ALG A-21 C – Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer
Battle of Normandy
This page presents the history of ALG (Advanced Landing Groud) A-21 C, used by the 9th United States Air Force during the Battle of Normandy.
9th United States Air Force
Location: Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Calvados (14)
Code: A-21 C
Coordinates: 49°21’55”N – 000°52’21”W
Construction: from June 7 to 9, 1944 by the 834th Engineer Aviation Battalion (EAB)
Operational period: from June 9 to September 25, 1944
Airstrip: compacted earth
Length: 1 037 m (3400 feet)
Width: 30,5 m (100 feet)
Azimuth: 110°
Units:
– 31st Transport Group using C-47 Skytrain & C-53 Skytrooper
ALG A-21 C history:
ALG A-21 C is originally an Emergency Landing Strip (ELS) coded E-1 (E for “Emergency”) and built the day after June 6, 1944 by sappers of Lieutenant Colonel John J. Livingstone, who work under enemy fire. On June 9, 1944 at 18:00, a C-47 transport plane can land on the runway: the evacuation of seriously wounded, taken care of in the 13th Field Hospital also located in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, can begin.
Quickly renamed “ALG A-21 C” (C for Cargo), this aerodrome (the first to be fully operational during the Battle of Normandy) evacuated 15,000 wounded from June 9 to August 25, 1944 to hospitals located in England.
Remains:
– Commemorative stele east of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, on the plateau and at the edge of the road along the valley of Ruquet towards the sea.
