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Issoudun Aerodrome

October 20, 2023

Issoudun Aerodrome was a complex of military airfields in the vicinity of Issoudun, Centre, France. They were used during World War I as part of the Third Air Instructional Center, American Expeditionary Forces for training United States airmen prior to being sent into combat on the Western Front.

Issoudun Aerodrome
Part of American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
Located near: Issoudun, France
Issoudun Aerodrome - Field 3 with Nieuport 23M, 80 HP single seat (solo) aircraft, 1918.
Issoudun Aerodrome
Coordinates46°57′38″N 001°59′39″E / 46.96056°N 1.99417°E / 46.96056; 1.99417
TypeTraining Complex
Site information
Controlled by  Air Service, United States Army
ConditionAbandoned, agricultural fields
Site history
Built1917
In use1917-1918
Battles/warsWorld War I
Garrison information
GarrisonThird Air Instructional Center

It was at that time the largest air base in the world. Today the entire complex consists of agricultural fields, the military facility totally obscured with no trace of its wartime history.

History Edit

Background Edit

By the summer of 1917, two and a half years of the air war had begun to take a serious toll on the number of French and British aviators. While the United States possessed a relatively enormous pool of human resources, they lacked the well developed training methods and aircraft production capabilities of the Allies. In order to maximize the resources of both, the French submitted a memorandum to General George O. Squier, then the Chief Signal Officer of the U.S. Army, suggesting the establishment of an American advanced flying school in France.[1]

The site decided upon for this advanced aviation school was Issoudun, France. Issoudun, located about 100 miles southeast of Paris, was primarily chosen because the surrounding countryside was extremely level and relatively sparsely populated with wide-open spaces for flying fields. The site was also relatively close to a major government-owned railroad line. Probably just as important was its proximity to the aviation factories and new plane assembly fields in the south which were to supply the aircraft to be used in the training at Issoudun. In spite of the advantages of this location, significant work was required to bring the Third Aviation Instruction Center (3rd AIC), as it was to be named, to life.[1]

 
Eddie Rickenbacker, Douglas Campbell, and Kenneth Marr of the 94th Aero Pursuit Squadron all trained at Issoudun

When General John J. Pershing first saw the site, it was nothing but a series of flat fields, with no barracks, hangars, buildings or classroom facilities. Under the agreement with the French, the United States was, “...to furnish 200 workmen to erect it (3d AIC) and ‘all the tools, nails and other implements necessary,’ including a narrow-gauge railroad, while France was to furnish the planes, motors and suitably cleared land.” With this accomplished, American pilots were to begin training in July 1917 and be ready for the front in the fall of the same year.[1]

While this proposal was approved by Pershing, it met some resistance when it reached the Secretary of War. With an initial price tag of almost $800,000 just to open the field, the proposal was rejected by the Secretary of War on 19 May 1917. That same day the proposal was resubmitted with the additional argument that a facility such as the 3d AIC was critical to the development of the air forces that would accompany the A.E.F. to Europe. This time the proposal was accepted, and by July 1917, the first Aero Construction Squadrons began to arrive in France.[1]

By early fall of that same year construction at the field was in full-swing. While the initial pace of building was hectic in an effort to make the base operational as quickly as possible, construction at Issoudun was never really completed and continued right up to the 1918 Armistice with Germany. As a result of this furious pace of construction, Issoudun was fully operational and training was being conducted within a months of Pershing accepting the base.[1]

3d Air Instructional Center Edit

 
Morane rouleur high-speed taxiing trainer on Field 1

The 3d AIC at Issoudun was initially to be merely a “refresher course” for American pursuit pilots arriving in France, prior to being sent to the front. The intent was for the American pilots, having already received advance training in the United States, to become acquainted with the current tactics and aircraft being used at the front.[1]

