Argentan is also a fallback airfield; no control tower, no hard construction...

In red, the limitations of the airstrip
In yellow, the grass track
In blue, the grass parking areas and amenities.

Today, and since the end of August 1944, the site has been returned to agriculture:

 

Le goulet:

Another Airstrip;

Edited December 16, 2023 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Vrigny:

Another airstrip:

On the Normandy 2 map, Le Goulet and Vrigny are well placed, but all those sheds that don't belong there have been removed, as have the barracks, watchtowers and barbed wire around the airstrips.

Argentan, on the other hand, is badly placed on the Normandy 2 map.

 

For example, Le Goulet:

In addition, all aerodromes have runway markers. They didn't exist during the Second World War! To be removed from all the airfields, airstrips and Advanced Landing Ground on the map !

Edited December 16, 2023 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

Lonrai, Barville, Essay, Hauteville and Rônai were also fallback airfields. So, as usual, no control towers or permanent buildings:

Lonrai:

Barville:

Essay:

 

Hauteville:

Rônai:

[Fred901]

Avranches:

Avranches was a Former Landing Ground, a basic airfield with no permanent buildings or control tower:

 

Today:

 

Deauville:

Before the war, Deauville was an airfield with a grass runway. When the Americans arrived, an SMT runway was built:

 

[Fred901]

Hi,

Advanced Landing Ground in Normandy:

The Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) were temporary airfields used during the Battle of Normandy, from June to the end of August 1944. Some were built as late as August. So, of course, there were no permanent buildings or control towers.

In the photo below, you can see ALG A1 Saint-Pierre du Mont:

In the photo on the left above, you can see that the engineers did not raze all the hedges to the ground. They went straight to the essentials to build these airstrips, not like permanent airfields.

There are no sheds or wooden huts. Air traffic control consisted of a few men with a radio like this:

Link to an interesting website: https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/battle-of-normandy/alg/airstrips

 

Here are a few videos of these ALGs. It gives you an idea of the atmosphere that reigned on these airstrips:

 

Edited January 2 by Fred901

[71st_AH Rob]

Exactly.

ALGs should not be built like airfields on the Caucuses map.

What would be best is the terrain is suitable for takeoff and landing of WWII aircraft and if we used it like a FARP.  You need a template for each ALG with ammo, fuel and command vehs and a repair tent. 

Use the terrain removal tool to remove trees as required.

Should be less work for Ugra than the current method of building an airport for each.

[Fred901]

Why?

I don't think Ugra Media is more work because the work is already done! Above all, I think that the ALGs on the Normandy 2.0 map are like permanent airfields, whereas they were meant to be temporary airfields with tents and no wooden barracks or hangars. 

These airstrips were hastily built because the Germans were not far away. The engineers destroyed as few hedges as possible, just to make way for taxiways and runways. They weren't just fields like the permanent airfields.

If the Normandy 2.0 map is supposed to be as historical as possible, then I'm trying to help the devs make it so. 

 

Edited January 3 by Fred901

[71st_AH Rob]

Many of them aren't done and it would be easier to use for a longer time period of they were not there to begin with.

 

Take all of the 9th AAF ALGs in Sussex for example.

Also, most of the Luftwaffe fields Normandy used post July 44 were just grass fields like ALGs and are not represented.

[Fred901]

Hi,

A-1 SAINT-PIERRE DU MONT:

Operational June 17

49°23'30"N 000°56'42"W

runway: 09/17 - 1500m/5000ft - SMT

Altitude: 135ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-saint-pierre-du-mont-a-1-1100.html

Please remove all these sheds, wooden houses and watchtowers! NO permanent buildings on any of Normandy's ALGs! It's not historic at all! Life on these airstrips was all about camping!

Take a look at the following images:

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=130093

 

A-2 CRICQUEVILLE EN BESSIN:

Operational June 17

49°21'58"N 001°00'23"W

runway: 17/35 - 1500x..m/5000x..ft - SMT

Altitude: 100ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-cricqueville-en-bessin-a-2-1101.html

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=130102

On the black and white photo above, you can see that the hedges leave just enough room for the taxiways and runway, in contrast to permanent English airfields (Tangmere, West-Malling, Ford, Biggin Hill, Kenley ....) and French airfields, such as Saint-Andre de l'Eure, where there is a forest right in the middle of the airfield! It's just not right for these permanent airfields !

