Bordeaux-Merignac Airport: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 78 - 190 Mercure Bordeaux Aéroport
 This Mercure Hotel is located just 500 metres from Mérignac Airport and 20 minutes from Bordeaux city centre. It has an outdoor swimming pool and off… MoreEUR 39 - 85 L´Etoile Bleue
 Hotel L’Etoile Bleue is located in Merignac, next to the A630/ E05 motorway. Just a 20-minute drive from Bordeaux Airport, it offers free on-site pr… MoreEUR 90 - 140 Kyriad Prestige Bordeaux Ouest Merignac
 This Kyriad Prestige hotel is located 6 kilometres from the Bordeaux-Mérignac airport and offers guests a free airport shuttle service. It has an ou… MoreEUR 78 - 230 Novotel Bordeaux Aéroport
 This Novotel hotel is located 1 kilometre from Bordeaux Airport and serviced by a free airport shuttle from 07:00 to 23:00. It has an outdoor swimming… MoreEUR 39 - 53 P´tit Dej Hotel Travel Inn
 P´tit Dej Travel Inn hotel is located close to the Bordeaux-Merignac International Airport, and a 15 minute drive from central Bordeaux. It offe… MoreEUR 45 - 65 Teneo Suites Bordeaux Merignac Aeroport
 The Teneo Suites Bordeaux is located a 5 minute drive from the Bordeaux-Merignac Airport and 11 km from the city centre. It offers studio and apartmen… MoreEUR 80 - 289 Quality Suites Bordeaux Aéroport & Spa
 Quality Suites de Mérignac Aéroport are situated just 2 minutes from the airport and ten minutes from the centre of Bordeaux. It features a fitness … MoreEUR 56 - 75 Inter Hotel du Phare
 The Inter Hotel du Phare is located in a floral park, just a few kilometres from Bordeaux. The hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool and free private… MoreEUR 42 - 42 Hotel Altica Mérignac
 Located on the outskirts of Bordeaux, Hotel Altica Mérignac offers a warm and friendly welcome in a hotel offering rooms at very attractive prices.
… MoreEUR 35 - 55 Atlantis Hotel
 The hotel is ideally located in the park hotel of Merignac. You will be able to relax in a quiet environment, situated less than 5 minutes away from B… MoreEUR 39 - 160 Appart´city Bordeaux Mérignac
 This residence offers spacious apartments in Mérignac, a 5-minute drive from Bordeaux Airport and a 20-minute drive from Bordeaux’s historical city… MoreEUR 49 - 120 All Suites Appart Hotel Mérignac
 All Suites Appart Hotel Mérignac is located 5 minutes from Bordeaux Mérignac airport. It offers free Wi-Fi access and free parking.
Apartments are … MoreEUR 56 - 150 Brit Hotel Soretel
 The Brit Hotel Soretel is 2 minutes from Bordeaux-Merignac Airport and close to famous vineyards. It offers comfortable, air-conditioned guest rooms a… MoreEUR 50 - 150 Campanile Bordeaux Ouest - Mérignac Aéroport
 Campanile Bordeaux Merignac is situated in the heart of the Merignac Hotel Center, 5 minutes from the Bordeaux Merignac International Airport.
This h… MoreEUR 42 - 56 Etap Hotel Bordeaux Aeroport
 This Etap Hotel is located in west Bordeaux, 800 metres from Bordeaux Airport. It offers soundproofed en suite rooms equipped with air conditioning, a… MoreEUR 43 - 56 Comfort Hotel Bordeaux Merignac
 Located 800 metres from Bordeaux Airport, this Comfort Hotel is easily accessible from the A630/ E05 motorway. It offers air-conditioned accommodatio… MoreEUR 55 - 179 All Seasons Bordeaux Aeroport
 This All Seasons hotel is located 5 minutes from Bordeaux-Merignac Airport and 15 minutes from the city centre. It offers soundproofed accommodation w… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bordeaux-Merignac Airport: Guide
Bordeaux-Merignac Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Gironde département in France|département, 6 miles northeast of the city of Bordeaux.
During the Cold War, Bordeaux-Merignac was a front-line base for the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).
Origins
Bordeaux-Merignac Air Base originated in the 1920s, when a joint civilian/military air field was established there. The facility was a major hub for Air France, flying from Bordeaux to various destinations in Europe and North Africa. Military uses by the French Air Force was as a training center and also as a bomber base.
During World War II the German Luftwaffe took control of the base and used it as a center for maritime reconnaissance. German unit was based in the base, patrolling the Atlantic and engaging RAF and USAF planes. Focke-Wulf Focke-Wulf Fw 200|Fw-200 "Condor" aircraft flew from the base roaming the Atlantic Ocean looking for Allied shipping. Junkers Ju-88 long range fighters also operated from the base, protecting submarines and Condors and fighting Allied antisubmarine planes. Fights over the Gulf of Biscay were not strange.
The United States Army Air Force 8th Air Force and the Royal Air Force attacked the base in 1943. Chuck Yeager was shot down in one of these missions over Bordeaux.
After the war Air France resumed commercial operations out of Bordeaux and the reestablished French Air Force returned to use the facility.
