Vélizy – Villacoublay Air Base Vélizy – Villacoublay Air Base ( ) is a French Air Force ( ( ALA ) base . The base is located approximately southeast of Vélizy - Villacoublay ; about southwest of Paris . Units . The base is the home station for the following units : Aircraft . Aircraft assigned to the base are : History . Villacoublay Air Base was built prior to World War II as a French Air Force facility . German use during World War II . Seized by the Germans in June 1940 during the Battle of France , Villacoublay was used as a Luftwaffe military airfield during the occupation . Known units assigned ( all from Luftflotte 3 , Fliegerkorps IV ) : KG 55 and KG 27 took part in the Battle of Britain ; AFG 14 was a photoreconnaissance organization ; JFS 5 was a training unit for Bf 109 pilots ; JG 105 and JG 54 were day interceptor units against Eighth Air Force heavy bombers . It was attacked on several occasions by heavy bombers of both the United States Army Air Force Eighth and Fifteenth Air Force s during 1943 and early 1944 . Largely due to its use as a base for Bf - 109 and Fw - 190 interceptors , Villacoublay was attacked by USAAF Ninth Air Force B - 26 Marauder medium bombers and P - 47 Thunderbolt s mostly with 500 - pound General - Purpose bombs ; unguided rockets and . 50 caliber machine gun sweeps when Eighth Air Force heavy bombers ( B - 17 s , B - 24 s ) were within interception range of the Luftwaffe aircraft assigned to the base . The attacks were timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers . Also the P - 51 Mustang fighter - escort groups of Eighth Air Force would drop down on their return to England and attack the base with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield . American use . It was liberated by Allied ground forces about 27 August 1944 during the Northern France Campaign . Almost immediately , the USAAF IX Engineer Command 818th Engineer Aviation Battalion began clearing the base of mines and destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft ; filling bomb craters in the runway with rubble and an asphalt patch along with repairing operational facilities for use by American aircraft . Subsequently , Villacoublay became a USAAF Ninth Air Force combat airfield , designated as " A - 42 " about 30 August , only a few days after its capture from German forces . Almost immediately , the 48th Fighter Group moved into the repaired air base , flying P - 47 Thunderbolt s from 29 August until 15 September 1944 . The combat unit moved east along with the advancing Allied forces and Villacoublay became a supply and maintenance base for combat aircraft , becoming the home of the 370th Air Service Group and several Air Materiel squadrons from Air Technical Service Command . It was also given the designation of AAF - 180 . In addition , numerous C - 47 Skytrain squadrons moved in and out , supporting airborne operations , including Operation Varsity , and Allied airborne crossing of the Rhine in March 1945 . After the war ended , Villacoublay remained under American control , designated as AAF Station Villacoublay . It was assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe as a transport base by the C - 47 Skytrain - equipped 314th Troop Carrier Group . It remained under USAFE control until 31 August 1946 when it was returned to the French Air Force . Current . The base has been totally rebuilt since with war . The prewar / wartime runway , 11 / 29 is now closed and a new east - west 6000 ' ( 1800m ) runway 09 / 27 laid down along with expanded aircraft parking areas and multiple hangars as part of an operational NATO air base .