Thelepte Airfield
Thelepte Airfield | |
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Coordinates | 35°00′14.90″N 008°35′37.21″E / 35.0041389°N 8.5936694°E |
Site history | |
Built | 1943 |
Thelepte Airfield is an airfield in Tunisia, located about 20 km southwest of Kasserine. It currently is active and in use.
It was used by the
Thelepte was used by the following units during the Battle of Tunisia:
- HQ, 64th Fighter Wing, 1–18 March 1943
- A-20 Havoc
- Spitfire
- P-40 Warhawk
- P-39 Airacobra
On 18 February, the 31st and 81st Fighter Groups had to withdraw from the airfield after the Afrika Korps came within a few miles of the airfield. However American counter-attacks drove the Germans east and the airfield was re-manned on 1 March, later hosting A-20 Havocs until mid-April, when the combat was focused around Tunis and the units moved east to be closer to enemy targets, ending American use of the airfield.
Today, a single east–west runway (10/23) is active and well maintained. No structures are visible on aerial photography, however the area is fenced with restricted entry. A portion of a wartime NE/SW runway still exists. It is unclear what the present use (military/civilian) is.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.