Mourmelon Air Base

Military conversion and strategic obsolescence. After World War II, the airfield's role as a primary air base diminished. With the advent of the jet age, military aviation required longer, paved runways, which were built at other strategic locations. The Mourmelon site reverted to its original and primary purpose as a ground forces training camp (Camp de Mourmelon), and the airfield was downgraded from a formal air base to a simple landing strip for liaison and light aircraft supporting the army.

The site is part of the active and expansive French Army (Armée de Terre) training facility, Camp de Mourmelon. While the large, formal air base infrastructure from WWII is gone, a simple grass or unpaved airstrip remains at the location. It is used intermittently by light army aviation aircraft, helicopters, and potentially Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in support of ground force exercises and training. The area is an active military zone and is not accessible to the public.

Mourmelon Air Base, located within the larger Camp de Châlons (or Camp de Mourmelon), is one of the most historically significant airfields in the world and a cradle of military aviation.

- **Pioneering Era (1900s):** In 1909, the Wright Brothers used the site to demonstrate their 'Wright Military Flyer' to the French military, leading to the first sale of a military aircraft. Pioneering aviators like Henri Farman established flight schools here, training many of France's first military pilots.

- **World War I:** It was a major operational and training base for the French Aéronautique Militaire. Its proximity to the Western Front made it a crucial hub for reconnaissance, bomber, and fighter squadrons (escadrilles). The American Expeditionary Forces' Air Service also used the base extensively for training and operations after entering the war.

- **World War II:** After the Fall of France in 1940, the airfield was seized by the German military and used by the Luftwaffe, notably as a fighter pilot school (Jagdfliegerschule 5). Following the Allied liberation of France in 1944, the airfield was repaired by the US Army's IX Engineer Command and designated as Advanced Landing Ground A-80 'Mourmelon-le-Grand'. It was used by the Ninth Air Force, hosting fighter groups (like the 36th Fighter Group flying P-47 Thunderbolts) and C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft that supported Allied advances into Germany.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Mourmelon as a public airport or a major military air base. Its location within one of France's most important and active military training ranges makes any such development unfeasible. Its current role as a secondary airstrip supporting the French Army's training mission is its established and ongoing function.