Eknes Airfield
| Eknes Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Rufisque, Dakar in Senegal | |
USAAF Base Eknes Field on 28 February, 1944. | |
| Site information | |
| Operator | Armée de l'Air United States Army Air Forces |
| Controlled by | Air Transport Command |
| Open to the public | No |
| Condition | Abandoned |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 14°43′47″N 17°14′16″W / 14.72972°N 17.23778°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | February 1943 |
| In use | February 1943 - June 1944 |
Eknes Airfield, also known as Rufisque Airfield, was an USAAF base located near Rufisque, a suburb of Dakar, Senegal. It primarily operated as a temporary transit and staging base of the Air Transport Command Northern African Wing from February 1943 until June 1944.
History
Prewar, Rufisque Airfield was under control of the Armée de l'Air.[1] Following the Smith-Boisson agreement made on 7 December, 1942, by General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Admiral François Darlan, the United States gained the right to use aerodromes, harbors, roads, and other facilities in French West Africa. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) found that Ouakam Airfield's runways were too short for heavy bombers, while construction of the larger Mallard Airfield was still underway. Subsequently, in December 1942, the U.S. Air Transport Command (ATC) Northern African Wing took over Rufisque Airfield for rapid expansion, and renamed it to Eknes Airfield.[2][3]
In February 1943, one 6,000-foot steel-mat runway was completed, and Eknes Airfield became operational. Later, another 6,000-foot steel-mat runway was completed.[3] The USAAF began using Eknes Airfield as a staging base, receiving medium and heavy bombers, transport, and fighter escorts being ferried to the North African front. These arrived from Natal, Brazil, and also across the South Atlantic Route. Arriving aircraft such as the Martin B-26 Marauders of the 319th Bombardment Group, 12th Air Force would be refueled, serviced, and prepared for dispatch to Marrakesh and Casablanca in Morocco, and Tunis in Tunisia. [4] In June 1943, permanent runways were being installed, which consisted of a crushed rock base by rollers, and the spraying of tar binder.[5] Facilities included a barracks and personnel living quarters, which were built with prefabricated huts. The nearby Ouakam Airfield also assembled P-40 fighters arrived by ship, and would be flown a few miles east to Eknes Airfield for organization into convoys bound for operational theaters in North Africa.[2]
Closure
In June 1944, Mallard Airfield was completed, and operations and personnel were fully transferred to the airfield, including the ATC. Following transfer, Eknes Airfield was deactivated as a staging base, and likely operated as an emergency landing ground afterwards.[2][6]
Today, only a runway portion of Eknes Airfield remains in derelict condition according to satellite imagery dated 2025.
See also
References
- ^ "Service Historique de la Défense, Département des fonds d'archives, Division armée de l'Air: Terrains d'aviation 1898 à 1973 — Répertoire numérique" (PDF). Service Historique de la Défense. April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ a b c "Chapter 3: North Africa and the Mediterranean — *Army Air Forces in WWII, Volume VII: Services Around the World*". HyperWar: U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II. U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Eknès Field – Airfields: Senegal". Curtiss Commando. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "Ground personnel of the 319th Bomb Group refuelling B-26 Marauders at Rufisque Airfield, June 1943". IWM Collections. Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ ""Spraying tar binder on crushed rock in construction of runway at Rufisque Airfield, Rufisque, French West Africa, June 1943 (NARA 342FH-3A-00672-A-74084-AC)"". National Air and Space Museum Multimedia Gallery. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ Hopper, Capt. Inslee A., Intelligence Officer, 14th Ferrying Group. Letter to Intelligence Officer, Africa–Middle East Wing, 7 February 1943. ATC Station Survey, Eknes Field, Dakar, 15 January 1944; ATC Station Survey, Mallard Field, Dakar, October 1944; Operational History, North African Sector, Africa–Middle East Wing, Air Transport Command, pp. 5–6, 25–26.