BRIENNE LE CHATEAU D.O.B

1955 - 1965


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Brienne Air Base in 1953. Only two of the three disersal are already built.
© IGN

Vitry-Brienne Air Base (or Brienne-le-Château Air Base - 10) is a former US dispersed operating base (DOB), used by US Air Force in Europe then by US Army, from 1955 to 1965.

 


Vitry-Brienne Air Base in 1962. The base was used by US Army for light aircrafts maintenance purpose.
© IGN


Vitry-Brienne in 1969, after the US military left. On the south-easter dispersal, you can notice the relics of a square hangar,
just next to the main central hangar. This building, visible in 1965, did not stand for a very long time in Brienne.
It might have been erected for US Army aviation maintenance needs.

© IGN


Aerial view of the former USAF Brienne Air Base in 2009.
© Google Earth

Open in Google Maps

Originally thought as a main USAF base, Brienne living area is more developped than it is on others US DOB's in France. For the same reason, Vitry-Brienne was the only DOB equiped with a firing-in butt to adjust fighters guns' accuracy. It is located north of the north-eastern dispersal, away from buildings of the living area.

 


This base map is a wall painting, located inside the former firefighters building.
I
t is still visible so far, but some cracks have started to seriously degrade the painting
© F. Loubette

Looking at these different aerial pictures and this map, one can notice that unlike the others marguerites, the north-eastern dispersal was never equiped with any central hangar, contrary to Jerome McAuliffe's theory (US Air Force in France 1950 - 1967).


South-eastern dispersal in 1969. You can notice the "ghost" of a square hangar which did not stay very long in Brienne.
© IGN

However, a third hangar was indeed built, around the mid-sixties, next to the south-eastern dispersal main hangar. This bulding was quickly removed. It does not appear on the firefighters map. Only marks on the ground remain, visible on aerial pictures.


On this 1965 incomplete aerial picture, you can see a part of the extra hangar built on the south-eastern dispersal.
Its type, origin and specific use are unknown to us so far. © IGN


Only a concrete platform and the sliding-door rails remain from the former extra hangar.
© F. Loubette



Close-up from previous map showing the living area and its american street names.
© F. Loubette

 


Shot in 1962 this aerial pictures shows the approach lighting system towards runway 29 (east of the base).
Today, this equipment has totally disappeared. © IGN

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Last update : 08/28/2013

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Copyright F. Loubette - 2013