The advanced aviation schools in the U.S. were slow to develop and lacked both aircraft of the type being used at the front and pilots with combat experience to act as instructors. This lack of advance training in the U.S. dictated the development of a complete course in advanced flying and aerial tactics at Issoudun.[1]

Initially, the school was initially staffed primarily by French instructors, used French airplanes, and consequently, followed the French Bleriot system of instruction. At the time, America did not have the time, resources or pilots to establish its own program in France and therefore relied totally on the French to prepare American pilots for combat duty. American pilots with combat experience and flying time in the type of aircraft being flown at the front were a rare commodity. Many of them were flying with French units, or the Lafayette Escadrille, and chose to remain with those units rather than join the A.E.F. Gradually, American pilots, either graduates from Issoudun or from the American front-line units began to replace their French counterparts. Even with this gradual transition though, the training program at Issoudun remained fundamentally the Bleriot system. The various fields at Issoudun (initially nine, later expanded to 15) each provided a different phase of instruction, allowing the student to progress in successive stages of training until adequately prepared to participate at the front.[1]

 
 
Field 5 showing Nieuport 15M, 80 HP and 120 HP aircraft

The student's progression through these fields was typically as follows:[2][3]

  • Main Aerodrome
Field 1, 46°59′50″N 001°51′58″E / 46.99722°N 1.86611°E / 46.99722; 1.86611 (Field #1)[3] Rouleur Field; Primary instruction, high speed taxiing
Field 2, 47°00′26″N 001°52′27″E / 47.00722°N 1.87417°E / 47.00722; 1.87417 (Field #2)[3] Main Field, Dual-control instruction, first solo flight
Field 3, 47°00′47″N 001°53′02″E / 47.01306°N 1.88389°E / 47.01306; 1.88389 (Field #3)[3] Solo Flying, Cross Country, basic aerobatics

The main aerodrome were also used for new aircraft delivered to the base and the major hangar repair field, for testing repaired or rebuilt aircraft[4]

Fields #4, #5, #6 were used for basic flight training[4]

Operating the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center required a large number of organizations. Serving at Issoudun were the following U.S. Aero Squadrons: 10th, 21st, 26th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 35th, 37th, 43rd, 101st, 149th, 158th, 173rd, 257, 369th, 372nd, 374th, 640th, 641st, 642nd, 644th, 801st, 802nd, and 1104th.[2]

When the first students of the school at Issoudun reported for duty to the front they were among the most extensively trained pilots of the day. The average American pilot received about 60 hours of training at Issoudun and by the time he had completed aerial gunnery school, he averaged over 100 hours of training, “...nearly triple the number of hours of flying time with which pilots of the Royal Air Force had been reporting to their combat units two years earlier.” [1]

When the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, Issoudun was the largest flying school in the world. More than 1,800 men had attended advanced training at Issoudun, of whom 829 completed the pursuit course, 627 served in combat against the Germans on the Western Front, and 202 became instructors. The combat record of those who went to the front speaks for itself—781 enemy planes and 73 balloons destroyed at the cost of 289 aircraft and 48 balloons lost by the AEF.[1]

Closure Edit

The United States Air Service formally left Issoudun Airdrome on 28 June 1919 almost eight months after the war ended. The sites of the former airfields have returned to their previous status as agricultural fields.

On 28 June 2009, the people of Issoudun had a commemoration ceremony in honor of the American aviators who had trained, and in many cases, died while training there. A single monument on Department Route 960 remains to mark Issoudun's part in the Great War.

Training aircraft used Edit

 
Nieuport 28 shown on Issoudun Field 8

[2]

Known squadrons assigned Edit

[4][5][6]

See also Edit

References Edit

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Galipeau, Douglas A. Major (1997) Issoudun: Making of America's First Eagles. Research Paper, Air Command and Staff College, USAF Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
  2. ^ a b c Issoudun Aerodrome
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 1918 map of Issoudun Aerodrome
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Series "J", Volume 9, History of the 3d Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun, Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917-1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C. via http://www.fold3.com
  5. ^ Maurer, Maurer (1978), The US Air Service In World War I, Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF
  6. ^ Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.

