Cambrai Air Base 103: at the heart of Europe

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Airbase 103

Cambrai Air Base 103: at the heart of Europe

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Vidéo résumé du meeting

Les 26 et 27 juin 2010 avait lieu le dernier meeting aérien de la BA 103 René Mouchotte. Plus de 60 000 personnes sont venus assister au spectacle aérien !

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Air base 103’s godfather: René Mouchotte

René Mouchotte passed his pilot’s license in 1937 at the conclusion of his national service, and came back home after he was promoted Sergeant as a reserve pilot. In 1939, he was recalled and posted to the Fighters Training Centre in Chartres, then to the college for instructors in Avord.
On June, 17th 1940, the Armistice is signed. He was then sent to the Training centre of Oran La Senia in North Africa, but he couldn’t admit his country was defeated and he decided to go on fighting. That’s why he went to England. After he joined the Royal Air Force and took in the English fighting techniques, he became part of the Squadron 615 “Churchill”. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1941 and joined the Squadron 340 “Ile de France”. In 1942, Mouchotte was appointed Flight Lieutenant. As he was an amazing pilot, an undisputed leader, and modern by his ability to think up the huge mass movements that are characteristic of the new fighter flying tactics, Mouchotte became Squadron leader of the Squadron 65 “East India”. In May 1943, he won his 1000th battle with the Squadron 341 “Alsace”. On May, 27th 1943, Squadron leader Mouchotte didn’t come back from a mission of escort for bombers that took place near Saint-Omer, during which he was the head of the famous Biggin Hill Wing. Dressed in his French air force blue uniform, as if it was meant to be, his body was found on the following September, 3rd, cast up by the sea on Middlekerke beach in Belgium.

Cambrai Air Force Base 103 “René Mouchotte” was created in 1953, and celebrates this year its 67^th birthday. Cambrai Air Base is at the heart of Europe, it is located on the border between the two departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, 45 minutes away from Lille, 2 hours away from Paris and one hour and a half away from Brussels.

The aim of the Air Force is to permanently keep and develop a capacity of action, and be able to respond to any act of aggression.

Cambrai Air Base is an operational base, where 1.300 people work. With their 56 different jobs, they achieve the common mission of supporting the fighter squadron, the ground-based air defence squadron (GBAD) and the other operational units.

The fighter squadron 01.012 “Cambrésis” was created in 1952 and is a co-founder of the NATO Tigers association. The tiger is an emblematic animal, used as a symbol for the western squadrons that take part in the traditional “Tiger Meet” every year. Cambrai Air Base welcomed the Tigers squadrons in 1964, 1972, 1979, 1986, 2003 and will welcome them again in 2011.

For further information, please check the following website: www.112tigers.com

The main mission of the fighter squadron 01.012 “Cambrésis” is the air defence. It can also be deployed for land attacks. Since the 1980s, they have taken an important part in overseas operations in Chad, Saudi Arabia, Ex-Yugoslavia, and Kosovo.

The GBAD’s main mission is the air defence. Besides, it has been involved in overseas operations, in accordance with the UN requirements or collateral agreements. This unit also completes missions in France, such as the protection of strategic sites (nuclear power stations) or official meetings (G8 in Evian in 2000, Battle of Vimy 90^th anniversary in 2007). The squadron 13.950 “Somme” is the only GBAD squadron that participated in the NATO “Tiger Meet” exercise in 2008 and 2009.

However, due to the 2008 restructured defence map, Cambrai will close down, as well as other bases such as Colmar, Toulouse, Metz, Nice and Taverny. Although we are supposed to close in 2012, the base’s life and mission go on.

The evidence is that Cambrai was chosen to welcome the national air show on June 26^th and 27^th, together with the bases of Istres and Orléans.