Orly Air Base was located at Aeroport de Paris-Orly, nine miles (15 km) south of Paris, France off Autoroute A6/A10m with a highway exit directly into the base.
Orly Air Base was developed after World War II when Orly Airport was used as a combat Advanced Landing Ground, designated as "A-47" by US Army Air Force's Ninth Air Force. Rebuilt after the war as a joint civilian airport/NATO facility, the primary use of Orly Air Base was to meet the needs of personnel supporting Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) at Rocquencourt, with secondary functions as a personnel processing center for inbound and outbound personnel assigned to France and as a limited operational transport base.
The USAF facilities at Orly were turned over to the French government in 1967 as a result of France's withdrawal from NATO's integrated military command, and all non-French NATO forces were asked to leave France.
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