October 20, 2023
issoudun, aerodrome, complex, military, airfields, vicinity, issoudun, centre, france, they, were, used, during, world, part, third, instructional, center, american, expeditionary, forces, training, united, states, airmen, prior, being, sent, into, combat, wes. Issoudun Aerodrome was a complex of military airfields in the vicinity of Issoudun Centre France They were used during World War I as part of the Third Air Instructional Center American Expeditionary Forces for training United States airmen prior to being sent into combat on the Western Front Issoudun AerodromePart of American Expeditionary Forces AEF Located near Issoudun FranceIssoudun Aerodrome Field 3 with Nieuport 23M 80 HP single seat solo aircraft 1918 Issoudun AerodromeCoordinates46 57 38 N 001 59 39 E 46 96056 N 1 99417 E 46 96056 1 99417TypeTraining ComplexSite informationControlled by Air Service United States ArmyConditionAbandoned agricultural fieldsSite historyBuilt1917In use1917 1918Battles warsWorld War IGarrison informationGarrisonThird Air Instructional CenterIt was at that time the largest air base in the world Today the entire complex consists of agricultural fields the military facility totally obscured with no trace of its wartime history Contents 1 History 1 1 Background 1 2 3d Air Instructional Center 1 3 Closure 1 4 Training aircraft used 1 5 Known squadrons assigned 2 See also 3 ReferencesHistory EditBackground Edit By the summer of 1917 two and a half years of the air war had begun to take a serious toll on the number of French and British aviators While the United States possessed a relatively enormous pool of human resources they lacked the well developed training methods and aircraft production capabilities of the Allies In order to maximize the resources of both the French submitted a memorandum to General George O Squier then the Chief Signal Officer of the U S Army suggesting the establishment of an American advanced flying school in France 1 The site decided upon for this advanced aviation school was Issoudun France Issoudun located about 100 miles southeast of Paris was primarily chosen because the surrounding countryside was extremely level and relatively sparsely populated with wide open spaces for flying fields The site was also relatively close to a major government owned railroad line Probably just as important was its proximity to the aviation factories and new plane assembly fields in the south which were to supply the aircraft to be used in the training at Issoudun In spite of the advantages of this location significant work was required to bring the Third Aviation Instruction Center 3rd AIC as it was to be named to life 1 nbsp Eddie Rickenbacker Douglas Campbell and Kenneth Marr of the 94th Aero Pursuit Squadron all trained at IssoudunWhen General John J Pershing first saw the site it was nothing but a series of flat fields with no barracks hangars buildings or classroom facilities Under the agreement with the French the United States was to furnish 200 workmen to erect it 3d AIC and all the tools nails and other implements necessary including a narrow gauge railroad while France was to furnish the planes motors and suitably cleared land With this accomplished American pilots were to begin training in July 1917 and be ready for the front in the fall of the same year 1 While this proposal was approved by Pershing it met some resistance when it reached the Secretary of War With an initial price tag of almost 800 000 just to open the field the proposal was rejected by the Secretary of War on 19 May 1917 That same day the proposal was resubmitted with the additional argument that a facility such as the 3d AIC was critical to the development of the air forces that would accompany the A E F to Europe This time the proposal was accepted and by July 1917 the first Aero Construction Squadrons began to arrive in France 1 By early fall of that same year construction at the field was in full swing While the initial pace of building was hectic in an effort to make the base operational as quickly as possible construction at Issoudun was never really completed and continued right up to the 1918 Armistice with Germany As a result of this furious pace of construction