On 8 November 1942, during
World War II, the airport was taken by the
11th Infantry Brigade,
British Army. The event was part of the
Operation Torch of the
North African Campaign. Shortly afterwards,
Lieutenant B.H.C. Nation,
RN, leader of a flight of
Grumman Martlets from HMS
Victorious, saw white handkerchiefs fluttering on the ground and landed on the airfield. He accepted a written agreement from the French Air Commander that
Allied aircraft might land.
No. 326 Wing RAF began arriving by 11 November 1942 and soon its four squadrons of
Bristol Bisleys were bombing
Axis airfields by night. On 6 December 1942, the
97th Bomb Group's 414th Bomb Squadron Commanding Officer flew from
Tafaraoui Airfield at Oran, Algeria to certify the preparation of the "Blida Airfield" ready to receive two
97th Bomb Group Squadrons, the
342nd and the
414th. On 12 December 1942, the
414th Bomb Squadron Commander flew back to
Tafaraoui Airfield at Oran, Algeria. The next day, the
342nd and the
414th Bomb Squadrons flew to "Blida Airfield" and prepared for its next day's bombing mission. On 14 December 1942, all four Bomb Squadrons from the
97th Bomb Group departed their respective bases and bombed the
Tunis docks in Tunisia and returned to new their new base at
Biskra, Algeria. ==See also==