Oran Tafaraoui Airport | |||
---|---|---|---|
IATA: TAF – ICAO: DAOL | |||
Summary | |||
Airport type | Public/Military | ||
Owner | People’s National Army | ||
Operator | Algerian Air Force | ||
Serves | Oran, Algeria | ||
Elevation AMSL | 112 m / 367 ft | ||
Coordinates | 35°32′27.85″N 000°32′02.02″W / 35.5410694°N 0.5338944°WCoordinates: 35°32′27.85″N 000°32′02.02″W / 35.5410694°N 0.5338944°W | ||
Map | |||
Location of airport in Algeria | |||
Runways | |||
Direction | Length | Surface | |
m | ft | ||
08/26 | 2,738 | 9,037 | Asphalt |
Source:World Aero Data [1] |
Oran Tafaraoui Airport is a joint civil/military airport in Oran Province, Algeria (IATA: TAF, ICAO: DAOL).
History[]
During World War II, it was a primary mission objective of the United States Army 34th Infantry Division during the Allied Operation Torch landings on 8 November 1942, and became a major Twelfth Air Force base of operations during the North African Campaign against the German Afrika Korps.
Tafaraoui became a staging and transit point for many units:
- 11–20 November 1942 - 1st Fighter Group HQ and the 27th, 71st and 94th Fighter Squadrons, flying P-38 Lightnings, arrived then departed Tafaraoui.
- 14 November 1942 - HQ 14th Fighter Group, HQ 62d Troop Carrier Group, and the 4th and 7th Troop Carrier Squadrons arrive at Tafaraoui with C-47 Skytrains
- 16 November 1942 - 8th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62d Troop Carrier Group, arrive at Tafaraoui from the UK with C-47s; the 111th and 154th Observation Squadrons, 68th Observation Group, moves from St Leu to Tafaraoui with A-20s
- 17 November 1942 - 437th and 438th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 319th Bombardment Group (Medium), move from Saint-Leu to Tafaraoui with B-26s.
- November 42 - HQ 319th Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 439th, and 440th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) move from St Leu to Tafaraoui with B-26 Marauders; "A" flight of the air echelon of the 15th Photographic Mapping Squadron, 3d Photographic Group, arrives at Tafaraoui with B-17 Flying Fortresses and F-4s (B-17 photo reconnaissance aircraft).
The new desert Spitfires of the 31st Fighter Group were also assigned to Tafaraoui. Other aircraft at the field included P-38s of the 14th, B-26s, B-25 Mitchells, A-20 Havocs, Gen. Doolittle's B-17-G, some {Amiat} French bombers around, and some old wrecks fixed up as dummies.
Current use[]
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. |
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
References[]
Airport information for DAOL at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
External links[]
- Accident history for TAF at Aviation Safety Network
- Airport information for DAOL at Great Circle Mapper.
- Current weather for DAOL at NOAA/National Weather Service
- "DAOL @ aerobaticsweb.org". Landings.com. http://aerobaticsweb.org/cgi-bin/search_apt?DAOL.
The original article can be found at Oran Tafraoui Airport and the edit history here.