BG7 Airfields in 1918?

[VtwinVince]

Can anyone help me with the airfield(s) from which Bombengeschwader 7 operated in 1918?

[await]

Hauptmann Hermann Köhl was given command of Bogohl 7 around the time of the March 1918 offensive. On page 59 of his book Bremsklötze Weg! he indicates that at that time the airfield was located at Valenciennes:

Unser neues Ziel blieb geheim, und schließlich fanden wir uns zur Märzoffensive in der bekannten Gegend von St. Quentin wieder. . . . ich war zum Hauptmann und gleichzeitig auch zum Kommandeur des Bombengeschwaders 7 ernannt worden.

War ich beim Start noch Freund und Vater meiner Staffel, so landete ich auf dem großen Flugplatz in Valenciennes zunächst nur als Kommandeur. Das andere sollte erst später kommen.

"Our new goal remained a secret, and then finally we found ourselves in the familiar area of St. Quentin once more for the March offensive . . . . I had been appointed Hauptmann and at the same time commander of Bombengeschwader 7.

"If on taking off I was still a friend and father to my Staffel, when I landed at the big airfield at Valenciennes I did so initially just as commander [of the Geschwader]. The other would come later."

Valenciennes is located to the east of Arras and some 35 miles from Saint-Quentin, but I guess that's still "in the area."

Franz Schlenstedt, Köhl's pilot, states on p. 84 of his memoir Vollgas! that in the wake of the advancing German army during the offensive, the Geschwader moved to Estrées-en-Chaussée. This town is now known as the commune of Estrées-Mons, as the two towns of Estrées-en-Chaussée and Mons-en-Chaussée merged in 1973.

There is no precise date given for the move to Estrées-en-Chaussée. Both Köhl and Schlenstedt were taken POW on May 21, 1918. I have no information readily available on the Geschwader's location after that.

[VtwinVince]

Thank you very much, that's a big help.

[R Gannon]

The wonderfully detailed map of British & German dispositions on 21 Mar 18 in War in the Air Vol IV gives BG 7 HQ and bomb staffels 22, 23 & 24 at La Briquette just to the south of Valenciennes. A move to Mons en Chausee would make good sense, this had been the aerodrome used by 5 Naval Squadron.

There is an article in C&C US Vol 15 #2 by Ltn JH Knaur of staffel 23 of BG 7 which says the Geschwader moved back to area of Valencienns after British Offensive began on 8 Aug 18. Staffel 23 was subsequently bombed by British night bombers and the hangars were burned down destroying all the staffel's bombers. Footnotes suggest night 22/23 Sep 18 and raids by 207 Sqn Handley Pages.

Cheers Russ

[await]

Thanks for pointing that out. That same map shows 35 Squadron at Estrées-en-Chaussée on March 21, 1918.

[VtwinVince]

Thanks for those updates. My uncle was in Kampf-Staffel 22 and I have a nice photo of the unit on the steps of an estate, hence my question. Interestingly, according to my uncle's logbook, he was attacked by 7 Mustangs in 1944 while taking off in an Arado from Estree-en-Chaussee.