 

A-CARDONVILLE:

Operational June 16

49°20'42"N 001°03'52"W

Runway: 16/34 - 1500x35meters/5000x120feet - SMT

Altitude: 110ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-cardonville-a-3-1104.html

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=130108

 

P-47 parked next to a nearby farm:

Staff tents planted under the cover of hedges:

 

 

Edited January 21 by Fred901

[Fred901]

A-4  DEUX JUMEAUX:

Operational June 18
 

49°20'50"N 000°58'55"W

runway: 11/29 - 5000x120ft - Square Mesh Track

Altitude: 139ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-deux-jumeaux-a-4-1102.html

 

As shown on the plans of all the ALGs in Normandy, the taxiways, runways and aircraft parking areas (in black on the plans) are made up of SMT plates. Aircraft parking areas in white are of clay (unless otherwise stated):

An air defence post:

 

A-5 CHIPELLE:

Operational July 6

49°14'30"N 000°58'16"W

runway: 06/24 - 5000x120ft - SMT

Altitude: 105ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-chipelle-a-5-1184.html

In yellow, at the end of the runway, on each side there were Marshalling areas, made up of SMT plates, as shown below:

These marshalling areas were present on all the ALGs in Normandy.

 

General Eisenhower at Chipelle on 6 August 1944. A windsock can be seen in the background:

 

A-6 BEUZEVILLE:

Operational June 17

49°25'22"N 001°17'39"W 

Runway: 06/24 - 1500x45meters/5000x120feet - SMT

Altitude 70ft

https://forgottenairfields.com/airfield-beuzeville-a-6-1075.html

The Beuzeville layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

 

Construction of the runway in SMT plate:

CG-4 glider landing:

 

A-7 AZEVILLE:

Operational June 27

49°28'55"N 001°18'55"W

Runway: 08/26 - 1150x45meters/3600x150feet - SMT

Altitude: 90ft

https://forgottenairfields.com/airfield-azeville-a-7-1076.html

In yellow, marshalling area in SMT plate:

A castle called "Chateau de Fontenay" and its farm (Ferme in french) were part of the airstrip's history. Before D-Day, it was occupied by the Germans. It was heavily damaged by Allied bombing in June 1944.

Today:

Maintenance of a P-47 in front of the castle:

The castle before the war and today:

The castle farm today:

 

A-8 PICAUVILLE:

Operational June 29

49°23'41"N 001°24'28"W

runway: 07/25 - 1524x36.5m/5000x120ft - SMT/PBS

Altitude: 70ft

https://forgottenairfields.com/airfield-picauville-a-8n-1090.html

The Picauville layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

Edited January 21 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

A-9 LE MOLAY:

Operational July 5
 

49°15'57"N 000°52'39"E

runway: 04/22 - 4000x120ft - SMT

Altitude: 150ft

 

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-le-molay-a-9d-1108.html

 

Le Molay layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

Molay was the only airstrip with Butler Hangars. There were two located to the north-east of the airstrip. They were used to store equipment and shelter aircraft:

 

1947:

 

A-12 LIGNEROLLES:

Operational July 7

49°10'31.83"N 0°47'26.01"W

Runway: 07/25 1524m X 37m  Square-Mesh Track (SMT) and Prefabricated Bituminous Surfacing (PBS)

Altitude: 440ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-lignerolles-a12-1520.html

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=129464

Lignerolles layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

 

A-14 CRETTEVILLE:

Operational July 3
 

49°20'11"N 001°22'47"W

runway: 04/22 - 1100x36m/3600x120ft - PBS (+ 425m/1400ft earth)

Altitude: 90ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-cretteville-a-14-1091.html

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=129999

Creteville layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

 

A-15 MAUPERTUS:

Operational July 3

Runway 1:  11/29 - 6000 ft/1800m Pierced Steel Planking (PSP)

Runway 2: 17/35 - 5000 ft/1500m Pierced Steel Planking (PSP)

Altitude: 459ft

I've already covered the Maupertus airfield on the first page of this topic, but that was pre-Day Landings data. The following data concerns the airfield taken over and rebuilt by the Americans.

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=129999

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maupertus-sur-Mer_Airfield

The layout of Maupertus is not correct (in DCS this is the layout nowadays). Here is the layout after the landing when the Americans settled there:

On the 2 images above, you can see that I've shown the road in yellow: this is to give a reference point.

 

In the next photo, you can see the PSP slabs being laid to build the runways:

Correct implementation of the airfield in IL2 "Great Battle" on the Normandy map:

You can see that the tracks are made from PSP plates:

 

A-16 BRUCHEVILLE:

Operational July 7

49°22'07"N 001°12'55"W

runway: 07/25 - 1524x43m/5000x140ft - Prefab Bitumous Surface (BPS)/Compacted earth

Altitude: 60ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-brucheville-a-16-1072.html

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=130021

There's still no Butler hangar, no control tower, no wooden shack and no Nissen Hut, which were mainly found on British airfields !

