On the early Wednesday morning 16 September we were on the ferry from Dover…
…to Calais. We were soon met by our guides from “L’association Anciens Aérodromes“. 
To the right is our translator, a former Air France Concorde pilot!
Through the rain covered bus window was a field, pretty much the same as any other field. But here, east of “Le Colomibier” an airfield was once located in 1918. In 1939 two grass runways were constructed and on 15 July 1940 the first group of JG26 arrived with its Me109s to come closer to England. (A group was three squadrons of 12 109s so a total of 36 aircraft.) The JG26 second group was based in Marquise-Ost and the third group in Caffiers.
Audembert became the base of the JG26 Colonel Adolf Galland during the Battle of Britain. The house on the picture above, in Le Colombier, became his home and office. On 9 August 1941, RAF ace Douglas Bader bailed out over St Omer, France. Galland brought Bader to this house for a few days. Bader was also invited to sit in the cockpit of a Bf 109. Another guest in this house was Hermann Göring on 5 September 1941.
Above remains of the taxiway visible next to the road leading to the “Ferme Le Breuil”. (Link to Google maps)
It is possible to find a few remains like you see on the picture above, once shelters for Me109s.
Above the road to “Ferme Le Breuil” with an Me109 shelter to the left, now converted into a garage.
Above the Swedish group is looking at the remains of a hangar on the field northeast of the road junction of D238 and D249 (Link to Google maps), south of the airfield.
The JG26 left this airfield in 1942 to escape British Bomber attacks.