Issoudun was fully operational and training was being conducted within a months of Pershing accepting the base 1 3d Air Instructional Center Edit nbsp Morane rouleur high speed taxiing trainer on Field 1The 3d AIC at Issoudun was initially to be merely a refresher course for American pursuit pilots arriving in France prior to being sent to the front The intent was for the American pilots having already received advance training in the United States to become acquainted with the current tactics and aircraft being used at the front 1 The advanced aviation schools in the U S were slow to develop and lacked both aircraft of the type being used at the front and pilots with combat experience to act as instructors This lack of advance training in the U S dictated the development of a complete course in advanced flying and aerial tactics at Issoudun 1 Initially the school was initially staffed primarily by French instructors used French airplanes and consequently followed the French Bleriot system of instruction At the time America did not have the time resources or pilots to establish its own program in France and therefore relied totally on the French to prepare American pilots for combat duty American pilots with combat experience and flying time in the type of aircraft being flown at the front were a rare commodity Many of them were flying with French units or the Lafayette Escadrille and chose to remain with those units rather than join the A E F Gradually American pilots either graduates from Issoudun or from the American front line units began to replace their French counterparts Even with this gradual transition though the training program at Issoudun remained fundamentally the Bleriot system The various fields at Issoudun initially nine later expanded to 15 each provided a different phase of instruction allowing the student to progress in successive stages of training until adequately prepared to participate at the front 1 nbsp nbsp Field 5 showing Nieuport 15M 80 HP and 120 HP aircraftThe student s progression through these fields was typically as follows 2 3 Main AerodromeField 1 46 59 50 N 001 51 58 E 46 99722 N 1 86611 E 46 99722 1 86611 Field 1 3 Rouleur Field Primary instruction high speed taxiing Field 2 47 00 26 N 001 52 27 E 47 00722 N 1 87417 E 47 00722 1 87417 Field 2 3 Main Field Dual control instruction first solo flight Field 3 47 00 47 N 001 53 02 E 47 01306 N 1 88389 E 47 01306 1 88389 Field 3 3 Solo Flying Cross Country basic aerobaticsThe main aerodrome were also used for new aircraft delivered to the base and the major hangar repair field for testing repaired or rebuilt aircraft 4 Field 4 47 00 15 N 001 54 27 E 47 00417 N 1 90750 E 47 00417 1 90750 Field 4 3 Used for spiral turns Field 5 47 00 27 N 001 56 11 E 47 00750 N 1 93639 E 47 00750 1 93639 Field 5 3 Used for taxiing taking off and landing and wing slips Field 6 46 59 12 N 001 55 20 E 46 98667 N 1 92222 E 46 98667 1 92222 Field 6 3 Aerobatic Field Used for advanced acrobaticsFields 4 5 6 were used for basic flight training 4 Field 7 46 56 49 N 001 53 33 E 46 94694 N 1 89250 E 46 94694 1 89250 Field 7 3 Valentine Field Used for training in formation flying 4 Field 8 46 57 45 N 001 50 22 E 46 96250 N 1 83944 E 46 96250 1 83944 Field 8 3 Used for aerial combat training Field 9 47 01 50 N 001 49 35 E 47 03056 N 1 82639 E 47 03056 1 82639 Field 9 3 Introduction to the Nieuport 18M Graduates either proceeded to Field 10 for 2 seater training or to Field 4 for pursuit training Field 10 46 58 10 N 001 54 16 E 46 96944 N 1 90444 E 46 96944 1 90444 Field 10 3 Used for observation pilot training DH 4 Field 11 46 56 08 N 001 50 39 E 46 93556 N 1 84417 E 46 93556 1 84417 Field 11 3 Under Construction 1 October 1918 not used 4 Field 12 47 00 51 N 001 48 35 E 47 01417 N 1 80972 E 47 01417 1 80972 Field 12 3 Under Construction 1 October 1918 not used 4 Field 13 47 01 21 N 001 53 03 E 47 02250 N 1 88417 E 47 02250 1 88417 Field 13 3 Under Construction 1 October 1918 not used planned for aerial gunnery 4 Field 14 46 57 10 N 001 46 45 E 46 95278 N 1 77917 E 46 95278 1 77917 Field 14 3 Used for machine gun training in aerial gunnery 4 Field 15 47 02 39 N 001 58 31 E 47 04417 N 1 97528 E 47 04417 1 