International Museum of the Air Base of Chièvres

What is this museum about ?

The museum presents to its visitors the history of the air base in Chièvres. It starts in 1917 with the occupation by the Germans, which was repeated from 1940 to 1944. In 1941 the Italians came. Together with the liberation came the Americans, who stayed until 1945. From 1947 to 1964 the new Belgian Air Force was stationed there. Nowadays, you can find the NATO forces with the 80th maintenance group of the US Air Force.

After crossing the footbridge, the visitor is immersed into a peculiar world. You are in the cockpit of a "C-119 Flying Boxcar" cargo plane.
From the windows, you can discover and re-live the history of Chièvres Air Base from its creation in 1917 until nowadays.

Historical context

The German occupation during WW1

Actually the air base was created in 1917 by the Germans. Fighter units that operated from it were Jasta's 28, 57 and 58.
28 was there very late in the war (October 1918) as were 57 and 58.

As the German Armies retreated eastward after the disaster of 8 August 1918, the forward airflieds were evacuated and older ones to the rear, were reopened and units moved into them. As the front moved further eastwards these airfields were evacuated and the fighting units moved further to the rear.
In this case, Jagdgruppe Nr.7(Thuy) with Jasta 28w,33,57 and 58, on 11 August 1918, moved from Mons-en-Chausée, in the 2.Armee back to Neuflize in the German 1.Armee. On 25 August 1918 Jagdgruppe Nr.7 moved to Cantin Airfield in the German 17.Armee. On 1 October 1918, Jagdgruppe Nr.7 moved to Beuvry Airfield in the 17.Armee to Chièvres Airfield(17.Armee.) on 12 October 1918. On 3 November 1918 the re-organized Jagdgruppe Nr.7 (Thuy)with Jasta 28w,30,33,43, 52 and 63w moved to Champles,(17.Armee.) near Waterloo to the end of the war.

The German occupation during WW2

In 1940 the air base becomes the "Luftwaffe 404 Flughafen": 52 hangars, 3 radra stations, 4 Flak guns, a private railroad coming from the Mevergnies station and a tank of 200.000 liters which will be later -for unknown reasons- buried under the "grand-place" of Chièvres.

The Airbase counted Me-109 fighters ("I - II - III/JG26"), Heinkel 111 bombers ("KG 26"), Dornier 17/117 bombers ("IV/KG 53, IV/KG 3") and Junker 88/188 bombers ("III/ KG 2, I/KG 6").

In 1944 the air base has less and less aircrafts. Chièvres air base is bombed by Allied bombers but this is also the case for the city. The Air base received Jet airplanes: Me-262 fighters ("Erprobungskommando E.51") and Arado-234 "Blitz" Bombers ("Sonderkommando Goetz").

Good to know: the personal Ju-52 transport aircraft of Adolf Hilter landed in Chièvres air base in 1940, form there the Führer headed to its HQ at Brûly-de-Pesche (Belgium).

Italians at Chièvres during WW2

Italy's participation in raids against Great Britain became a reality with the arrival of an air expedition group in Belgium, the "Corpo Aereo Italiano - CAI" (Italian Air Corps). The CAI was created on September 10, 1940 and was already operational in Belgium by the end of the same month.

The air expedition was composed of the 13th and 43rd Fighter Wing and the 172nd Reconnaissance Section. The aircrafts used were the FIAT BR.20 Bomber, FIAT CR.42 and G 50 fighter planes and for reconnaissance missions the Cant Z 1007 bis.

The Corpo Aereo Italiano operated from the Chièvresn Melsbroek, Maldegem and Ursel air bases. Its section deployed on Belgian territory participated in sorties over British soil until the beginning of 1941 when they were summoned back to Italy.

Usage of the Air Base by Americans during WW2

The 352nd Fighter Group that flew P-51 Mustang fighters, was composed of the 328th, 487th and 486th Fighter Squadrons and was under command of Colonel James D. Mayden.

On January 28, 1945, all personnel (about 900 men) left Great Britain and headed toward Chièvres in order to prepare the facility for combat operations. By early February it was ready and one squadron settled in the town of Chièvres, another one under tents on the air base and one with its headquarters on the caserne.

The 352nd Fighter Group soon got into action and flying numerous important missions that included downing enemy planes and destroying targets on the ground.

In total, during the month of February 1945, the 352nd FG conducted 17 missions over enemy territory and shot down two planes. During the month of March, 34 missions were accomplished and 15 German planes down. On the US side, 4 planes were lost and the pilots reported as missing. One American pilot, Lieutenant Ervin Pryor, was killled while he tried to crash-land on Chièvres air base with his P-51D after it was hit by anti-aircraft fire.

Their most important mission while in Chièvres was on March 24, 1945, in support of US troops crossing the Rhine. All fighters at Chièvres took part providing fire support for over 10 hours.

On April 5, 1945, the 352nd FG got orders to return to Great-Britain. Its personnel was not happy: pilots and ground maintenance technicians wanted to stay at Chièvres! But on April 13, the P-51 Mustangs departed from Chièvres air base. The ground personnel was taken back on B-24 Liberators and the vehicles were driven to the harbor at Le Havre, France.

Good to know: General Patton also landed in Chièvres air base.

The official website of the Museum stands here.

The museum conservator can be contacted there.

Location

Museum address:
Chaussée de Saint Ghislain 16
7950 CHIEVRES
Phone nr: +32 (0) 68 65 86 08

Open from October to March, on Sundays exclusively from 14.00 to 17.00.

Entrance fee is 2,50 € and free toilets are present.

The story of the "Hunter" in Chièvres

Hawker Hunter F.6 IF-65 (c/n 8815) was restored by the 1 Wing Historical Centre in 2006 and presented to the public on the occasion of the 2006 edition of the Defence Days which was held at Beauvechain Air Base. This Fairey built aircraft joined the Belgian Air Force on 15 April 1958. Only 483:20 flying hours later with No. 7 and No. 9 Wings at Chièvres and Bierset, it was struck of charge on 20 June 1962. The aircraft then served as a monument in front of the sports complex at the Bevingen barracks, the main residential area for personnel of the nearby Brustem Air Base. When the air base closed in 1996, the Hunter went into storage for nearly 10 years, at first with the reserves of the Brussels Air Museum in Kapellen, later at the premises of the 1 Wing Historical Centre. IF-65 was subsequently restored in the markings 7J-B – which it never wore in operational service – to represent the personal aircraft of Captain Robert “Bob” Corbeel, once No. 7 Squadron’s Commanding Officer. He made 323 flights on Hunter 7J-B(ob), which is probably an all-time high for the same pilot flying the same aircraft. The aircraft has been placed on a roundabout near Chièvres Air Base after due approval by the local authorities.

Personal note

We were lucky to discover a "Hunter" fighter at a crossroad on the way to the museum (it was inaugurated two weeks before our visit to the museum).
The museum focuses on the history of the Air Base from the German occupation during WW1 up to present days. The visitor will discover many scale models, the visit is guided by default. You will not leave the building without visiting the bar too!
The sole regret is the absence of real aircraft but you can find ones if you visit the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History in Brussels (Belgium).
When we left the museum we discovered a Gloster Meteor at the entrance of the US Air base.
Good to know: the conservator of the museum created the museum four years ago on her own initiative after the death of her husband, she was living at the current location of the US Air base and was expropriated for military reasons.