Chièvres Air Base Chièvres Air Base is a United States Air Force airfield located in the Belgian town of Chièvres and about 12 miles from Headquarters , Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE ) , in Casteau . It is mainly used to provide logistic support to NATO and SHAPE . The station and support facilities are operated by the United States Army Garrison Benelux . Units . The United States Air Force 309th Airlift Squadron is the operational flying unit at Chièvres Air Base . It is supported by the 86th Operations Group at Ramstein Air Base , Germany . It primarily operates Gulfstream V aircraft ( Designated C - 37A ) providing executive airlift for senior personnel assigned to SHAPE and NATO headquarters . Chièvres also has an Operations Support flight that supports transient USAF and NATO aircraft using the airfield . USAG Benelux provides base support operations and supports retirees and other personnel assigned to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe . History . The first airfield at Chièvres was established in 1914 by the Germans during their occupation of Belgium in World War I . The current airfield was built by the Belgian Army in the 1930s , and at the end of 1939 , the Belgian military began converting Chièvres into a diversion airfield . It was captured during the Battle of Belgium by the invading German Wehrmacht in May 1940 . German use during World War II . Shortly after its capture , the airfield was turned over to the Luftwaffe , and Chièvres became a major air base during the Battle of France . On 2 June , Jagdgeschwader 26 ( JG 26 ) moved Messerschmitt Bf 109 E fighters to the airfield and on 9 June Kampfgeschwader 30 ( KG 30 ) moved Junkers Ju 88 A attack bombers to the field . Both of these units were heavily engaged in combat operations with the French and the British Expeditionary Force in France . KG 26 moved into France within a few days , while KG 30 remained at Chièvres until September , taking part in the Battle of Britain . In addition to the Luftwaffe , the Corpo Aereo Italiano stationed Fiat BR . 20M Cigogna ( 43° Stormo ) and Cant Z . 1007 bis bombers ( 172° Squadriglia Ricognizione Strategica Terrestre ) at the base on 27 September , also taking part in the Battle of Britain . The Italians received heavy casualties , and by December 1940 they were recalled to Italy . By late 1940 Chièvres had been taken off operational status by the Luftwaffe . The Germans found the airfield construction work incomplete , and began rebuilding and expanding the airfield . Construction began and two 1800m length concrete runways were laid down , extensive taxiways and dispersal pads , and a support facility consisting of maintenance shops , barracks , warehouses and hangars . The base became operational again in March 1941 when a bomber unit , Kampfgeschwader 3 ( KG 3 ) arrived from Le Culot Airfield ( Beauvechain Air Base ) , with Dornier Do 17 light bombers . From Chièvres KG 3 flew raids against Britain and anti - shipping missions in support of the U - Boat s during the Battle of the Atlantic campaign . It later transitioned to Junkers Ju 88 A attack bombers , and in February 1942 IV . ( Erg ) . / KG 3 assisted the German warships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the famous " Channel Dash " . In January 1943 , it moved to Istres Air Base in Southern France , to attack Allied shipping in the Mediterranean . Luftwaffe operational units returned to Chièvres during the summer of 1944 when a series of Junkers Ju 88 units , Kampfgeschwader 6 ( KG 6 ) ; Kampfgeschwader 30 ( KG 30 ) , and Kampfgeschwader 76 ( KG 76 ) arrived in June and July . The units attacked targets in England , and later against Allied shipping in the English Channel after the Normandy Invasion of France . The base also served as a diversion field for Luftwaffe fighters . In August , the base became a base for day interceptors against the American Eighth Air Force bomber fleets attacking targets in Occupied Europe and Germany . As part of the " Defense of the Reich " campaign , Messerschmitt Bf 109 s of Jagdgeschwader 26 ( JG 26 ) attacked the heavy bombers . Later in August , Kampfgeschwader 51 ( KG 51 ) arrived with the Messerschmitt Me 262 A jet interceptor for a few days before departing . Chièvres Air Base was a frequent target of USAAF Ninth Air Force B - 26 Marauder medium bombers . The medium bombers would attack in coordinated raids , usually in the mid to late