Francheville Aerodrome

Francheville Aerodrome
Part of American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
near Mouroux, France
300px Francheville Aerodrome, July 1918. Photographed by the 88th Aero Squadron
Francheville Aerodrome
Coordinates
Type	Combat airfield
Site information
Controlled by	Air Service, United States Army
Condition	Agricultural area
Site history
Built	1918
In use	1918–19
Battles/wars	World War I
Garrison information
Garrison	I Corps Observation Group United States First Army Air Service

Francheville Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located 1.9 miles (3.1 km) North of Mouroux, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.

Overview

The airfield was built during the summer of 1918 as a primary operating base for the I Corps Observation Group. The mission of the base was battlefield reconnaissance over the I Corps area, providing aerial reconnaissance, written observations of enemy forces and performing artillery adjustments.

From Francheville, the squadrons of the group, the 1st, 12th and 88th Aero Squadrons, began flying over the lines northwest of Château-Thierry. It was a very active sector with many enemy aircraft. The aircraft flew reconnaissance from 3am to 8pm and nearly every sortie meant combat with the enemy. At the end of July, the group again moved to the Vesle Sector to perform reconnaissance prior to the St. Mihiel Offensive, and Francefille was abandoned. It was not used again by the Americans during the war.

After the armistice, the airfield was returned to the French and it was dismantled, being returned to agricultural use. Today it is a series of cultivated fields located to the northwest of Giremoutiers. The nearby World War II Coulommiers Airfield is about 1 km to the west. Today, the agricultural fields of Francheville show no indication of its aviation past.

Known units assigned

• Headquarters, I Corps Observation Group, 6–30 July 1918
• 1st Aero Squadron (Observation) 6–22 July 1918
• 12th Aero Squadron (Observation) 6–22 July 1918
• 88th Aero Squadron (Observation) 7 July–4 August 1918

See also

• List of Air Service American Expeditionary Force aerodromes in France

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Series "D", Volume 2, Squadron histories,. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.