Pont du Fahs Airfield
Encyclopedia
Pont du Fahs Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Tunisia
, which was located approximately 6 km west-southwest of El Fahs, and 55 km southwest of Tunis
.
A Luftwaffe
-held airfield prior to the Operation Torch
landings, it was the home of the 5.(Pz.)/Schlachtgeschwader 1, flying Henschel Hs 129
ground attack aircraft. It was captured by British parachute infantry forces on 29 November 1942. Once in Allied hands, it was used by B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers of the United States Army Air Force XII Bomber Command
97th Bombardment Group.
The 97th moved out in mid August 1943 and after that the airfield was largely abandoned. Today some evidence of the airfield remains with the main runway being visible in aerial photography and traces of taxiways and disbursement hardstands.
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, which was located approximately 6 km west-southwest of El Fahs, and 55 km southwest of Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
.
A Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
-held airfield prior to the 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....
landings, it was the home of the 5.(Pz.)/Schlachtgeschwader 1, flying Henschel Hs 129
Henschel Hs 129
The Henschel Hs 129 was a World War II ground-attack aircraft fielded by the German Luftwaffe. Its nickname, the Panzerknacker , is a deliberate pun—in German, it also means "safe cracker"...
ground attack aircraft. It was captured by British parachute infantry forces on 29 November 1942. Once in Allied hands, it was used by B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers of the United States Army Air Force XII Bomber Command
XII Bomber Command
The XII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Twelfth Air Force, based in Corsica, France...
97th Bombardment Group.
The 97th moved out in mid August 1943 and after that the airfield was largely abandoned. Today some evidence of the airfield remains with the main runway being visible in aerial photography and traces of taxiways and disbursement hardstands.