afternoon , with Eighth Air Force heavy bombers returning from attacking their targets in Germany . The attack was timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the Luftwaffe interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers . Also , the P - 47 Thunderbolt s of Ninth Air Force would be dispatched to perform fighter sweeps over Chièvres after the Marauder raids , then meet up with the heavy bombers and provide fighter escort back to England . As the P - 51 Mustang groups of Eighth Air Force began accompanying the heavy bombers all the way to their German targets by mid - 1944 , it was routine for them to also attack Chièvres on their return to England with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield . The Luftwaffe was forced to withdraw from the base by September 1 , 1944 , the last Luftwaffe aircraft had evacuated Chièvres and the installation was left heavily damaged . Allied use . On September 3 , Allied troops arrived and assumed command of the airbase . Once in American hands , combat engineers of the IX Engineering Command 846thth Engineer Aviation Regiment repaired the damaged airfield and applied numerous patches to the two concrete runways and taxiways of the field . It was declared operationally ready for combat units on 16 September , only a few days after its capture from German forces , being designated as Advanced Landing Ground A - 84 or " Chievres Airfield " . Although operationally usable , Chièvres was a wrecked base from the numerous Allied air attacks and what was blown up by the Germans as they withdrew . The Americans made do with what could be repaired , with the 843d Engineer Aviation Regiment moving in what equipment was necessary to conduct combat operations . In October 1944 , the P - 47D Thunderbolts of the USAAF Ninth Air Force 361st Fighter Group were stationed at Chièvres . During the Battle of the Bulge the base was also used by the Hawker Typhoon s of 123 Wing RAF . In March 1945 the 352d Fighter Group , equipped with P - 51D Mustangs , were stationed at the base . After the German surrender Chièvres became both a transit station for US soldiers returning home and a German POW camp . By the end of 1945 the base was turned over to the Belgian authorities . Cold War years . In 1947 the base was rebuilt and expanded to serve as a jet - fighter base . On 1 December 1950 the 7th Fighter Wing , equipped with the Gloster Meteor , was stationed at Chièvres and joined a year later by the 10th Fighter Wing operating Spitfire XIV . After converting to the F84E Thunderjet the 10th Wing left Chièvres in 1953 for Kleine Brogel in Limburg . In June 1956 the 7th Wing converted to the Hawker Hunter Mk . 4 , and two years later to the Hunter F6 . In 1963 , the 7th Wing was disbanded , and on December 31 , 1967 the Belgian authorities officially turned over Chièvres Airbase to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE ) . The Americans established the NATO / SHAPE Support Group ( US ) in 1968 at Caserne Daumerie adjacent to the air base and just east of the town of Chièvres to operate the base and provide logistic support to NATO and SHAPE . This small unit was part of Theater Army Support Command ( TASCOM ) , which was part of U . S . Army Europe ( USAREUR ) . The NATO / SHAPE Support Group was later renamed 80th Area Support Group ( NATO / SHAPE Support Group ) . The Airbase did serve as rehearsal and arrival point of US Precision Helicopter Team that competed in September France 1989 . The US Team would take the first seven places over teams from USSR in overall competition . http : / / www . ng . mil / news / theonguard / 1989 / 1989 - 10 . pdf Post Cold War years . The 80th Area Support Group ( NATO / SHAPE Support Group ) was renamed USAG BENELUX ( NATO / SHAPE Support Group ) in 2005 . In 2007 construction work started on a 94 - room Army lodge . A $ 17 million commissary at Chièvres opened in 2010 . One major project nearing completion is the runway renovation effort which sees the runway lengthened and resurfaced . The 309th Airlift Squadron , part of the 86th Airlift Wing , uses Chièvres for C - 37 Gulfstream V . Even though the U . S . Air Force ' s 309th Airlift Squadron operates the airfield and runways , overall operations are entrusted to the USAG BENELUX , a U . S . Army unit . This makes Chievres Air Base the only actual " base " in the Army since Army installations are usually referred to as " posts " or " airfields " .