97528 Field 15 3 Under Construction 1 October 1918 not used 4 Operating the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center required a large number of organizations Serving at Issoudun were the following U S Aero Squadrons 10th 21st 26th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 35th 37th 43rd 101st 149th 158th 173rd 257 369th 372nd 374th 640th 641st 642nd 644th 801st 802nd and 1104th 2 When the first students of the school at Issoudun reported for duty to the front they were among the most extensively trained pilots of the day The average American pilot received about 60 hours of training at Issoudun and by the time he had completed aerial gunnery school he averaged over 100 hours of training nearly triple the number of hours of flying time with which pilots of the Royal Air Force had been reporting to their combat units two years earlier 1 When the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918 Issoudun was the largest flying school in the world More than 1 800 men had attended advanced training at Issoudun of whom 829 completed the pursuit course 627 served in combat against the Germans on the Western Front and 202 became instructors The combat record of those who went to the front speaks for itself 781 enemy planes and 73 balloons destroyed at the cost of 289 aircraft and 48 balloons lost by the AEF 1 Closure Edit The United States Air Service formally left Issoudun Airdrome on 28 June 1919 almost eight months after the war ended The sites of the former airfields have returned to their previous status as agricultural fields On 28 June 2009 the people of Issoudun had a commemoration ceremony in honor of the American aviators who had trained and in many cases died while training there A single monument on Department Route 960 remains to mark Issoudun s part in the Great War Training aircraft used Edit nbsp Nieuport 28 shown on Issoudun Field 8Morane rouleurs preliminary training ground training aircraft fitted with clipped wings de Havilland DH 4 Nieuport 15M Nieuport 18M Nieuport 23 Nieuport 24 Nieuport 28 2 Known squadrons assigned Edit 95th Aero Squadron Pursuit 16 November 1917 18 February 1918 103d Aero Squadron Pursuit 24 December 1917 18 February 1918 94th Aero Squadron Pursuit 24 January 5 March 1918 13th Aero Squadron Pursuit 27 January 11 May 1918 27th Aero Squadron Pursuit 29 March 24 April 1918 139th Aero Squadron Pursuit 29 March 28 May 1918 28th Aero Squadron Pursuit 24 27 June 1918 22d Aero Squadron Observation 26 June 7 July 1918 49th Aero Squadron Pursuit 2 28 July 1918 93d Aero Squadron Pursuit 7 28 July 1918 135th Aero Squadron Observation 2 19 July 1918 1st Aero Squadron Observation 29 September 19 October 1918 4 5 6 See also Edit nbsp World War I portalList of United States Air Service aerodromes in France Chateauroux Deols Air Base Cold War USAF NATO depot Air Base located 13 miles southwest of Issoudun Aerodrome Complex Location Map of Issoudun AerodromesReferences EditMap all coordinates using OpenStreetMapDownload coordinates as KML GPX all coordinates GPX primary coordinates GPX secondary coordinates nbsp This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency a b c d e f g h i j Galipeau Douglas A Major 1997 Issoudun Making of America s First Eagles Research Paper Air Command and Staff College USAF Air University Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama a b c Issoudun Aerodrome a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 1918 map of Issoudun Aerodrome a b c d e f g h i Series J Volume 9 History of the 3d Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun Gorrell s History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service 1917 1919 National Archives Washington D C via http www fold3 com Maurer Maurer 1978 The US Air Service In World War I Office of Air Force History Headquarters USAF Maurer Maurer ed 1982 1969 Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II PDF reprint ed Washington DC Office of Air Force History ISBN 0 405 12194 6 LCCN 70605402 OCLC 72556 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Issoudun Aerodrome amp oldid 1139187674, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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