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ALG A-1 was located directly behind Omaha Beach, on the bluffs overlooking the
beach itself, between the small villages of St.-Laurent-sur-Mer and St.-Pierre-du-Mont.
Construction in earnest started on June 7, and the strip went operational on
June 8 (D+2) as an Emergency Landing Strip. It was then upgraded
to a Refueling and Re-arming Strip, and then an Advance Landing Ground soon thereafter. By June 11,
fighters were operating from it (P-38s). Later in the month it was redesignated
ALG A-21. So, when one reads about ELS-1, RRS-1, A-1, or A-21 in regard to USAAF airstrips
in the invasion area, all designations refer to the same geographical location.
![]() Plan of A-1 superimposed on map of area behind Omaha Beach between St.-Laurent-sur-Mer and St.-Pierre-du-Mont. |
Airstrip Profile
Designation(s) | Country | Site(s) of Airstrip | 225th Components Assigned |
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ELS-1, RRS-1 A-1, A-21 |
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St.-Laurent-sur-Mer St.-Pierre-du-Mont |
Battery B Battery C |
![]() Plan of A-1 showing such features (from left to right) as a fuel dump, a bomb and ammo dump, the "crash strip" (a feature of an ELS for disabled aircraft), and the approximate locations of German minefields (far right). Compare this plan to the photo at the bottom of the page. |
Airstrip Locator Maps
Province of Normandy |
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General Location of A-1 |
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![]() Airstrip Facts and Chronology |
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Photo File
![]() This U. S. Navy photo, dated June 14, shows a P-38 Lightning parked on the edge of the strip at St.-Laurent-sur-Mer, with the beach just beyond. Several barrage balloons float lazily above the shipping clogging the bay. This strip, originally designated an Emergency Landing Strip (ELS), was simply an untracked surface measuring 3,400 feet long by 120 feet wide. By 1800 hours on D+2 (June 8), it was operational, but able to accommodate only small observation craft. A little over 24 hours later (1845 hours, June 9), it was ready to handle larger planes, including transports like the C-47. Originally designated ALG A-1 on June 14 according to a report by the U. S. IXth Engineer Command, the strip was later redesignated as A-21. (General "Hap" Arnold, USAAF Commander, visited Normandy on June 12 and returned to England from this strip.)
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![]() 50 years after the original photo was taken, the Norman field that was known as A-1 (and later A-21) has been returned to its natural, cultivated state. Same view as above.
Photo reproduced courtesy After the Battle magazine. |
![]() This U. S. Signal Corps picture shows Corporal Paul Stock (left) on air traffic control duties at Advance Landing Ground A-1, St.-Laurent-sur-Mer, on June 11, 1944. The P-38 Lightning (Serial No. 268071) is the same one depicted above in the U. S. Navy photo dated June 14. ALG A-1 was later redesignated A-21, and A-1 was the designation given to the Refueling and Re-arming Strip (RRS) constructed at St.-Pierre-du-Mont. |
![]() 50 years after Paul Stock stood on this ground, the airstrip has been returned to farmland. Note that the same treeline appears in the background, without the solitary barrage balloon further down the beach. Same view as above.
Photo reproduced courtesy After the Battle magazine. |
![]() This aerial view of A-1 illustrates its proximity to both the sea and the beach. |
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