Verdun Aerodrome
Verdun, in the Meuse department, is a small city on the river Meuse, which had been heavily fortified before WW1 started. A military airfield was created in 1912 out of the eastern part of the city, in a place called "Faubourg Pavé" (Paved Suburb...); yet navigation charts did not mention the airfield, but three different military grounds elsewhere in Verdun (one with an airship hangar), with a projected new airfield north of the city, at Charny. From the beginning of the war until the outbreak of the Battle of Verdun, in February 1916, the Faubourg Pavé airfield was widely used by the French Air Service. As the battle developed, many airfields were built further away from the front line and "Faubourg Pavé" had to be abandoned.
| Verdun Aerodrome | |
|---|---|
| Part of American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) | |
| Located near: Verdun, France | |
  Verdun Aerodrome | |
| Coordinates | 49°09′33″N 005°24′47″E |
| Type | Combat Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  Air Service, United States Army |
| Condition | Agricultural area |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1918 |
| In use | 1918–1919 |
| Battles/wars |  World War I |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 1st Pursuit Group (Elements) United States First Army Air Service |
In 1918, many American Air Service squadrons flew from airfields around Verdun, as Julvécourt, Souilly, Lemmes or Béthelainville. Sources also mention temporary detachment of the 95th Aero Squadron to a "Verdun" airfield, without any further details, which could probably mean any of those airfields as it stayed there for a rather long time; 27th, for itself, stayed only a few days, 7–11 November, which could be any of those airfields, or a now-forgotten temporary airstrip... As the front line moved eastwards away from Verdun during the last weeks of the war, wa can also imagine aircraft landing back at "Faubourg Pavé"...
Known units assigned
- Detachment of 27th Aero Squadron (Pursuit) 25 September - 12 December 1918.
- Detachment of 95th Aero Squadron (Pursuit) 7–11 November 1918.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- Series "D", Volume 2, Squadron histories,. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.