Illustration of Engineers from the Ninth Air Force Laying Out Mesh for Runways

Illustration of Engineers from the Ninth Air Force Laying Out Mesh for Runways

A special group within the Ninth Air Force was responsible for building new and temporary airfields for fighters, medium bombers, and light bombers closer to the front lines

After D-Day, engineers from the Ninth Air Force were tasked with setting up temporary runways in France for the fighters, light bombers, and medium bombers to be able to support the First Army. Steel planks, which were used elsewhere in the war, were too heavy and cumbersome to be used. Instead, engineers would use a heavy truck called a "wobbly" to flatten and firm the ground. Then they would lay down mesh and secure it. It took less than a week to build, but it was very dusty to fly on. Mesh was replaced by Hessian strip a few weeks after D-Day.
This illustration can be found in The Commemorative History of the Ninth Air Force book.

United States Army Air Corps

National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division

United States Air Force

1945-1946