Forgotten airfields europe

Validation date: 06 02 2014
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47°01'07"N 005°44'10"E

Flying field: ...x...m - Grass
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Chissey-sur-Loue airfield (Aérodrome de Chissey-sur-Loue) was an airfield 325kilometers southeast of Paris.
A small civilian airfield existed on the outskirts of Chissey since 1924 on the site of what was an airfield until the armistice of World War I. In 1931 the army chose to use it, which took place in 1936.

The 75 hectares of land that made up the airfield was located east of Chissey-sur-Loue, just 200 meters from the Loue River, along the road between Chissey and Arc-et-Senans. Because it was located on a wide and open area for at least a kilometer on all sides of the airfield, absolutely devoid of any natural obstacles, aircraft were forced to be dispersed widely. Although the airfield was used only briefly, it was very popular with aviators.

Chissey-sur-Loue airflied in 1940 (IGN, via geoportail.fr)

Camouflaged facilities were constantly watched and cared for. The necessary dispersion of carefully selected shelters did interfere with a rapid use of the aircraft, as the organization was precise and careful! (histavia21.net)

Camouflaged aircraft Bloch 200 (histavia21.net)

27 & 28 August 1939 the Groupe de Bombardement GB II/32 arrived from Châteauroux with 11 obsolete Bloch 200, capable of carrying a 1000 Kg payload at 220 km/h. The Bombardment Group was supported by the Compagnie de l'Air 23/102 that same day. Some poplar trees had to be topped to allow them to land. The Groupe left for Tavaux airfield on 15 November 1939, as the wet Chissey terrain became unsuitable for fully loaded Bloch 200.

In 1940 Chissey on the Loue became Base Aèrienne 42.E.4. From March 1940 about 12 tents were installed near the track and 23 wooden huts were built semi-buried and camouflaged in the southeast corner of the airfield, near the Loue River. A command post was also realized.

Groupe de Chasse (Fighter Group) GC II/2 used MS406 fighters from Chissey -sur -Loue between 22 May to 15 June 1940, making almost 100 sorties during which they shot down several He111 and Do17 bombers.

Morane Soulnier 406 C1 No. 603 of 3 squadron GC II / 2 is being inspected by German soldiers at Chissey-sur-Loue (histavia21.net)

Pilots Boymond and Gauthier took part in the downing of a Dornier 17 near Dole. It caught fire and crashed into the woods near Port-Lesney (Jura) near a place called La Roche. The body of one of the German airmen who died was found entangled in the high branches of a tree in March 1941, the other two airmen were taken prisoner and brought to the Brack barracks at Dole.

The proximity of German troops saw the departure of the last planes and those would never return. On 16 June 1940 the last fighters took off and the ground echelon flew off to Coulommiers in two Bloch 200 of Air France. German tanks reached the airfield on 17 June.
The Germans did not use the airfield. Instead, they parcelled the airfield into one hectare plots and forced local farmers to cultivate them at a price of rent payable to the Besançon Kommandantur.
After liberation, the German idea to return the field to agriculture was turned into long term leases, despite protests by the Minister of Public Works and Transport, who recognised the field "had an aviation interest". However, by Law of 24 September 1948, the same minister decided, in consultation with the Secretary of State for the Armée de l'Air, that the airfield was no longer needed and available for sale. Only a few years later, nobody talked of the Chissey airfield anymore.

Chissey sur loue 1951, just some concrete parts are still visible. (IGN, via geoportail.fr)

Position of the installation reported on a google aerial picture in 2004. (Google Earth - ForgottenAirfields/Olivier)

Remains of a refueling platform in 2007 (histavia21.net)

Today there is virtually nothing left of the structures built by the Air Force, just an abandoned shelter and one or two very small segments of concrete tracks near the location of the fuel bunkers. All essential facilities and roads were destroyed and returned to agriculture during the war, as per the terms expressly agreed by the Vichy government with the German occupiers. After the war, the land was legally sold back to their former owners (histavia21.net).

Chissey-sur-Loue, the location of the former airfield in 2007 (histavia21.net)

Thank you very much to Daniel Gilberti, webmaster of: www.histavia.net
Added by Olivier