History
The airport was created in 1924 by naming Maison Blanche Airport. During World War II, Maison Blanche Airport was a primary objective of the Allied Operation Torch Eastern Task Force on 8 November 1942 and was sized by a combination of United States Army units, British Commandos and elements of a British Infantry Division. Opposition by Vichy French forces who defended the airport ended that same day, as orders from Admiral Darlan in Algiers were issued to cease all hostilities in North Africa.
Once in Allied hands, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Air Transport Command as a major transshipment hub for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel. It functioned as a stopover en-route to Tafarquay Airport, near Oran or to Tunis Airport, Tunisia on the North African Cairo-Dakar transport route. It also flew personnel and cargo to Marseille, Milan, Naples and Palermo, Sicily. In addition, Twelfth Air Force used the airport as a command and control facility, headquartering its XII Bomber Command; XXII Tactical Air Command, and the 51st Troop Carrier Wing to direct combat and support missions during the North African Campaign against the German Afrika Korps Known Allied air force combat units assigned to the airfield were:
- 51st Troop Carrier Wing, 23 November 1942-28 March 1943
- 63d Fighter Wing, May–August 1943
- 97th Bombardment Group, 13–22 November 1942, B-17 Flying Fortress
- 301st Bombardment Group, 5–16 December 1942, B-17 Flying Fortress
- 319th Bombardment Group, 24–12 November 1942, B-26 Marauder
- 14th Fighter Group, 18–22 November 1942, P-38 Lightning
- 350th Fighter Group, May–July 1943, P-38 Lightning
- 3d Reconnaissance Group, 25 December 1942-13 June 1943, (various photo reconnaissance aircraft)
Read more about this topic: Houari Boumediene Airport
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