Laon-Couvron Air Base

Laon-Couvron Air Base Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-70 Quartier Mangin sur l'ancienne base de Couvron
Part of United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) Armée de Terre
Located near: Laon, Aisne, France
The AUF1 Argenta, with a 155mm main gun like those equipping the 1er RAMa
Coordinates	49°38′0″N 3°32′54″E / 49.63333°N 3.54833°E / 49.63333; 3.54833 (Laon-Couvron AB)
Site information
Controlled by	French Army
Site history
Built	1930s
In use	1930s-Present
Garrison information
Garrison	Artillery regiment left 2012.

Airfield information
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Elevation AMSL	263 ft / 80 m
Coordinates	49°38′00″N 003°32′54″E / 49.63333°N 3.54833°E / 49.63333; 3.54833Coordinates: 49°38′00″N 003°32′54″E / 49.63333°N 3.54833°E / 49.63333; 3.54833
Map
Location of Laon-Couvron Air Base
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 3/21 7,900 2,407 Concrete

Laon-Couvron Air Base is a former French and United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Aisne département of France, less than one mile southeast of the village of Couvron and 6 miles northwest of Laon; on the southwest side of the Autoroute des Anglais (A26 autoroute) 1 Mile (1.6 km) east of the village of Couvron-et-Aumencourt.

Since 1967, the facility has been a French Army Armée de Terre station, renaming the base Quartier Mangin sur l'ancienne base de Couvron. From 1980 to 2012 it was the home of the 1st Marine Artillery Regiment (1^er Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (1er RAMa)).

The location was used for the first time for aviation purposes at the end of the First World War, when the Germans built an airstrip for defending the Paris Gun.
The facility was re-established in 1938 as a French Air Force grass airdrome named "Laon-Chambry". It was headquarters of Groupement de Chasse 23 (Hunting Group 23) with G.C. II/2 being the operational squadron. There were about 26 Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters assigned, along with 2 Curtiss Hawk 75s in May 1940, just prior to the Battle of France.

The airfield was seized by the Germans in late May during the Battle of France. The Luftwaffe quickly moved in combat strike units to continue the Blitzkrieg against French and British Expeditionary Force units in the battle. Known units assigned were:

The Battle of France saw these JS 53 score heavily during May and June 1940 against Armee de l'Air and Royal Air Force forces, while JS 2 was tasked with escorting raids and defending German airspace to the south of Heinz Guderian's Panzer forces which were encircling the French and the British Expeditionary Force. SKS 2 provided air-ground support of Wehrmacht units moving rapidly south into France and along the channel coast against mostly French Army units.