Colmar-Meyenheim

47°55'19"N 007°23'59"E

runway: 01/19 - 2430x45m - surface

Colmar-Meyenheim airfield (Aèrodrome Colmar-Meyenheim, also known as Base Aérienne 132 or BA132 Colmar-Meyenheim, ICAO: LFSC) was an airfield 385 kilometers east-southeast of Paris.
The airfield was built between 1951 and 1956 as a NATO standard air base. In 1957 it became home to the 13e Escadre de Chasse Tout Temps (13e ECTT, or 13th All Weather Fighter Wing), which moved in from Lahr Air Base in Germany. The Wing, composed of EC1/13 "Artois" and EC2/13 "Alpes", was equipped with sixty American F-86K "Sabre" fighters and eight T-33s.
In April 1962, the base saw the arrival of the first 13eEC Mirage IIIC fighters. On 25 May 1963 the base was officially named "Base Aérienne Commandant René Papin". From 1965 the Mirage IIIC were gradually replaced by the improved Mirage IIIE.
In 1972 a third squadron was added to the wing: EC 3/13 "Auvergne", equipped with Mirage 5F. These units had originally been planned for Israel as Mirage 5J, but would not be delivered due to an embargo. Instead they were delivered to the l'Armée de l'Air (French Air Force), who never wanted them. Both the Mirage IIIE and 5F remained in service until November 1992 however, when they were replaced with the Mirage F-1CT (converted F-1C fighters optimised for ground attack).
On 13 October 1993 EC1/13 "Artois" and EC3/13 "Auvergne" were renamed EC1/13 "Normandie-Niemen" and EC3/13 "Alsace". On 3 June 1994 EC2/13 "Alps" was disbanded. Another year later, on 23 June 1995 the 13e Escadre de Chasse disbanded, leaving its two fighter squadrons without a parent unit. They became independent and took the designations Escadre de Chasse 1/30 "Alsace" and 2/30 "Normandie-Niemen".


Colmar when it was still an active air base in 2004 (Google Earth)


2007 Aerodrome map


2008 Approach chart

In the early 21st century it was decided to close the airbase. On 1 July 2008 EC1/30 "Alsace" disbanded and EC2/30 "Normandie-Niemen" was redesignated EC1/30 "Normandie-Niemen". On 3 July 2009 EC1/30 "Normandie-Niemen" and the air defense squadron EDSA6/950 "Riquewihr" disbanded, leaving the airfield without operational units. The flag of BA132 was lowered for the last time on 16 June 2010 and put away in the archives of the Air Force.
The following month the airbase was handed over to the French Marine Corps, who stationed the Régiment de marche du Tchad at the site.


When the French Marines took over Colmar air base in 2010, the runway was closed with three large 'X' markings (Google Earth)