Casablanca-Anfa Airport
Encyclopedia
Casablanca-Anfa Airport is an airport in Morocco
, located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southwest of Casablanca
. Anfa Airport is one of two airports serving the Casablanca area, the other being the newer and larger Mohammed V International Airport
. Anfa Airport, restricted by the urban growth around it, primarily serves local air traffic. Royal Air Maroc
has its head office on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport.
closed its base at Nouasseur in 1959. Nouasseur Air Base was renamed Mohammed V International Airport
and has been expanded over the years to handle large jet aircraft and has become Casablanca's primary airport.
During World War II
, Anfa Airport was taken over by the Vichy French government and used as an airport as well as an air base for the Vichy French Air Force
with its limited aircraft allowed by the Armistice with Nazi Germany
. It was also used by Deutsche Lufthansa
and German military transports. It was immortalized in the fictional 1942 film Casablanca
Anfa Airport was one of the primary Allied objectives during Operation Torch
, the invasion of North Africa
and was seized in the initial landings in the Casablanca area. After its capture by Allied forces, it functioned as an Allied military airfield throughout the remainder of the war, supporting the United States Army
during the North African Campaign
, and also as an Air Transport Command
cargo hub on the North African Route. It also served as a transit point for United States Army Air Force aircraft heading to England
as part of Eighth Air Force
as well as Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Force
s in the Mediterranean Theater
as part of the southern air transport route from the United States via Brazil and Dakar. It was returned to civilian control in late 1945.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southwest of Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
. Anfa Airport is one of two airports serving the Casablanca area, the other being the newer and larger Mohammed V International Airport
Mohammed V International Airport
Mohammed V International Airport is an airport operated by ONDA . Located in Province of Nouaceur, a suburb 30 km south-east of Casablanca, it is the busiest airport in Morocco with almost 7.25 million passengers passing through the airport in 2010...
. Anfa Airport, restricted by the urban growth around it, primarily serves local air traffic. Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc is the flag carrier airline of Morocco, headquartered on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca...
has its head office on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport.
History
Built in the 1920s by the French colonial government, Anfa Airport was the primary airport for Casablanca until the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
closed its base at Nouasseur in 1959. Nouasseur Air Base was renamed Mohammed V International Airport
Mohammed V International Airport
Mohammed V International Airport is an airport operated by ONDA . Located in Province of Nouaceur, a suburb 30 km south-east of Casablanca, it is the busiest airport in Morocco with almost 7.25 million passengers passing through the airport in 2010...
and has been expanded over the years to handle large jet aircraft and has become Casablanca's primary airport.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Anfa Airport was taken over by the Vichy French government and used as an airport as well as an air base for the Vichy French Air Force
Vichy French Air Force
The Vichy French Air Force was the aerial branch of the armed forces of Vichy France - the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers following the defeat of France by Germany in 1940....
with its limited aircraft allowed by the Armistice with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. It was also used by Deutsche Lufthansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
and German military transports. It was immortalized in the fictional 1942 film Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
Anfa Airport was one of the primary Allied objectives during Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, the invasion of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and was seized in the initial landings in the Casablanca area. After its capture by Allied forces, it functioned as an Allied military airfield throughout the remainder of the war, supporting the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during the North African Campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, and also as an Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
cargo hub on the North African Route. It also served as a transit point for United States Army Air Force aircraft heading to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as part of Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
as well as Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
s in the Mediterranean Theater
Mediterranean Theater
The term Mediterranean Theater can refer to:* Mediterranean Theatre of World War II, 1940–45* Mediterranean Theater of Operations, the official term for American military operations by the Army, the Navy, and the Army Air Forces in the Mediterranean region during 1942–45...
as part of the southern air transport route from the United States via Brazil and Dakar. It was returned to civilian control in late 1945.