A P-47D taking off before the runway is completely finished !

h

Edited January 13 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

A-17 MEAUTIS:

Operational August 16

49°17'04"N 001°18'00"W

runway: 10/28 - 1524x35m/5000x120ft - Prefab Bitumous Surfacing/earth

Altitude: 65ft

https://forgottenairfields.com/airfield-meeautis-a-17-1081.html

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=130031

Meautis layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

No hard construction , no control tower as usual !

In 1947:

 

A-20 LESSAY:

Operational August 26

49°12'10.53"N 1°30'21.58"W

runway: 07/25 - 6000x120ft - PSP
runway: 13/31 - 5000x120ft - PSP
runway: 07/25 - 1250x36m/4101x120ft - grass

Altitude: 86ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-lessay-a-20-1093.html

https://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=130076

Lessay was an airfield used by the Luftwaffe before the arrival of the American forces:

In may 44:

On the next photograph, I've put some reference points that will be used for the other photographs:

In red is the layout of the 2 runways, in yellow a racecourse which can be seen in the following photographs. In green are the access roads to the dispersal hangars built and used by the Germans and which remained until the Americans left the airfield for A-40 Chartres at the end of September 1944. In blue is another hangar that was there before the war and can be seen below:

The plan drawn up by the American forces:

The previous photograph shows the hangar in blue, the old parts used by the Germans in green, and the hippodrome that was there in May 44 in yellow. Another racecourse (in red) is present and can be seen on the following images. It is also reproduced (in purple on the representation below of the airfield on the Normandy 2.0 map):

On the photograph above you can see that there is no Butler hangar, no control tower. Missing are the taxiways to the south of the airfield (in orange) and the dispersal hangars and their access routes used by the Germans (in green).

 

Lessay in 1947:

Above you can see that over time the runways and taxiways to the south of the aerodrome have faded. In the following phography I have redrawn the missing taxiways and runway ends:

https://remonterletemps.ign.fr/comparer/basic?x=-1.506764&y=49.205155&z=14&layer1=ORTHOIMAGERY.ORTHOPHOTOS.1950-1965&layer2=ORTHOIMAGERY.ORTHOPHOTOS&mode=vSlider

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txU-1gEzqDM

A-21 SAINT-LAURENT SUR MER:

Operational June 7

49°21'51"N 000°52'21"W

runway: 15/33 - 1500m/5000ft - SMT

Altitude: 142ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-saint-laurent-sur-mer-a-21-1099.html

Saint Laurent sur Mer A-21 C (C for Cargo) was the first ALG in service. It was mainly used by C-47s for freight, casualty evacuation, etc.

Please remove the Butler hangars, they don't belong there!
No hard construction, no control towers !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeWK5OHFo9Q

 

A-24 BINIVILLE:

Operational July 17
 

49°26'12"N 001°28'15"W

runway: 04/22 - 1000x36m/3600x120ft - earth

Altitude: 55ft

https://forgottenairfields.com/airfield-biniville-a-24c-1086.html

Biniville layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

No hard constructions, no control tower as usual !

I've redrawn the plan because it's not very legible on the plan above:

In 1947:

Edited January 21 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

B-2 BAZENVILLE:

Operational June 16

49°18'18"N 000°33'44"W

runway: 07/25 - 1700x40m/5000x120feet - SMT

Altitude: 170ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-bazenville-b2-1096.html

As usual, no Butler hangar, no hard construction and no control tower on the British ALGs !

Representation of the airstrip in IL-2 GB:

Spitfires at B2 ,Summer 44:

A picturesque landscape:

 

B-3 SAINTE CROIX SUR MER:

Operational June 15

49°19'11"N 000°31'09"W

runway: 05/23 - 1200x40m/3600x120feet - SMT

Altitude: 161ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-st-croix-sur-mer-b3-1098.html

Sainte Croix sur Mer layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

Next Photo taken on 12 June 1944, during its construction:

A lot of dust!

 

B-4 BENY SUR MER:

Operational June 18
 

49°17'54"N 000°25'34"W

Runway: 18/36 - 1200x40meters/ 130 feet - wire-mesh

Altitude: 180ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-beeny-sur-mer-b4-1097.html

Beny sur Mer layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

Spitfire fighters belonging to No 412 Squadron on B4 airfield. In the background, you can make out the steeple of the church in Beny sur Mer, which still stands today:

 

B-7 RUCQUEVILLE (MARTRAGNY):

Operational June 25
 

49°15’11”N  000°36’58”W

Runway: 17/35 - 1200x40meters/ 130 feet - Square-Mesh Track (SMT)

Altitude: 220ft

Rucqueville layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

 

Mustang of No 122 squadron:

 

B-8 SOMMERVIEU:

Operational June 29

49°17'59"N 000°40'16"W

runway: 10/28 - 1200x40m - SMT

Altitude: 191ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-sommervieu-b8-1111.html

As usual, No butler hangar, no hard construction and no control tower !

