RCAF Station Marville

Royal Canadian Air Force elements in CFE

To meet NATO's air defence commitments during the Cold War, No. 1 Air Division RCAF was established in Europe in the early 1950s with four Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) bases in France and West Germany. These included RCAF Station Marville, No. 1 (F) Wing and RCAF Station Grostenquin, No. 2 (F) Wing in France, RCAF Station Zweibrücken, No. 3 (F) Wing and RCAF Station Baden-Soellingen, No. 4 (F) Wing in West Germany. The wings consisted of three fighter squadrons each for a total of twelve squadrons.

Canadair CL-13 Sabre Mk. VI (Serial No, 23414), Kinloss, Scotland, en route to CFE, ca 1950s. (DND Photo via James Craik)

Canadair CL-13 Sabre Mk. 5, RCAF (Serial No. 19250), No. 416 Squadron at RCAF Station Grostenquin, No. 2 (F) Wing, France, 1953. (RCAF Photo)

The four fighter wings were part of a group of bases which also included American and French installations, all of which came under the jurisdiction of NATO's Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force (4 ATAF) which, in turn, was commanded by Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE). Components located in Metz included Air Division Headquarters, an air traffic control centre, a telecommunications centre, a combat operations centre, and a support unit.

Avro CF-100 Canuck Mk.4B, RCAF (Serial No. 18321), 1 (F) Wing Marville landing. (RCAF Photo)

Canadair CL-13 Sabre Mk. 2, RCAF (Serial No. 19198), 1 (F) Wing, Marville, France, May 1954. (RCAF Photo)

Canadair CF-104 Starfighter, RCAF (Serial No. 12770), later renumberd RCAF (Serial No. 104770). This aircraft served with 4 (F) Wing in the 1960s. (RCAF Photos)

NATO bases in France, including Marville, were short-lived. In 1963 the Government of France announced that all nuclear weapons in France were to be placed under French control. This was unacceptable to the RCAF (and other NATO units stationed in France), so the two nuclear strike squadrons at 2 Wing were hastily moved to Zweibrücken and Baden-Soellingen while remaining non-nuclear armed units in France were repositioned to Marville. RCAF Station Grostenquin was closed in 1964. Marville's two remaining squadrons converted to a strictly reconnaissance role. In March 1966 the Government of France announced that it would be withdrawing its military forces from NATO and that NATO units based in France would have to leave or fall under French command. In April 1967 Marville was closed and the RCAF moved 439 and 441 Squadrons to CFB Lahr (now Black Forest Airport), West Germany. M

Marville

After an original idea by Paul Freeman.
First published 7 Nov 2010. This collection of airfields is © 2010 - 2018 RonaldV

RCAF Air Station Marville in September 1960. On the original high resolution photo the airfield is occupied by Sabres (eastern marguerites), CF-100s (nothern marguerite) and a mix of CT-133s, Sabres and a single C-47 on the platform (IGN, via Géoportail)

Overview of the logistics and support site at RCAF Marville (rcaf-airdivisionreunion2011.ca).

A pair of 445Sqn CF-100 Canucks taking off from Marville for a mission in the winter of 1962 (Photo from the now defunct www.marville.org).

In 1963 the French government demanded that all nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles stationed in France were to come under the command of France. This meant a new change of mission came about for the two squadrons of 1.Wing/1.Escadre Marville. Obviously the French demand was unacceptable to the RCAF, so from that date, they devoted themselves to reconnaissance missions only.
In March 1966, General de Gaulle announced the withdrawal of France from the integrated command of NATO. All U.S. and Canadian forces that were not to come under French command would have to leave French territory. 439 and 441 squadrons finally left the Marville 1 April 1967 for RCAF Air Station (later CFB) Lahr in Germany. After the Starfighters had left Marville Air Base was turned over to France and renamed Base Aérienne Marville-Montmédy.

A family posing in front of the base sign at 1 Wing in 1966 (Photo from the now defunct www.marville.org).

CF-104s on the southeast dispersal in 1966. Of these buildings, only the one nearest to the camera remained in 2011 (Photo from the now defunct www.marville.org).

Marville in 1966, photographed to the south (Photo from the now defunct www.marville.org).

For a number of years the French Air Force (french: L'Armée de l'Air or AdlA) used the air base for training. In 1970 two hangars were dismantled to be reused elsewhere (along with one from the former USAF Tin-Rouvres Air Base) by helicopters of Army Aviation (french: Aviation Légère de l'Armée de Terre or ALAT). The hangars on the north side of the base were used by the French army until 2002.
An industrial zone was created in 1980 on the site of the former airbase and an ultralight aircraft club has settled on the base which is sometimes also used to host mass events.

Marville, photographed in 1987, when the airfield was still being used by the Armée de l'Air (Photo from the now defunct www.marville.org).

In 2006 a combination of municipalities in the region of Montmédy bought the airfield from the French State for €533,600 in order to develop an aviation hub that will be dedicated to recreational flying with a runway of 2900 meters and a taxiway of 2400 meters.
Plans also exist to turn (part of) the airfield into a solar powerplant. During a visit at the base in June 2011 Dick Trum saw several GA-aircraft using the field.Marville, photographed in 1987, when the airfield was still being used by the Armée de l'Air (Photo from the now defunct www.marville.org).

In 2006 a combination of municipalities in the region of Montmédy bought the airfield from the French State for €533,600 in order to develop an aviation hub that will be dedicated to recreational flying with a runway of 2900 meters and a taxiway of 2400 meters.
Plans also exist to turn (part of) the airfield into a solar powerplant. During a visit at the base in June 2011 Dick Trum saw several GA-aircraft using the field.