Cramont

50°09'46"N 002°03'22"E

Runway: 10/28 - 500x40meters - concrete

Cramont airfield (Aerodrome de Cramont, also known as Flugplatz Yvrench) was an airfield 35 kilometers northwest of Amiens in France
It was first used in the first quarter of 1916 by the 40th Ballooning Company (french: 40ème Compagnie d'Aérostation). After World War I the land was abandoned, and returned to agricultural use. In 1940 the terrain was prepared for use by Air Groups of the British Expeditionary Force in France. It is not clear if they ever got to use it however.
German troops found the terrain and used it from June 1940 onwards. Stationed at the airfield, which the Germans called Flugplatz Yvrench, were the following units:
I./JG54, between 6 June and 10 June 1940, flying Bf109E fighters
I./JG76, between 7 June and 16 June 1940, flying Bf109E fighters
I./ and II./ZG26 between June and November 1940, flying Bf110 fighters
II./ZG26, between 7 December 1940 and 9 February 1941.

From February 1941 activity at the airfield was very low, and only a small staff was left behind to take care of the installation. It is not known if the airfield played a role in the construction and operation of a V-1 site built only 3 kilometers to the northwest. The V-1 site was bombed on November 9th 1943, but there are no records that indicates the airfield was hit too.
In 1944, while the Allies were getting close to the airfield, it was destroyed by retreating German troops by digging deep trenches to prevent landings. The airfield was captured by the British army. In October 1944 an Armée de l'Air detachment settled on the airfield to prepare it for use, but the work was halted for unknown reasons. The site was then made available to its former owners for recultivation.


Cramont airfield in 1947, showing the airstrip suffered at least one airstrike during the war, as can be seen from several bomb craters (IGN).


Cramont airfield in 2006, showing the airstrip remarkably intact, even 60 years after the end of WW-II (Google Earth).

In 2010 the airfields runway was still visible from the air. In the nearby forest, which served as a dispersal area, remains of airfield buildings can still be found. Between the runway and the dispersals taxi tracks can still be identified.