NATO acquisition
In 1951 Bordeaux was turned over to NATO for use by the United States Air Force. Construction of a modern air base suitable for jet aircraft began on 1 August. Much evidence of the war remained with many warning signs still in German, scattered munitions around the facility; the perimeter was still mined; large quantities of practice bombs, and destroyed hangars and other buildings as a result of Allied air raids.
USAF Use
126th Bombardment Wing (Light)
The 126th Bombardment Wing was the first USAF organization to arrive at Bordeaux AB on 7 December 1951. The wing flew the World War II vintage B-26|Douglas B-26C "Invaders". The 126th was part of the Illinois Air National Guard which was ordered to active service on 1 April 1951 as a result of the Korean War. The unit was initially assigned to Tactical Air Command at Langley AFB, Virginia.
The Korean War was a turning point for the U.S. military establishment including the Air Guard. The callup exposed the glaring weaknesses of the ANG. Units and individuals lacked specific wartime missions. Their equipment, especially aircraft, was obsolete. Their training was usually marginal. Once mobilized, they proved to be almost totally unprepared for combat.
The wing moved to Bordeaux AB, France from Langley AFB Virginia, with the first elements arriving in November 1951. The 126th BW was assigned to USAFE|United States Air Forces in Europe. By 10 November, Bordeaux was considered an operational base and was assigned to the 12th Air Force.
At Bordeaux, the 126th BW consisted of the 108th, 168th and 180th Airlift Squadron|180th Bomb Squadrons (Light). The aircraft were marked by various color bands on the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Black/Yellow/Blue for the 108th; Black/Yellow/Red for the 168th, and Black/Yellow/Green for the 180th.
It flew B-26's for training and maneuvers and stayed at Bordeaux AB until being transferred Laon-Couvron Air Base|Laon AB, France on 25 May 1952 where it remained for the balance of the year.
The 126th was relieved from active duty and transferred, without personnel and equipment, back to the control of the Illinois ANG on 1 January 1953.
As a result of the uproar that the poorly managed reserve mobilizations during 1950-51 created. The Congress was much more willing than either the Department of Defense or the military services to fund the reserves properly. Moreover, beginning with the passage of the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952, a series of key laws eliminated most of the old inequities and fostered the development of more effective reserve components. It also permitted the use of Guard and Reserve volunteers to support the active duty forces.
Through the 1950s, the Air National Guard evolved into a force that was increasingly integrated with the planning and operations of the Air Force. By the end of the decade, the Air Guard had become a larger, more capable, and increasingly diverse organization.
7413th Air Base Group
After the departure of the B-26's, the 7413th Air Base Group was activated at Bordeaux AB in 1953. The 7413th provided support to transient aircraft for USAFE tactical fighters deploying to and from the desert gunnery range at Wheelus Air Base|Wheelus AB, Libya.
In November Sikorsky H-19B "Chickasaw" helicopters and Grumman SA-16 Albatross fixed wing amphibian seaplanes.
The 12th ARG departed Bordeaux AB in July, 1953.
In late 1953 a joint-use gunnery range was established near Bordeaux at Cazaux AB, a French Air Force facility 34 miles to the southwest of the base. The facility had been used as a gunnery range by the French since the 1920s.
By 1955 Bordeaux had been developed into a major transportation portal for aircraft, material and personnel deploying from the United States, to be used in case of an emergency in Europe. The 7413th ABG had several C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft attached for various duties.
Marseille-Marignane Airport
On MRS|LFML near Marseille to set up a flight operations office and facilities to service transient aircraft. Marignane Airport was used at a refueling stop for USAFE aircraft in southern France on their way to North African gunnery ranges in [[Libya and Morocco.
The detachment at Marseille was considered to be a Geographically Geperated Unit and the USAF personnel there were paid in French currency and lived on the local economy.
The facilities at Marseille were used until the USAF withdrawal from France in 1966. Today, Marseille Provence Airport is the 3rd busiest airport in France for passenger traffic and 2nd for cargo traffic.
USAF closure
By 1957, the suitablity of the Cazaux range was becoming limited due to the upgrading of the USAFE tactical fighter forces. In January the use of the facility was discontinued. However, a Boy Scout facility was established on the former range and was used for many years by American scouts from all across France.
On 1 October 1958, Bordeaux Air Base was closed to reduce USAFE expenses and manpower. All ongoing activities were moved to Chateauroux-Deols Air Base|Chateauroux Air Base. The U. S. Army operated the faclilty for a few years after the Air Force departed, but ended their activities in 1961 and the entire facility returned to French control.
Current uses
Today Bordeaux Air Base has been incorporated into Aéroport de Bordeaux - Mérignac). It is one of the ten busiest airports in France.
As well as its civil use, the [[French Air Force designated Bordeaux Air Base BA 106, and it has been used in its strategic air force.
As a consequence of the temporary closure of the Cazaux military base, the civil authorities have been forced to share the runaway with the French Army since November 2005.
References
McAuliffe, Jerome J: U.S. Air Force in France 1950-1967 (2005), Chapter 6, Bordeaux-Merignac Air Base.
Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
United States Air Force In France
Bordeaux-Merignac:
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Bordeaux-Merignac Airport". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.See also
United States Air Forces in Europe
Aéroport de Bordeaux Mérignac (In English)
(In French) External links
(In French)
(In French)