Fliegerhorst Laon Athies Luftwaffe WWII

[klnowak]

The next airport is the "Fliegerhorst" Laon-Athies, which was used by the German Luftwaffe in 1940.
The airfield is located about 124 km northwest of Paris and 40 km north-east of Reims.
Initially, this was a pure field airfield with three grass runways, which were then expanded in 1942 to fixed runways. During the Battle of Britain here was the fighter squadron JG53 "ace of spades" with BF-109E and the combat squadron KG77 stationed with Do -17Z. Later, until mid-1944, the Ju-88, HE-111 and various night fighter units were used.

From the end of 1944, the place was then used by various associations of the US Air Force. In the 1950s, the base was then converted to a NATO base.

I will design this place in three different selectable versions. Shown are the times of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a version with attached runways in 1943 and the US version from the end of 1944. This will then be the appropriate AI traffic available.

I still have not decided if I then later will make the Nato version design.

A few first pictures are already available from the first work on the version of the Battle of Britain from the year 1940 ... but still in the basic features.
Basis is this time is just for FSX. FranceVFR has not published a corresponding add-on here.

Frist pictures....
http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1h.jpg


http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1j.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1i.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1k.jpg


greetings
Klaus

[klnowak]

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1a.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1d.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1e.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1c.jpg

greetings
Klaus

[YoYo]

Thank You Klaus!
Something for incoming Heinkel! :wavey:
Looks very nice like always!

[hertzie]

Yeah, a grass field!! Great!! And what is the difference between a Feldflugplatz and a Fliegerhorst?? Never too old to learn, though??

Thanks again Klaus!!

hertzie.

[klnowak]

And what is the difference between a Feldflugplatz and a Fliegerhorst??

Fliegerhorst
The airfields were fully developed airfields with fixed facilities already in times of peace. The airfields had an airfield or three triangular shaped runways, so that the aircraft could take off and land against the wind.

Feldflugplatz
As field airfield places were designated, which should be furnished temporarily on originally intended but not suitable areas. These are used to maintain air combat capability and are deployed when either fixed airports have been destroyed or when tactical measures require launch sites far from usable spaces.


Hope that will help a little bit.

greetings
Klaus

[rtoolooze]

Looks Fantastic, well done!

[tgycgijoes]

I am looking forward to this one, thank you for taking it on. Really looking good so far even in the beginning.

[klnowak]

Thanks...

some pictures from progress on version from 1943.

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1s.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1v.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1w.jpg


and just getting a little fun with testing... escorting a "Condor"

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1m.jpg


greetings
Klaus

[klnowak]

Landing a HE-111 on II./KG100 in 1943.....

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1x.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1y.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1z.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1z1.jpg


greetings
Klaus

[klnowak]

In version for this airfield in year 1944 there will be a special ai-aircraft in use.
From march till july 1944 there was a group of KG101 with "Mistel'-'Bomber on that airfield. This one you will find in ai-traffic for 1944 too.

pictures from Mistel-Bombers....

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Mistel1.JPG

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Mistel2.JPG

and in scenery as ai-traffic

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1z3.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1z4.jpg


greetings
Klaus

[klnowak]

Some more....
http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1z6.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1z10.jpg


using TacPack....
http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1z7.jpg


Version 1944 from air.... its ready.....
http://www.caribican.de/Laon/Laon1z9.jpg


greetings
Klaus

[klnowak]

Some pictures from the version of US. Late 1944 the US captured this airport and use it for the rest of war. Before the german troops retreat from this airport they distroyed most of the buildings. So the USAAF called this one a "improved landingground" and sign it A-69. P-47, Mustangs and B-26 used this airport for their operations.

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1b.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1c.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1d.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1e.jpg

greetings
Klaus

[klnowak]

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1f.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1h.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1i.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1j.jpg

[klnowak]

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1k.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1m.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1n.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1l.jpg

[klnowak]

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1o.jpg

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1p.jpg

greetings
Klaus

[blanston12]

What I would really like is a FSX native Jeep!

[tgycgijoes]

What I would really like is a FSX native Jeep!

I didn't use this one at Hawthorne Aeronautical School but I used this at NAS Alameda 2 years ago and just found it again at AVSIM:

https://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fsxmisc&DLID=178748

[tgycgijoes]

I sadly lost both of my A-26 Invader repaints when my computer without any warning crashed without recovery last week but i am working on a new repaint and will look forward to flying out of here in the 416th BG. Thanks Klaus

[Dimus]

Klaus, if I may comment on the paved runways. I believe in WWII, the runways would not be marked with zebra lines and touchdown marks, as these are modern/post war CAA or FAA rule developments. I do not have any reference for the specific airfield, this is just my opinion. In ADE, you can uncheck these features from the runway surface. I am not even sure about runway numbers and centerline marks. One needs to have period pictures of the specific airfield to make sure, I just think it would be safer to not have them than to have them.

Others may correct me if I'm wrong of course.

[klnowak]

Klaus, if I may comment on the paved runways. I believe in WWII, the runways would not be marked with zebra lines and touchdown marks, as these are modern/post war CAA or FAA rule developments.

One thing to change. Your right with that. No markings at all. Thanks

greetings
Klaus

[IanP]

I can't comment on Luftwaffe requirements, but most RAF runways were completely unmarked. Sometimes, rarely, there were locally applied runway numbers painted on the ends, but nothing more. They should - even through to the end of the war - have been camouflaged, but to be honest, once the Allies had air superiority, no-one bothered.

The edges of the runway would be marked with "gooseneck" flares that could only be viewed when on final, or by electric lighting that was hooded to prevent aircraft not on final from seeing them. What's more interesting is that US bomber fields, in particular, had so much lighting for approach and landing guidance, that you could quite happily use the FSX default lighting! (REIL, LIRL, taxiway lighting, approach guidance and funnel lighting...)

Ian P.

[huub vink]

Dimus is correct, I went trough the standard work "Vliegvelden in Oorlogstijd" (Airfields during the war), which describes the airfields in the Netherlands during the war. None of the pictures showed any markings on the runways or (paved) taxi tracks.

There are several pictures which show an attempt to camouflage the runways, by painting them (mainly 1942-1943). Most probably greenish, but the pictures are all black&white.

Cheers,
Huub

[YoYo]

What I would really like is a FSX native Jeep!

I use this Jeep Willys and recommend it for ground inspections (better model :wavey:):

https://i.imgur.com/ztIvGKx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/vihaYyg.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/SNkCxHu.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/SMVIzAN.jpg

[tgycgijoes]

Where is download from? I think it looks cool too.

[klnowak]

Did a little mistake. AI-Traffic is showing up KG 101's Mistels. That is not correct. The KG101 was placed on an airfield about 10 km to the north-west that is called Laon-Couvron. so i will change that and do that airfield too in the near future.

Thanks to Philippe for notifing this.

greetings
Klaus

[blanston12]

I didn't use this one at Hawthorne Aeronautical School but I used this at NAS Alameda 2 years ago and just found it again at AVSIM:

https://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fsxmisc&DLID=178748

thanks for pointing that out but turns out its an FS9 model.

[huub vink]

Blanston12,

The Jeep in YoYo's pictures is FSX native. It came with the FS Addons WACO glider, which can be found here: https://fsaddonshop.com/collections/fsx-aircraft/products/waco-cg-4a

Less than 5 Euros ($5.7) so a real bargain............. you can of course also go for the complete WACO package, which is a bargain as well.

Cheers,
Huub

[klnowak]

Just did the upload for this one.

http://www.caribican.de/Laon/LaonUS1s.jpg

greetings
Klaus