Edited January 28 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

B-9 LANTHEUIL:

Operational June 27

49°16’22”N – 000°31’41”W

Runway: 07/25 _ 1200/40m _ Square-Mesh Track (SMT)

Altitude: 157ft

A single Butler hangar was present on the airstrip to the south. No hard construction or control tower.

 

B-11 LONGUES SUR MER:

Operational June 25

49°20'23"N 000°42'25"E

runway: 13/31 - 1200x40m - compacted earth

Altitude: 180ft

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/airfield-longues-sur-mer-b11-1109.html

As usual, no permanent buildings, hangars or control towers. The airstrip is too close to shore! Move it further inland (see plan below).

 

A-17 CARPIQUET:

Caen-carpiquet airfield already dealt with by myself in the previous page of the post, but there are other things to clarify:

Firstly, the runway and taxiways were not designed in asphalt but in concrete pavers, as shown in the photo below:

In addition, the reproduction of the airfield on the Normandy 2.0 map is not complete: parking lanes are missing to the northwest,East and west of the airfield:

Remove those trees in the middle of the airfield they don't belong there!!!! As we saw earlier on the American ALGs, there were still bushes and trees between the taxiways and runways because the engineers had just removed the overgrown vegetation to build the taxiways and runways. But on the permanent airfields there was no vegetation at all !

 

Correct representation of the airfield on IL-2 GB Normandy map with (In the red squares what is missing on DCS Normandy 2.0 map):

It was planned to add a second PSP runway of 5,900 ft (Green arrow)

 

The following 2 aerial photographs were taken on June 6, 1944:

A JU-88 at the Carpiquet airfield:

Edited February 3 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

The ALGs in England were operational for longer than the ALGs in Normandy. But there were a few wooden barracks but still no control tower.

 

RAF Lymington :

Runways X 2:

Orientation / Length:

054°-234° / 1600 Yards (SMT)

157°-337° / 1400 Yards (SMT)

 

https://www.atlantikwall.co.uk/atlantikwall/e_h_lymington_alg.php

https://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/airfields/lym.html

Lymington layout is not correct. Here is the real layout:

https://nfknowledge.org/contributions/lymington-advanced-landing-ground-overview/#lg=1&slide=0

In the following photos:

In yellow, 5 Hangars blisters
In red, a hangar
In purple, PSP plate refuelling areas.

 

RAF Funtington :

Runways X 2:

Orientation / Length:

095°-275° / 1600 Yards (SMT)

173°-353° / 1200 Yards (SMT)

 

Funtington's layout is totally wrong! It's a made-up layout. Please change it because it's not typical of English ALGs and therefore it's not historical at all! I sincerely think that you should have asked the community for information on all the airfields on the map as it's not very historical in general, That would have saved time!

I've already dealt with it on the previous page at the beginning of this post, but here I've managed to find an aerial photograph taken in june 1943 :

This is the true layout:

In yellow, 3 blister Hangars
In red, as at Lymington, refuelling areas (3 areas) with PSP plates.
In purple, the 2 SMT runways.
In brown, the roads passing over the ALG and in green the neighbouring forests that can still be seen today:

I re-edited the ALG on IL2 GB's Normandy map to look as it did in 1944:

There are 3 Blister hangars (in yellow) and 3 refuelling areas (in red).

 

 

 

Edited February 17 by Fred901

[Fred901]

Hi,

 

NEEDS OAR POINT :

Please respect the location of the 4 Blister hangars and the numerous dispersal areas! There are only 4 Blister hangars (in yellow) and not 12 ! There are also 2 PSP plate refuelling areas (in red restangle). No control tower and no solid construction!

Both runways were SMT and not asphalt.

2 Blister hangars:

 

CHAILEY:

There were 4 Blister Sheds in Chailey (Yellow Circle) not just one. What's more, there were no other hangars (crossed out in red). There were 3 PSP refuelling areas (red rectangle). There were no control towers or permanent buildings:

[352ndDeacon]

What is amazing is that the developers don’t access the same sites you do to get the correct info about the airfields they either have built or will be building. Truly amazing. 

[Fred901]

Maybe they don't have the time! Yes,it's really regrettable it's a shame, especially as I spend a lot of time looking for all this information and apparently nothing has been improved! That's incredible too! I wonder if I'm not doing this for nothing!

Edited February 22 by Fred901